Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Brooklyn

Pedestrians Fighting Over the Scraps

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.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Wednesday’s Headlines: Concerted Effort Edition

The Great Lawn will be closed to the public six weeks earlier than normal because of those damn rockers. Plus other news.

October 4, 2023

Broadway Vision: Watch 15 Years of Transformation in a Single Streetfilm

It's hard to see the big picture of just what has been accomplished between Times and Union squares. That's where Clarence Eckerson Jr. comes in.

October 4, 2023

What Do ‘Livable’ Streets Look Like in an Era of Driverless Cars?

In today's Brake podcast, Kea Wilson asks Bruce Appleyard what future livable streets have in a world of autonomous cars.

October 4, 2023

NYPD Steps Up Effort Against Illegal Mopeds, But Some Advocates Want a Different Approach

The NYPD seized some illegal wheels from delivery workers in the middle of their route on Wednesday, part of a stepped-up effort.

October 4, 2023

Astoria Organizers Lead the Way on Street Safety with a Reddit Strategy

The western Queens neighborhood has become a hub for a new kind of safe street advocacy.

October 3, 2023
See all posts