How is the first snowstorm of the de Blasio era treating you?
Clarence has been out on the streets, perhaps working on a sequel to his "Snowy Neckdowns" blockbuster from 2011 (which was itself a sequel to this 2007 video). After the streets have been plowed and drivers carve out their routes, all that snow piling up at intersections shows us the excess road space that could be reclaimed permanently to calm traffic. Here's an example that Doug Gordon captured on Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn today:
#sneckdown pic.twitter.com/gxqExqvlRJ
— Brooklyn Spoke (@BrooklynSpoke) January 3, 2014
If you see good snowy neckdowns (a.k.a. #sneckdowns), send us your pics and we'll run the best on the blog.
We also want to know how well the Sanitation Department is keeping the protected bike lane network clear. Winter biking is more practical than most people realize. It's actually pretty damn comfortable if you keep your ears and extremities well-insulated. But unplowed, snow-packed bike lanes can ruin it for days on end. Remember how long the Prospect Park West bike lane went unplowed in 2011?
The city did a good job on the Eighth Avenue protected bike lane this morning:
8th Ave #bikenyc lane plowed (at 56th St) #deblasiosnewyork pic.twitter.com/0G9ktAdCqh
— Steve O'Neill (@eveostay) January 3, 2014
How about the other protected lanes and the bridge paths? Do the protected bike lane conditions match the status reports on the city's plow tracker? (According to the tracker, as of 12:30 p.m., all of Prospect Park West has been plowed within the last three hours.) Send us your pictures and reports in the comments or tweet us at @StreetsblogNYC.