Open Thread Wednesday 4/23/14

Having seen the photo on the Parks Dep’t site to which you helpfully linked, I’m thinking those may be crabapple trees.

We usually have Andrea at Rocco and Jezebel sit for our cat. We leave our cat at home and give her keys to take care of him (it’s actually her husband John who takes care of our cat). Their actual storefront is on Pineapple Walk and we found the price very reasonable and the service is seriously great!

http://www.roccoandjezebel.com/

They are first rate – saved my life (or at least it felt like that).

I find the extra trek to the Manhattan Bridge on both sides to be long, inconvenient, and dangerously auto-congested enough to be wary of it as a viable replacement. And while I understand the importance of tourism, it seems strange to prioritize tourism over commuter transportation so strongly.

I’d love to see a car lane on the BB given over to bicyclists. Perhaps on weekends auto traffic is light enough for that to work adequately for everyone.

Thanks for the info.

My bad. No such repairs done. i guess it was just some guy who wanted to close the block and take a leak.

I wasn’t implying the bad cyclists were absolved, only that pedestrians are contributing to the problem. The bottom line is do the numbers show an increased number of accidents on the bridge or is it just perceived problem.

I understand, that is part of the problem. People who don’t ride bikes don’t understand the high level of concentration and control the cyclist has. For example; I often hear in regards to crossing an intersection”if I hadn’t stopped, I would have been hit” This simply isn’t true. The truth is actually the opposite, stopping suddenly is more hazardous as the cyclist is likely planing to pass behind the pedestrian. I know that it is human nature to stop when something is approaching at speed so I don’t blame people for doing it but it isn’t necessary. It only leaves them in the path the cyclist was going to take. The same goes for the bridge, just because a bike passes you by inches does not mean it was a “near miss” the cyclist is not planning in hitting you. The only likely cause of a collision is if a pedestrian suddenly darts into the path of an oncoming bike.

Smoke em if you got em, BK.

http://nypost.com/2014/04/23/brooklyn-da-wont-criminally-prosecute-potheads-without-criminal-records/

100% of cyclists on the bridge are concentrating 100%, we have to, to avoid the significant majority of pedestrians who are oblivious to lane usage! not concentrating! studying their smart phones and taking pictures. I’ve had to weave in and out of a group exercise class, dodge wedding photo sessions and video shoots. I bike the bridge every morning when it is quite, I avoid it every evening. There are just too many ignorant, inattentive day dreamers.

As I said above, pedestrians do indeed need to be mindful of where they’re supposed to be. But in the area I’m talking about, cyclists are told that they should yield to pedestrians and they don’t. If 100% of cyclists are concentrating 100%, why are they ignoring what they’re supposed to do?

I can hear the pounding of the pile drivers, and I live between Hicks and Henry, about 4 blocks from the construction. The noise is louder because the former Squibb building doesn’t screen the sound; it’s coming from the site between Cranberry and Middagh.

Lots of photos of the construction of the Pierhouse hotel and condos at the Curbed website, here:

http://tinyurl.com/logv3v4