Greenpoint Photo Du Jour: Big Gulp

August 5, 2010 ·
Filed under: 11222, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic 

From the intersection of Nassau Avenue & Diamond Street.

Miss Heather

New York Shitty Photo Du Jour: Nap Time

April 2, 2010 ·
Filed under: 11222, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic 

Note the roll of toilet paper on the dash.

Miss Heather

From The New York Shitty Inbox: Beware

January 28, 2010 ·
Filed under: 11222, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic 

Jay (who sent me the above photo) writes:

Future location of a pedestrian’s broken ankle. Corner of Newell and Nassau. 10 inches wide 3 feet deep… and growing.

While hardly the stuff of front page news it DOES touch upon something I have long intended but neglected to expound upon on New York Shitty. Namely, what does one due when he (or she) finds something like this in north Brooklyn? Call 311 ASAP. You will be given a complaint number. Write down this number and forward it along with a simple description of what you have reported to Community Board 1. This can be done quickly and easily via email at bk01 (at) cb (dot) nyc (dot) gov.

I realize this may seem like a lot of fuss over a paltry pot hole. But I would like to counter that although Jay saw this hazard in time to walk around it, someone else (especially a bicyclist) may not. Be a good neighbor: when you see something like this, call it in. It’s our community folks. Let’s watch out for each other!

Miss Heather

Williamsburg Photo Du Jour: North 1 Street

January 28, 2010 ·
Filed under: 11211, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn 

This message has been brought to you by the Department of Transportation, who I would also presume, is responsible for this:

A few thoughts:

  1. It’s probably not a good idea to leave something like this where anyone can grab it. And believe you me: people hereabouts will steal ANYTHING. Just as D.I. Fulton of the 94th Precinct reminded us yesterday: do not leave your property unattended!
  2. It’s a little disquieting to see an electronic thingamajig affixed to a piece of public property in this manner. In the post 9/11 world we live in sights such as this tend to make people nervous.

Miss Heather

GREAT MOMENTS IN MUNICIPAL IDIOCY: Southside Style

clusterfuckTHUMBYesterday morning I was alerted by a neighbor of mine that, in their infinite wisdom, the Department of Transportation has removed the “dismount” signs from the Pulaski Bridge. I have yet to verify this in person (I will) but this struck me as being yet another indicator of our fair city’s cow-towing to a bicyclist agenda at the expense of pedestrians. What’s more, it is just plain stupid to have bicyclists (who are apparently now legally sanctioned to go full speed ahead) and people on foot sharing a “pathway” which is eight to (at best) ten feet in width. This is a nasty accident waiting to happen— white lines or not.

I spent a fair amount of my morning fuming over this. In fact, I racked my brain to think of anything our city has perpetrated/inflicted on its citizens (traffic-wise) that could begin to compare to what they have done to the Pulaski Bridge. I came up empty.

Then I took a walk on the Southside. Methinks I may very well have found something worse.

Many of you, dear readers, are aware that I spend a significant amount of time looking down. This may seem to some to be an odd practice but I assure you it has a purpose: to avoid stepping in dog shit. As time has gone on I have found a number of other interesting things on our city’s sidewalks. I have documented them on this web site often.

sidewalk

In the case of Marcy Avenue I present to you this.

sidewalk2

These.

sidewalk3

And these.

Why does this irritate me so, you ask? Well, for starters:

  1. This “bicycle lane” is on a public sidewalk. Bikes do not belong on sidewalks, people do.
  2. If my memory serves me correctly one can get ticketed for riding a bicycle on a sidewalk.
  3. As you can see above the city has sanctioned the use of a public sidewalk for use by bicyclists. Somewhere I hear Franz Kafka and George Orwell cackling their respective asses off.

Follows is a map of the intersection in question to further elucidate my point.

map

I have highlighted the bike lane in question (which is located on South 3rd Street) in yellow. The sidewalk cum bike lane (on Marcy Avenue) is highlighted in green. The more eagle-eyed among you might have noticed that someone walking towards South 3rd Street on Marcy Avenue would have a limited/obstructed view of oncoming traffic (be it petroleum-fueled or man-powered) from South 3rd Street. Here’s a street level view to drive the point home.

south3street

I am not a Southside resident, but I do walk around there pretty frequently. Who do I see walking along this stretch of Marcy Avenue most frequently, you ask? I’ll tell you:

  1. A large number of elderly people. Many of whom are pushing carts laden groceries, some of whom have limited mobility.
  2. Young women pushing strollers or accompanying small children.
  3. Hipsters who have turned on and tuned into their i-Pods.

In a nutshell, people whose ability to dodge an oncoming bicycle— for reasons of their own choosing or otherwise— is compromised. I do not know who thought up this “solution” to the bicycling problem but it is one of the WORST examples of municipal “planning” I have ever seen.

yieldtopeds

In fact, if this didn’t pose a serious public safety issue I’d find the above image downright hilarious. But it is a safety issue. And it is no laughing matter.

I have often been accused of being “anti-bicycle”. I am not. What I am becoming increasingly fed up with is this “have your cake and eat it too” mode of operation our city is espousing. Bikes neither belong on sidewalks nor any other pedestrian walkway. They belong on the streets. Safely. To make this happen entails making tough choices. Choices clearly the leaders of this city are unwilling to make (presumably because they will piss off motorists).

This is a farce.

Miss Heather

UPDATE, 10/30/09 2:00 p.m.: Sure enough, the dismount signs have been removed from the Pulaski Bridge.

nosigns

pulaski2

pulaski1

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