Thursday’s Headlines: Action Chantel Jackson Edition
Is this government in action, or government inaction?
You may have heard about the apparent viral trend where everyday New Yorkers post videos asking the mayor to fix potholes or other issues on their streets, and City Hall miraculously addresses the problem a few days later.
Well, Assembly Member Chantel Jackson (D-Bronx) tried it for herself — and got results. Two days after Jackson posted a video of a wheelchair using constituent struggling to navigate blocked and deteriorating sidewalk ramps at 156th Street and Concourse Village East, she shared another video show that the Department of Transportation had fixed the problem.
“Thank you to News 12 and to DOT and the mayor’s office for addressing this issue,” Jackson said in the second video (below). “Hopefully we don’t have to put out viral videos to get service the next time.”
New Yorkers have several ways to access issues for the DOT, including 311 and tagging the agency on social media. But in the first video, Jackson included photos of her showing DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn the issue in person way back on June 17. She also called for enforcement to get illegally parked vehicles out of the way of the crosswalk.
It’s not clear why the city only acted after Jackson took the issue to Instagram — Streetsblog has reached out to DOT for an explanation.
In other news:
- A second hit-and-run driver struck and killed a second cyclist in the Bronx on Tuesday after an earlier hit-and-run fatality in Brooklyn. (Daily News, Brooklyn Paper)
- The springs between subway cars are apparently an occupational hazard for transit workers. (Gothamist)
- New York Yimby shared photos of construction progress on the new Port Authority Bus Terminal.
- The city needs to build 700,000 new homes over the next 10 years to keep pace with its expected population growth, according to a new report. (Gothamist)
- Columbia continues to deny access to the public to the stretch of 116th Street that cuts through its campus. (Curbed)
- NYPD arrested a suspect who allegedly beat a man unconscious in the street before an SUV driver and NYPD officer ran the victim over. (Daily News)
- Illegal parking is causing traffic jams at one intersection on McGuinness Boulevard, but News 12 still opted to blame the bike lane.
- DOT converted two roads on Staten Island from two-way to one-way. (S.I. Advance)
- MTA officials celebrated upgrades to the Kings Highway F train stop. (CBS New York via YouTube)
- An ex-NYPD sergeant admitted to being drunk when she struck and killed a Manhattan doorman on the Taconic State Parkway. (NY Times)
- A truck overturned and spilled oil near the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge on Wednesday. (Gothamist)
- And finally, DOT finally painted Crashland Place green:
Read More:
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