Bike Lane Wars Abound
The Brooklyn Paper is chock full of stories about bike lane conflict today. First up is more drama surrounding the new lanes on Prospect Park West. As you may recall, DOT’s decision to axe one lane of car traffic to make way for a two-way bike lane was done despite opposition by Marty Markowitz and…
The Brooklyn Paper is chock full of stories about bike lane conflict today. First up is more drama surrounding the new lanes on Prospect Park West. As you may recall, DOT’s decision to axe one lane of car traffic to make way for a two-way bike lane was done despite opposition by Marty Markowitz and many others in the driver camp. Now, it turns out, some pedestrians who are used to only having to look one way before crossing are up in arms. Meanwhile, down in Bay Ridge, Community Board 10 voted earlier this week against two new proposed bike lanes. “The city is bent on taking away driving lanes for cars,” said Allen Bortnick, a member of Community Board 10. “We are not going to be able to live with this comfortably.”
My issue is that traffic enforcement IS real crime! When aggressive drivers, etc. run out of luck people are DEAD. The same way someone is dead when a thug and his .45 get together. I don’t see a difference.
Now, what about people getting tickets for sitting on a park bench after dusk (and the official closing), the subway seat fines or other petty things… this is silly and there are REAL sources of revenue that will also increase SAFETY.
I dunno… how about a speeding ticket?
By Jaguar on June 23, 2010 4:49 PM
11217 — I basically agree with all of the points you have made, but I do sense a certain amount of “preaching” in your approach which loses a bit of its moral high ground when it turns out you like to fly alot. Just sayin’. People have all sorts of reasons they make the choices they do and not everybody can afford to go to BA for a steak dinner but must settle instead for something more local to which they will drive to.
Pot>>>Kettle
By Jaguar on June 23, 2010 4:43 PM
And while I may have taken some of what 11217 has said out of context, I can’t help but see some wilfull blindness to his own hypocrisy in the way he has revealed himself in this conversation, not to mention outright hostility to other social classes.
WOW, even Minard never sounds that pompous.
11217 — I basically agree with all of the points you have made, but I do sense a certain amount of “preaching” in your approach which loses a bit of its moral high ground when it turns out you like to fly alot. Just sayin’. People have all sorts of reasons they make the choices they do and not everybody can afford to go to BA for a steak dinner but must settle instead for something more local to which they will drive to.
Yes, the NPYD still solve real crimes and unfortunately there are plenty of them to solve notwithstanding the way Bloomberg has massaged the statistics and they way he has diverted resources to revenue generation.
Jaguar,
I guess you missed the part about me working hard for what I have and being smart with the money I do have (which really isn’t a lot).
We aren’t talking about a brownstone and a villa here. We’re talking about a studio and a tiny 1 bedroom.
I’m not hostile to any social class. I’m hostile to willfully ignorant people.
Actually, I think “limousine” is perfect irony in this context.
And while I may have taken some of what 11217 has said out of context, I can’t help but see some wilfull blindness to his own hypocrisy in the way he has revealed himself in this conversation, not to mention outright hostility to other social classes.
“but I am also fairly certain that the understaffed and overwhelmed NYPD have more important crimes to solve.”
Really? Does the NYPD even solve crimes anymore? It seems Emperor Bloomberg has turned them into a revenue generating organization rather than one that actually keeps it’s residents safe.
Gotta love that weekend where they NYPD was on the subways giving out tickets at 3am for people putting their bags on seats next to them while people were stab happy on other lines.
I don’t have a position on horse dung yet. I’ll have to think about it.