Today’s Headlines

  • Quinn, Vacca Tout Traffic Data Bills, Get Mealymouthed Over Bike Lanes (Gazette, Politicker, News)
  • Chuck’s Choice: WPIX Casts Schumer PPW Opposition as Bid to Save Marriage
  • Russell Smith, 11, Killed by Driver on Grand Concourse; No Charges Filed (Post, News, NY1)
  • TA, Sister of 2005 Victim Join Call to Tame Bronx’s Own “Boulevard of Death” (News)
  • City Adds Shifts to Fill Potholes (News), Launches Repair Tumblog
  • Who Knew? Ratner Exec Says East River Plaza Has Too Much Parking (DNAinfo)
  • Developers Want to Bring Foot Traffic to Hudson Square With Apartment Tower (Crain’s)
  • DOT Plans New Pedestrian Space for Jane Street Triangle (Village Confidential)
  • Owners, Tenants of UES Building Sue Over Location of 2nd Ave Subway Entrances (NY1)
  • New Yorkers Could Really Use More Sidewalk Space (2nd Ave Sagas)

More headlines at Streetsblog Capitol Hill

  • TKO

    Hudson Square is lively now. The plan seems, though the state otherwise is to make condos and rentals for the rich. No hotels with more then 100 rooms without special permit? MAybe the problem is all the tunnel traffic that makes the sidewalks feel like islands. Friday night biking is one heck of a scary experience.I miss all the printing places that were down there once and now gone to other places far away.

    Geez.

  • Car Free Nation

    Does anyone ever run into trouble with thugs on the Sands Street bike lane? Last night, at around 6:20 pm, three teenagers were hanging out in the median of the lane as I rode buy. One was holding a cane, and as I came close, he thrust the cane towards my front wheel, aiming to ram it through the spokes (which would have been very bad). Laughter ensued. Luckily, he missed.

    I think if there is a pattern here, a few of us should go to the police precinct meeting and make them aware of the problem.

  • Larry Littlefield

    There were some miscreants hanging out on the Manny B off ramp and breaking bottles last summer.

    Other than that, I haven’t had a problem.

  • @ Car Free Nation,

    You should report that — someone could get seriously hurt, or worse, if they were successful in such a thing.

  • dporpentine

    Car Free Nation:

    There’s definitely a pattern of incidents like yours.

    I work near there and have heard stories about it from other bikers–usually about having things chucked at their heads. This is the first time I’ve heard of someone using a cane.

    I also feel like I’ve read at least a couple of Streetsblog comments about this kind of thing in that same spot, but a Google search didn’t turn up anything.

  • Ian Turner

    TKO, luxury housing is still housing. The only way to reduce rents is to build more of it, luxury or otherwise. It’s not like rich people will stop moving to the city if there are no brand-new condos to live in.

  • Ian Turner

    I don’t begrudge drivers the pothole crews. It makes no sense to leave streets unmaintained, because the costs to drivers in extra maintenance, blown tires, fuel, etc., is more than the cost of just fixing the roads. And deferred maintenance is more expensive for government, because after a certain point it no longer becomes possible to resurface; you have to rebuild the road completely.

    What we need, however, is a way to fully fund road repairs without subsidizing drivers; in other words, they need to be funded by some kind of user fee.

  • While not directly connected to the winter pothole epidemic, the condition of the First Avenue bike lane from 72nd St uptown is appallingly bumpy. Perhaps DOT could do something about that as well.

  • Ben from Harlem

    Jonathan and everyone else….

    In Copenhagen, wonderful bike paradise city, the city transportation officials have a few bicyles with seismic-type data recorders to scientifically determine which bike paths are smooth and which are bumpy. Understanding the importance of smooth, well-paved paths and lanes, the Copenhagen city government actually measures the smoothness of these lanes on an ongoing basis and re-paves/patches them as needed all the time.

    I rode there last year in January and noticed how I hardly hit a bump the whole time!

    Yes another advertisement for a Denmark visit, friends. And I hear it’s even nicer in the spring (though people bike all winter long, too!)

  • Ben, thanks for the info. It reminded me of this 20th-century study (link to PDF), which involved “bump detectors” and automobiles.