Brooklyn

Pedestrians Fighting Over the Scraps

The Brooklynian message boards are often the scene of fierce fighting over Brownstone Brooklyn's crowded sidewalk space. While Park Slope's legion of double-wide stroller-pushing moms and sidewalk-riding cyclists tend to generate the most ire, yesterday a new target emerged: Guys playing cards on the sidewalk.

By Aaron Naparstek

12:00 PM EDT on May 17, 2007

The Brooklynian message boards are often the scene of fierce fighting over Brownstone Brooklyn’s crowded sidewalk space. While Park Slope’s legion of double-wide stroller-pushing moms and sidewalk-riding cyclists tend to generate the most ire, yesterday a new target emerged: Guys playing cards on the sidewalk.

Thankfully, these sidewalk fights seem to take place more in cyberspace than out on the street. Still, it always amazes me a little bit to see pedestrians, stroller-pushers, cyclists and card players arguing over scraps of sidewalk while a few feet away automobiles frolic across vast expanses of asphalt and lounge all day in free curbside parking spaces.

It doesn’t occur to a lot of New Yorkers that it’s the cars that are hogging so much of our public space and that streets and sidewalks can be more than just a means to get somewhere else, they can actually be “places” in and of themselves.

Fortunately, another reclamation of curbside parking space is on the way. September 21 has been set as the date for International Park(ing) Day 2007.

Aaron Naparstek

Aaron Naparstek is the founder and former editor-in-chief of Streetsblog. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Naparstek's journalism, advocacy and community organizing work has been instrumental in growing the bicycle network, removing motor vehicles from parks, and developing new public plazas, car-free streets and life-saving traffic-calming measures across all five boroughs. He was also one of the original cast members of the "War on Cars" podcast. You can find more of his work on his website.