Month: March 2009

Biking in Astoria

Fund Transit or Else…

The danger of subway cuts and fare hikes looms. Keeping the transit system in decent shape affects more than your commute to work. It’s a public safety issue. The proposed MTA “doomsday” service cuts puts the past 15 years of public-safety gains in jeopardy. Read the whole story here.

Killing pedestrians should be a crime

Kind of a no-brainer. But usually, the driver isn’t even charged! Part of the problem is that it’s not exactly clear what crime is committed when a car jumps the curb and mows down innocent people. Here’s the answer: make driving on the sidewalk an arrestable offense. It’s not something you have to arrest a…
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Our Bridge

The Queensboro. 100 years old. Beautiful photo in the Times by James Barron:

Van Kills Pregnant Woman on Sidewalk

From the story in the Times There were two men in the front seat, a driver and passenger, and the passenger was leaning out the window and yelling at and harassing the women, Mr. Contreras said, citing his coworker’s account. All of a sudden, he said, the van shot up suddenly onto the curb.…The van…
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The Great Blight of Dullness

I had to bike up to 187 Street in the Bronx yesterday. In the giant jigsaw puzzle of this city, I got to fill in a few more pieces in my mental map! Every time I head north, which isn’t too often, I’m often amazed by, what are they called… Hills! In New York! Ride…
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TA phone-a-thon: Save Transit

TA is having a very real phone-a-thon on Wednesday on the south side of Union Square from 8am to 12pm. There will be plenty of phones and district maps so people can stop by, see the cuts, and see who their State Senator/Assemblyperson is. Then you call them up and yell at them (or something…
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Stop the Pistillis

What do I have against the Pistillis? They build ugly buildings in my neighborhood! Here’s a little about their shitty conversion on Astoria Park. My neighbor, a super, told me a while back that there was already mold in the place. And their latest sure-to-be shit job, on Newtown Ave, will not only be ugly.…
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Coming to a Bridge Near You

Apparently there’s going to be uber-modern house tugged up the East River tomorrow! I love shit like that. If you’re near the water, keep an eye out for it. No doubt there will be great views from Socrates Sculpture Garden, Roosevelt Island, and the Queensboro and Triborough Bridges. Nothing like a house on boat going…
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Car on Bike Path

I was crossing the Queensboro bridge tonight at around 12:30, heading home toward Astoria when I heard a motor behind me. No, it wasn’t a moped. It was a car. And no, it wasn’t an unmarked police car. It was a car, going to Queens. I’m glad it didn’t kill me. No doubt, as I…
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The Idaho Stop

I rarely think Idaho as on the cutting edge of, well, anything. But they have it right when it comes to bikes and stop signs. Since 1982. It allows bicyclists to treat stop signs as yield and not always come to a complete stop. The Idaho Stop. Let’s do it here. And add red lights…
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