Reckless Driver Terrorizes Pedestrians on Promenade

As someone commented regarding this story on an “Open Thread Wednesday” post is that we need barriers at all the street entrances to keep cars off the Promenade, much like they now have in Manhattan on the West Side Highway bike path, following the terrorist attack there that killed eight people back in 2017. Similar barriers are now in parts of Times Square and throughout the city. Sad times we live in but this is a necessary precaution. It is very fortunate that no one was injured in this situation.

I’ve seen police cars slowly driving the length of the Promenade. Bollards would prevent their access, too.

You can have retractable bollards. They have them at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge bike path. Also in downtown Manhattan.

Also, God forbid, the cops get out of their cars.

You call yourself the “Circumcised Kraken”!?!!?!?!?!?!

it is horrible that this happened and action must be taken to prevent anything like this from happening again.
Thankfully, it is a rare occurrence, which in no way diminishes the danger. However, every single day pedestrians are in danger walking on the Promenade because there are bicycles speeding down it, kids on scooters careening around, and on occasion motorcycles riding along it. Actions need to be taken to insure the safety of pedestrians by limiting access to all vehicles and the police need to be patrolling and enforcing the laws.

Terrorist drove down West Side Highway bike path a few years ago and killed 4 people. Drunk driver zoomed down the Promenade last week, his gross recklessness only avoiding killing anybody because of chance.

The danger doesn’t seem very theoretical to me.

I think the point is, potential locations for a mass vehicular homocide are ubiquitous in NYC.

It is quicker, allowing them to patrol more areas and still respond to an emergency. Sometimes it is rainy, snowy, freezing cold or really hot, and some of us like to know our first responders are kept comfortable. They can keep various emergency supplies in the trunk. Some of them also keep extra donuts in the trunk, which they give to civilians who know the secret PBA handshake.

You’re missing Cranberry’s point.

There’s plenty of precedent in many European cities, many non-European cities, and even New York City showing the safety benefits of a a wider view of restricting vehicles and overall safety. Janette Sadik-Khan particularly was a major pioneer of that in New York City: applying a comprehensive, sustained, data-driven approach to the problem.

We don’t have to just throw our hands up in the air and accept a status quo recklessness. It’s perfectly rational to study dangerous layouts and systematically improve the worst ones. It’s also fiscally responsible and can actually *make* money when factoring in all economic costs dangerous incidents produce.

There really is no argument for just accepting a dangerous status quo because it’s always been that way. Yes, we can survive it. But why?

If you’re arguing the promenade would’t make the top of the list, I can respect that argument. That’s precisely where I’d hope data driven researchers could make the call vs. people like you and me with only anecdotes.

As of today, concrete blocks have been placed in front of the entrances to the promenade. Though I think they did not put one at Pierrepont street to allow NYPD patrol car access. I would hope that retractible bollards will follow.

“The Promenade is a pretty high-profile target”. That’s almost laughable as you have no evidence to support your theory, other than paranoia.
If bollards were installed at the entrances of the Promenade It might well prevent an attack there but a terrorists or psycho would simply pick another target.

‘NYPD protecting the Brooklyn Bridge’ Are they really, what exactly are they doing? Every time I drive by, those cops stationed on the roadways are staring out into their phones. Not that I blame them, what an excruciatingly boring assignment that must be.