SUV Tires Deflated in Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO

By on December 1, 2022 10:42 pm in 11201, Brooklyn Heights, Climate Change, crime, DUMBO, Environment

Jalopnik reports that a group of climate “activists” called the Tyre Extinguishers deflated the tires (“tyre” is the British spelling of “tire”) of fifty SUVs, some in Brooklyn Heights and some in DUMBO, earlier this week. According to Jalopnik:

Tyre Extinguishers aims to “make it impossible to own a huge polluting 4×4 in the world’s urban areas” by deflating tires, with the intent of causing “inconvenience and expense” for owners, according to the group’s website. This is typically done by inserting something small (the Extinguishers seem to prefer lentils) into the tire’s valve cap, which depresses the pin and causes a slow leak when it’s partially screwed back on.

To your correspondent, who believes climate change is a major, if not existential, threat, such tactics, like defacing paintings with soup, seem more likely to enrage people against the protestors than to rally support for measures to reverse the course of climate change.

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  • nomcebo manzini

    Agreed. But it’s high time that things like registration fees took “carbon footprint” into account. I have mixed feelings about encouraging EV purchases via the tax code, but it’s both technologically & environmentally sensible to borrow a page from alcohol and tobacco taxation. Want to discourage a family of 4 from buying an SUV? (one which will penalize everyone’s lungs and punish the roads) … Levy a large enough (sur)tax on these high-priced vehicles, so that OTHER choices will be made by some.

  • aeshtron

    NYS registration fees do indirectly take environmental impact into account. The two year fee for a vehicle weighing less than 1,650lbs is $26 whereas it is $117 (350% more) for a vehicle weighing between 5,951-6,150. There are additional county fees to register a vehicle in NYS.

    Agreed that it would be positive if owning and operating a motor vehicle were far more costly than it is.

    Most SUV’s are glorified station wagons. All motor vehicles cause negative environmental
    impacts. Exhaust is toxic and lithium battery production is gross.

  • nomcebo manzini

    Thank you. Never owned a car, … and I probably should have “researched” before posting…. I think I had once heard – and this would seem to relate to both reg. fees & env. impact that some full size SUV’s actually run on diesel…. True or false?

    And while I’ll stick by seconding Claude’s motion that tactics that attack people who make “dubious choices” are counter-productive, I kind of wonder about PETA – and I’m sure there are some other good examples.

    That is, their targeted actions – yes, involving paint, as I recollect, probably DID – by virtue of the press coverage it got – make fur-wearing less common.

    OTOH, I could really see a few hundred people – if this action ever got to be widespread – leaving NYC thinking, “That’s the last straw.” And they – and many others – will maybe vote Republican, as that party has little to offer EXCEPT attacks on “wokeness” and the like.

    While I’m bloviating about rights & wrongs, what’s to be said about shopping at what sounds like a markedly anti-union and alwful employer, Trader Joe’s?

  • HomeSquat

    Coward.

  • Monty

    I find it utterly baffling how many city drivers buy SUVs. Owning a car is ridiculous enough but why would you not pick a car that will fit in smaller parking spots? Every six inches of extra wheelbase is another hour of hunting for a space.

  • Effective Presenter

    The SUV is often the best choice for a family, or a commercial vehicle (remove the back seat, commercial license plates and its a commercial vehicle)

    A mid size SUV is not larger than a sedan the huge SUV is a challenge to park in NYC.

    Small cars like a Honda Civic, Mini Cooper are dangerous on the BQE because the huge trucks cab not see the small cars change lanes pull in front of the truck and demolished, I have seen that type of accident often.

    In Brooklyn Heights it’s best to pay $$$ for parking, if you need to own a car.

    We agree best NOT to own a car in New York City

  • Effective Presenter

    Deflated tires over slashed tiers, if y’all get to the deflated tire quickly the tire can be inflated and saved, if the tire sits on the wheel rim for more than an hour the tire is wrecked forever, a new tire balanced, etc cost about $300 in these turbulent economic times.

  • Andrew Porter

    Several BH garages have been converted to residential, for instance corner of College Place and Love Lane, and on State Street.

  • Andrew Porter

    Noel Coward?

  • streeter

    Why would you pay for parking here? Just leave it on the street. The sporadic alternate side parking tickets should be less than what you pay for a garage.

  • streeter

    I’d prefer they did this on vehicles that park on the sidewalks.

  • aeshtron

    A person living/parking in Brooklyn Heights might choose to pay for parking because: 1) finding street parking can be difficult; 2) they might have responsibilities during ASP; 3) vehicles street parked in NYC get damaged/destroyed; 4) it’s cleaner to keep ones vehicle(s) indoors; 5) garages offer amenities and services; 6) their insurance company might offer lower rates for a garaged vehicle; 7) they may be morally opposed to parking their private polluting pink Porsche on public property…

  • Effective Presenter

    Agree

  • Effective Presenter

    For years we had parked both cars at the Love Lane garage that was conveniently located.

  • Effective Presenter

    We have never seen a pink Porcshe, but we have seen dozens of silver Mercedes Benz automobiles

  • Cranberry Beret

    The State Street garage is still open, no?

  • CassieVonMontague

    Yes and they always park cars on the sidewalk.