A short video about crossing grand army plaza

newcolonist · July 2009

Great stuff. I sent soem of them via newcolonist on Twitter. I've lived in San Francisco, New York and even a suburb of Pittsburgh without a car (and I don't use a bike for transportation).

I also think many people HAVE the option to MOVE to where they don't need a car. Some don't, I understand. There's a podcast on living in LA without a car, and one on living in Pittsburgh without a car here: http://www.newcolonist.com/podcasts.html

...and don't forget the availability of zipcars!

unrepentant fenian · July 2009

A huge portion of traffic in this city is commercial traffic. Every item you purchase, be it a quarter drink at the bodega, or your organic eggs at Whole Foods, is delivered by a truck. When your dishwasher breaks do you think the Maytag repairman is going to peddle over to your place on his bicycle with all of is tools on his back? Another enormous chunk are cabs and livery vehicles which are often utilized by these whiny "nobody should have a car" types. Not everyone has the lifestyle you do. Some people have extended families who live in the suburbs that they visit frequently. Some people like to go camping, or climbing, or have weekend homes - are they supposed to rent a car 3 out of 7 days? That's economically retarded. Some people have to carry tools, merchandise, or other equipment for their job. Some people work off hours and asking them to spend 3 hours commuting each way is ridiculous. My wife and I both live in Brooklyn but work in Jersey. The reverse commute is awesome. Fortunately my wife can take public transportation - it takes an hour and a half but for her it's doable. To ringrunner you shouldn't be giving money to transportation alternatives - there an extremist organization that wants to eradicate vehicles in NYC altogether, that and they get enough tax money from the DOT.

newcolonist · July 2009

http://www.greyhound.com/home/

unrepentant fenian · July 2009

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7537675.stm Man Beheaded on Bus

newcolonist · July 2009

Page not found. That was some time ago in Canada. An average of 114 people die each day in car crashes in the U.S.

unrepentant fenian · July 2009

Your view is myopic.

brooklyngigcenter · July 2009

Unrepentant Fenian wrote: A huge portion of traffic in this city is commercial traffic. Every item you purchase, be it a quarter drink at the bodega, or your organic eggs at Whole Foods, is delivered by a truck.

Wait a minute.....you can get a quarter drink at a bodega in this town?

carmen · July 2009

Danny Hellman wrote:

What's wrong with renting a car for occasional business trips? It's got to be cheaper than owning a car. All three airports are accessible by public transportation. Owing to the traffic jams that tend to surround the airports, I find that public transportation is the most reliable way to get there on time.
.[/b]

So I should spend 1-1.5 hours commuting to and from the airport, then at least 3 hours in transit (checking in+flying) and then rent a car when I reach my destination to drive the 45 minutes to the actual client location to replace a 3 hour drive?

Or maybe rent a car for 5 days and drive to/from the client location, costing at least $450 for just one trip...lets say I do this once a month for 6 months, that totals $2700. My car insurance is $610 for 6 months plus about $40 in gas each time, which totals under $900.

Cars may be this big, bad, evil phenomenon but, oddly enough, people do use them for things other than joyriding around grand army circle or mowing down pedestrians for sport.

ringrunner · July 2009

Carmen wrote:
Cars may be this big, bad, evil phenomenon but, oddly enough, people do use them for things other than joyriding around grand army circle or mowing down pedestrians for sport.

My mother once did 15 laps of Grand Army Plaza because she could not cross the like 10 lanes of traffic necessary to get from Flatbush Ave to PPW.

carmen · July 2009

ringrunner wrote: [quote=Carmen]
Cars may be this big, bad, evil phenomenon but, oddly enough, people do use them for things other than joyriding around grand army circle or mowing down pedestrians for sport.

My mother once did 15 laps of Grand Army Plaza because she could not cross the like 10 lanes of traffic necessary to get from Flatbush Ave to PPW.

I still wouldn't consider that "joyriding." there is nothing joyful about grand army plaza, or driving in NYC in general for that matter.

newcolonist · July 2009

Zipcar does not require going to the airport.

danny hellman · July 2009

Unrepentant Fenian wrote: A huge portion of traffic in this city is commercial traffic. Every item you purchase, be it a quarter drink at the bodega, or your organic eggs at Whole Foods, is delivered by a truck. When your dishwasher breaks do you think the Maytag repairman is going to peddle over to your place on his bicycle with all of is tools on his back? Another enormous chunk are cabs and livery vehicles which are often utilized by these whiny "nobody should have a car" types. Not everyone has the lifestyle you do. Some people have extended families who live in the suburbs that they visit frequently. Some people like to go camping, or climbing, or have weekend homes - are they supposed to rent a car 3 out of 7 days? That's economically retarded. Some people have to carry tools, merchandise, or other equipment for their job. Some people work off hours and asking them to spend 3 hours commuting each way is ridiculous.

I didn't say that cars should be done away with entirely. I said that cars should be made safer, slower, and fewer in number.

Unrepentant Fenian wrote: you shouldn't be giving money to transportation alternatives - there an extremist organization that wants to eradicate vehicles in NYC altogether, that and they get enough tax money from the DOT.

Oooh, where's my credit card?

Unrepentant Fenian wrote: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7537675.stm

Yeah, I remember that story, because I had to ride a Greyhound back and forth to Montreal a few weeks after that. Somehow I managed not to get beheaded.

meredithb · July 2009

Carmen wrote: I still wouldn't consider that "joyriding." there is nothing joyful about grand army plaza, or driving in NYC in general for that matter.

Well, when there's not traffic there is a lot of joy. I locve driving on the Belt by the harbor, I like the Jackie Robinson, especially those crazy S curves, I like driving on the Henry Hudson too, just to name a few.

But the best is playing "almost hit the pedestrian" in GAP, no doubt about it.

danny hellman · July 2009

While I can't afford a car, I managed to scrape together fifty bucks for Transportation Alternatives: https://www.transalt.org/support/join

Meanwhile, here's a sad story: http://gothamist.com/2009/07/15/cop_pinned_by_car_crash_loses_part.php

willregistersoon · July 2009

I think this whole anti-car crusade is pretty cute. I'm gonna go out for a drive to get me some popcorn. Keep it comin'!

vidro3 · July 2009

newcolonist · July 2009

Nice video showing life without cars http://www.newcolonist.com/vox/archive/00001083.html

meredithb · July 2009

Curitiba, Brazil: Density 10,748.5 people/sq mile
Brooklyn, NY: Density 34,916.6 people /sq mile

whatchuwant · July 2009

Newcolonist- I'm just curious- ever since you moved here, it seems like your only mission is to make this city (albeit EVERY city you've even lived in, it seems) car-free. What's the deal?

Ever thought about living somewhere where NO cars are allowed? I think you'd be happier...Fire Island, for example...

newcolonist · July 2009

Need a subway, and I never said "car-free." I think pedestrians should be the priority and car-use should be discouraged rather than encouraged and heavily subsidized, like it is now.

meredithb · July 2009

I need some of that subsidy!

newcolonist · July 2009

"What hasn't been acknowledged is that the automobile is supported by a government subsidy that dwarfs anything provided to mass transit. How big is the subsidy? By my (admittedly extremely crude) calculations, it could total nearly $100 billion per year*.

Americans can drive so much because there is an extremely extensive system of (largely free) roads for us to use. Despite some private-sector efforts, maintaining and building the nation's roads remains almost exclusively the preserve of government. Data from the Census Bureau on construction spending shows that this year, public spending on highways and streets is running at an annual rate of about $75 billion.*

But that's not all. Tax credits and breaks for particular types of economic activity constitute a public subsidy of that activity. Taxpayers effectively subsidize home ownership through the mortgage interest deduction. They subsidize the use of mass transit through programs that permit people to purchase mass-transit tickets with pretax money. And taxpayers subsidize the purchase and operation of gas-powered automobiles in at least two big ways."

http://www.slate.com/id/2196340

vidro3 · July 2009

MeredithB wrote: Curitiba, Brazil: Density 10,748.5 people/sq mile
Brooklyn, NY: Density 34,916.6 people /sq mile

the perfect argument for taking space away from cars and giving it to people!

newcolonist · July 2009

vidro3 wrote: [quote=MeredithB]Curitiba, Brazil: Density 10,748.5 people/sq mile
Brooklyn, NY: Density 34,916.6 people /sq mile

the perfect argument for taking space away from cars and giving it to people!

That's what I was thinking... ie thanks for the supporting evidence!

Giuliani made NY safe from crime, Bloomberg is making it safe from cars. Let's ask him to make the Plaza next on the list.

meredithb · July 2009

vidro3 wrote: [quote=MeredithB]Curitiba, Brazil: Density 10,748.5 people/sq mile
Brooklyn, NY: Density 34,916.6 people /sq mile

the perfect argument for taking space away from cars and giving it to people!

Yeah put a tent in each parking space and solve the homeless problem. Now bike lanes ain't giving it to the people, that's giving it to bicyclists.

danny hellman · July 2009

The traffic stats I posted to this thread on Tuesday are from this chilling report from Transportation Alternatives:

http://www.transalt.org/files/newsroom/reports/2009/Executive_Order.pdf

meredithb · July 2009

Mayor Bloomberg said something to the effect that the police are there to enforce the law, not issue tickets.

Well, I don't believe they enforce the law. They look the other way too often and basically are a reactive police force not a proactive police force, especially when it comes to enforcing speeding and most other traffic violations. Maybe it's because money from traffic tickets goes to the state not the city? Who knows? All I know is there should be a cop 24/7 on Flatbush ave between GAP and Empire Blvd giving about four tickets an hour. I mean really, the city and the state have budget deficits and one way to make money is by issuing tickets. I guess eating donuts is easier.

ringrunner · July 2009

The police exist to protect their crimes statistics. If they give out a lot of speeding tickets it looks like there is a lot of speeding.

wirenut · July 2009

Danny Hellman wrote: [quote=Carmen]

To imply that all people in the 5 boroughs should rely solely on public transportation, bikes or cabs is ridiculous and seems sort of jealous.

Obviously there are parts of the five boroughs that aren't well-served by the MTA, and where driving is the only option. Staten Island, and the outer reaches of Brooklyn, Queens and The Bronx would qualify. However, if you live within walking distance of a subway or bus route, owning a car is a choice of convenience, not necessity.

No doubt we'd all be better off if we had more interstate rail options. Hopefully we'll get that when gasoline becomes prohibitively expensive, (and that day is coming soon).

What's wrong with renting a car for occasional business trips? It's got to be cheaper than owning a car. All three airports are accessible by public transportation. Owing to the traffic jams that tend to surround the airports, I find that public transportation is the most reliable way to get there on time.

I'm not sure why I'm coming across to you as jealous. I don't want a car, I HATE cars. I get around on a bicycle, and to me, cars are a menace to public safety. If I were arguing against cigarette smoking, would you suggest that I secretly want to smoke?

Check out these depressing stats I just pulled off of Gothamist:

* A driver could speed every day in NYC and get ticketed only once every 35 years.

* Despite the extensive system of 100 red light cameras in New York City, police and cameras catch only 1 out of every 438 red light runners.

* While the number of traffic fatalities caused by speeding rose 11 percent between 2001 and 2006, the number of summons issued for speeding dropped 22 percent during that period.

* A driver could fail to yield (the number two cause of crashes in NYC) every single day and get ticketed only once every 1,589 years.

* While the number of traffic fatalities caused by drivers failing to yield rose 26 percent between 2005 and 2007, the number of summons issued for failing to yield decreased 12 percent during that period.

* Being struck by a car while walking remains the number two cause of injury-related death for New York City adults over 45, second only to an accidental fall, and it's the number one injury-related cause of death for New York City children under 14.

Could you please explain what you mean by "failure to yield"? There are not that many YIELD signs out there. Most intersections are controlled by Traffic LIGHTS or STOP signs

Also could you please give the stats for number of summonses issued to bicyclists for
failure to use designated bike lane
failure to stop at red lights
failure to travel in direction of car traffic

And also please give the stats for number of summonses issued to pedestrians for jaywalking (jayrunning)

A short video about crossing grand army plaza

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