Today’s Headlines

  • Is There Anything NYPD Won’t Do to Cover Up Police Crashes? (News)
  • Just 15 Percent of Cuomo’s Subway Action Budget Goes to Signal Upgrades (NYT)
  • NJ Transit Train Stalls in Penn Tunnel for Almost Two Hours During Morning Rush (WCBS)
  • NYT Notes Bus Lane-Blocking Second Avenue Street Cheats — Is de Blasio Listening?
  • Wrist Tap for NYPD Chief Who Used Department Resources for Personal Favors (NYT)
  • WFP Ramps Up Campaign to Oust Turncoat Albany Democrats (Gotham Gazette)
  • Loved Ones Mourn Troy Williams, Whose Killer Is Still at Large (Post)
  • Flip a Car on a NYC Street and NYPD Won’t Even Give You a Ticket (Bx Times)
  • NYC Man Crashes Box Truck and Dies in Westchester; 2 Passengers Injured (LoHud)
  • No Motorist Complaint Is Too Peevish for NYC Electeds, Police, and the Press

More headlines at Streetsblog USA

  • Ken Dodd

    “No charges have been filed against the cops. All of the officers involved are still employed by the department” – UNBELIEVABLE. It’s no wonder there is such a deeply rooted disrespect for the law in this city. Whys should anyone strive to be a law abiding citizen when the NYPD is so utterly lawless.

  • Larry Littlefield

    In Albany who is worse, the “regular” Democrats, the IDC, or the Republicans?

    Which isn’t in favor of having the city with the highest state and local tax burden in the country have those taxes rise further, having its deteriorating infrastructure fall further, and having its spending in categories where it is already vastly higher than the U.S. average rise further, but with nothing in return?

    Which isn’t in favor of screwing younger, poorer and future residents of this city and state to benefit those cashing in and moving out?

    Which doesn’t have an actual political philosophy of neo-feudalism, with those who already have self-provided deals entitled to keep them, and get more, regardless of the impact on others?

    Which isn’t back by the self-dealing political/union class, executive/financial class, or both?

  • Jeff

    The Dunkin’ Donuts story in Riverdale seems to be a sticking point for urbanists, too, no? The fact that each individual business must have its own parking that can’t be shared by other businesses, thus leading to an oversupply of parking?

  • Larry Littlefield

    I used to live up there. It’s a great commercial street to walk to for those living down the hill in the Bronx. I guess it’s less good for those living up the hill in not the Bronx and not walking.

    “The fact that each individual business must have its own parking that can’t be shared by other businesses, thus leading to an oversupply of parking?”

    I’m not sure there is an over-supply, but there is a big paid city lot behind the stores on Broadway south of 231st Street, and metered street parking. Plenty of parking there.

    Back in the day there was a proposal to have a lower parking requirement for combinations of uses with different time of day activity — places of assembly and retail stores for example. But it never got off the ground.

  • 1ifbyrain2ifbytrain

    Since the 3 nypd criminals in the bribery article are “retired” I assume they are all receiving pensions?

  • Larry Littlefield

    Just remember, members of the NYPD are the only public employees that can lose their pensions if they are found guilty of misconduct — a provision that might have been extended to future state legislators.

    So there is that.

  • AstoriaBlowin

    Any settlement money against the NYPD needs to paid from their pension fund, only way this kind of nonsense will stop.

  • AstoriaBlowin

    Broadway from the bridge to 240th is almost a textbook car sewer, there are huge parking lots in front of Staples and Stop and Shop and its awful to bike because of double parking and the columns of the el. There’s also no housing right next to the train! So much single floor commercial only buildings, streetscapes like that would make you despair of NY ever becoming a more liveable city, the built environment is just so stupidly planned and so ugly.

  • vnm

    In fact it is absurd. You park a car in a place that says parking for Dunkin’ Donuts customers only (and Baskin’ Robbins), and legitimately buy a coffee from them, then in one way of looking at it, you are a customer, even if you duck into the post office before or (and I’d recommend doing it this way) after you get the coffees.

    In the other way of looking at it, the moment you walk off the property line, you’re in violation of parking as a non-customer. In this way of thinking of it, you have to drive to the Dunkin’ Donuts, buy coffee, get back in the car, then drive three feet to the post office. Or, since the post office doesn’t have off-street parking, basically circle the block a few times until something opens up.

    So following these policies overly aggressively creates unnecessary driving.

  • Jeff

    Agreed. I ride through there when I’m heading up to Yonkers and it ain’t pretty.

  • vnm

    Going further, I think the problem stems from the built environment. The particular establishment in question can be seen here (Google street view). While evidently obsessing over availability of off-street parking, the businesses block off the obviously heavy pedestrian traffic as much as possible. So motorists are met with: Please park here! (but also please leave quickly), while pedestrians are met with a fence. The only way to walk to the building is via the driveway for cars.

    This is why suburban-style development doesn’t really belong in the city. It doesn’t serve anyone well.

  • Larry Littlefield

    I see it as a vibrant area despite a low-income clientele and an elevated train above. You should ride on Kingsbridge.

    What bothers me is the difference between the Putman ROW in Van Cortlandt Park and the South County Trailway.

  • Joe R.

    Not just in Riverdale. Look at these two stores by me (National Wholesale Liquidators and Microcenter):

    https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7296943,-73.8151162,3a,75y,54.83h,86.37t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s723pBgZoUhl1mVHSJgzo6A!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3D723pBgZoUhl1mVHSJgzo6A%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D18.804348%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

    https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7290157,-73.8151651,3a,75y,56.64h,70.76t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1so8XHkoe7A5nFo5XQ6mTuRQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

    Note that both lack entrances on the sidewalk and both stores at one time did have such entrances. Customers of foot are expected to enter via the parking lot entrances in back:

    https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7294513,-73.8141583,175m/data=!3m1!1e3

    Besides being anti-urban, there could be a bunch more stores in this development if that parking lot was converted to something more useful (or at least partially converted). All of the other stores on that block have entrances on the sidewalk.

    Businesses operating in urban areas at the very least should be required to have a sidewalk entrance, not just a parking lot entrance.

  • Joe R.

    I can’t see any positive effect for Dunkin’ Donuts, either, even though they’re supposedly the ones who requested the enforcement. Doubtless this policy has cost them lots of former customers.

  • crazytrainmatt

    I think the single-story commercial that infests many of the outer borough subway lines in the bronx was put up on the cheap with the intention of replacing it with higher-value construction including residential once land values had risen enough. Seems to me this is one of the biggest redevelopment opportunities in NYC on the whole.

  • Joe R.

    Agreed, and lots of that kind of development also exists along arterials without subway lines in the outer boroughs. Converting single story retail to multi-story retail plus housing could help solve NYC’s housing crisis. I suspect one reason it hasn’t been done is parking requirements. A developer could probably make enough money off a commercial retailer to pay for below market apartments above that retailer. Unfortunately, parking requirements would drive the cost of building right through the roof. Most likely you would need underground parking to satisfy parking requirements. Or you would need to buy an adjacent lot and devote that just to resident parking. This is yet another clear case to eliminate minimum parking requirements.

  • Maggie

    I have a really tough time walking it. The sidewalk on the west side of Broadway is too narrow and the one on the east side is nonstop curb cuts with cars turning to park. From the bridge all the way to Van Cortlandt Park is a nightmare in my view.

  • Urbanely

    What exactly will it take for someone to get fired from this department? And why must we, the taxpayers, be on the hook for their continued malfeasance? Ugh.

  • AstoriaBlowin

    100% agree. Block after block of Steinway St, an absolutely bustling retail/commercial corridor has no housing at all, it’s either single story retail or retail with a few floors of offices. Just that one stretch of 6 or seven avenue blocks could yield what, a few thousand units, will never happen as far as I know.

  • Larry Littlefield

    Well, you can always shift to Kingsbridge Ave. Take a left at the Dunkin.

  • AnoNYC

    Yup. Check out Jerome Ave, Southern Blvd, and Westchester Ave in a couple years. Already transit oriented/mixed-use developments here and there on former “tax-payers” and parking lots. The big rezonings are going to make a big difference.

  • kevd

    Also the Sears in Flatbush (Bedford and Beverly).
    The sidewalk entrance is bricked shut. This in Kings County’s densest zip code – 81,000/square mile…

  • kevd

    they have a deal with the towing company.
    I bet they both get a cut. so the more cars towed, the better for both.

  • kevd

    part of it might be about people not wanted to live 20 feet from a noisey elevated train, too.