Pothole City
Those lucky enough to catch to “The Call” on NY1 last night got to hear “Hirsch” from Brooklyn Heights say the following, in part: “My street is consumed with potholes and looks like a swiss cheese with no one taking responsibility. New York has fallen and can’t get up. Under this present mayor – New…

Those lucky enough to catch to “The Call” on NY1 last night got to hear “Hirsch” from Brooklyn Heights say the following, in part: “My street is consumed with potholes and looks like a swiss cheese with no one taking responsibility. New York has fallen and can’t get up. Under this present mayor – New York is no longer the greatest city – it is a third world country.” Anyhow, potholes are all over the news today, with the main story being that DOT-mandated furloughs mean potholes are taking longer to get filled. According to the Daily News: “Last month, it took on average 3.65 days to fill a pothole – compared with 1.42 days during the previous January, said DOT spokesman Seth Solomonow. He maintained that total manpower hours during the 10-week stretch in which furloughs are in effect is on par with last year, since 50 seasonal highway repairers moved to year-round posts.” Meanwhile, Brooklyn Heights Blog reports that the Manhattan-bound section of the Brooklyn Bridge will be closed during the afternoons today, tomorrow and Saturday for emergency pothole repair.
Furloughs Leave Cracks In City’s Pothole Repairs [NY1]
City Continues Furloughs for Workers [NY Daily News]
Bloomberg to City: Drop Dead (Into Street Potholes) [Runnin’ Scared]
Emergency Pothole Repair to Close Manhattan Bound Brooklyn Bridge Today Through Saturday [BHB]
Photo by dasmart.
Minard… that’s really cute.
This rhetoric about Bloomie being a dictator is REALLY tiresome. ENY pointed at one major misstep (the response to the snowstorm — folks lost their lives). But this city is doing VERY well under the leadership of Bloomberg, as fsrq points out, AND they actually have long-term plans in the works to keep the city functioning.
Ya know, things like making sure there’s enough electricity as the city grows!
Bloomberg, like any dictator, just wants the peasant out of the way of his motorcade. You can be sure his daily itinerary is given to DOT and all the potholes fixed along those routes. If any of his fleet of SUVs suffers damage from a pothole, heads will roll. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter what the serfs think.
ENY – as a “defender” I am not crying foul about the flack people are giving Bloomberg – he is a politician, he can take it – but I will always cry foul if the FACTS included in the flack are false or hyperbolic. And saying this city is now equivalent to a 3rd world country is just false in so many ways.
I am more than willing to grant you that so far Bloomberg’s 3rd term has been off to an inauspicious start – but the City is still on very solid footing and in many ways better positioned than one would expect given historically similar times.
Bloomberg completely f-ked up this year’s snow response from jump and has been trying to play catch-up ever since. I find it incredible that his defenders are crying foul now that poeple are on his ass! From where I sit, an arrogant guy like him, who is so often impatient with others who stumble, is overdue to take some flack.
Wow sounds like “Hirsch” is out of his mind. While I have certainly been disappointed with our Mayor of late (Snow response, Cathie Black, and a few other things) the idea that we have become a 3rd rate city or that the fact that potholes that developed due to one of the worst winters in memory have not been fixed by Feb 9 is just ridiculous.
We are coming through one of the greatest downturns in history and the City finances are good – services are more or less being retained and in some areas (like Parks) things are still improving. I’d hardly call NYC a failed city at this point.
NYC winter 2010/11 = record amounts of whine.
people who drive really hate ANYTHING that causes them to driver slower and with caution…
bike lanes, potholes, development that may or may not indirectly cause increased traffic.
if you’re really a baller, get a helicopter.
The whole problem is that we use asphalt for our roads, and it is not working. Someone needs to come up with another type of road surface that can withstand the weather we have here.
So far every winter we get potholes, and they are fixed into the summer, so our roads are always in a total state of disrepair.
I dont think i will ever see in my lifetime the Gowanus expressway completed….
tip of the day – DONT SLAM on the brakes when heading into a pot hole. Just tap the brakas to slow it down but make sure to release brakes before entering pot hole else you risk blowing out the tire.