Ben Fried

More headlines at Streetsblog Capitol Hill

An unidentified man was struck by a National Guard truck driver at the intersection of Canal Street and Centre Street in Lower Manhattan at around 1:30 this afternoon. Witnesses seemed certain that the victim was killed, though an officer at the scene would only say that "a pedestrian got hit" and refused to provide further information.

The New York Post editorial board isn't known for enlightened positions on transportation policy and street design. Even so, I was kind of floored to read this tone-deaf screed published over the weekend, blaming the city's post-Sandy transportation disruptions on bike lanes, pedestrian plazas, and traffic-calming measures.

Leave your hopes, fears, predictions, and polling place observations in the comments.

With the heart of the subway system knocked out of commission, this morning the Streetfilms crew -- Clarence Eckerson, Elizabeth Press, and Robin Urban Smith -- headed out to the bridge crossings that link Brooklyn and Queens to Manhattan, to document how New Yorkers are getting around under emergency conditions.

We interrupt our post-Sandy coverage to bring you these pictures from Halloween last night at the 78th Street Play Street in Jackson Heights. The Jackson Heights Green Alliance put on the event, "Trick or Treat in the Street," and Streetfilms' Clarence Eckerson sent over these photos. This is the kind of thing residents can do in the neighborhood after a successful grassroots campaign to permanently repurpose this block, which used to be a through street for motor vehicle traffic, as a public space.

More headlines at Streetsblog Capitol Hill

Here's a look at Roosevelt Avenue and 82nd Street in Jackson Heights earlier this afternoon. Streetfilms' Clarence Eckerson says the line to get onto these buses snaked twice as long as what you can see in the frame. Buses were already rolling up full and proceeded to crawl along Roosevelt, in traffic, at walking speed.

A few quick takeaways from Governor Cuomo's recently-concluded press conference on the recovery from Sandy:

With the NYC subway system knocked out indefinitely and service suspended on the LIRR, Metro-North, NJ Transit, and PATH systems, New Yorkers are gamely heading back to work today. MTA bus routes have resumed service, but across the board, their status is "Delayed." Early reports indicate that traffic is a disaster. It looks like HOV restrictions, busways, and bike/ped lanes can't come soon enough.