Disqus - Latest Comments for jrab

Re: Parks Dept. Indefinitely Shutters Crucial Fort Washington Park Bridge On Nation’s Busiest Greenway

Jonathan R — Fri, 07 Sep 2018 10:11:38 -0000

At the minimum the city should assign the landscapers to clean up the overgrown bushes around the alternate path leading to the bridge south of the tennis court.

I will assert, however, that the steep grade of the switchback path from the closed railroad bridge to the green bridge at West 181st St & Riverside Drive, as well as the lack of lighting between Discovery Playground and the lighthouse, makes the uptown section of the Greenway "as is" more forbidding than it should be. We are not talking about quality biking infrastructure here.

Additionally, for riders originating east of Fort Washington Ave, getting to the green bridge involves a detour in mileage and an extremely unpleasant and traffic-choked ride uphill along either West 179th or West 181st between Broadway and FWA. It is far less challenging to ride downtown on FWA to West 165th Street, then along Riverside Drive to the new bridge at West 151st Street.

Re: Back to school: What's the best kind of bike for riding in the city?

Jonathan R — Mon, 27 Aug 2018 15:16:23 -0000

I have to go with the folder. For six years I have had the same commute involving a bus, and I have been riding the same Tern model the whole time, moving over from a mixte frame with flat bar and loose cleats. The bike is small and light, and the folding means I can take it inside wherever I go and I don't have to carry a heavy lock or keep track of keys. I have a bag, too, so I can ride it to the airport, check it in as luggage, and use it during my work trips.

The mixte frame is faster, but it's less adaptable as I can't take it on the bus with me, and I need locks because I can't tote it into a building.

I've ridden the Dutch bikes, and putting aside the cool accessories, going uphill is a super pain, and I live on top of a hill.

Re: Stop The Presses! Mayor de Blasio Rode a Bike Today! (Now Updated!)

Jonathan R — Fri, 24 Aug 2018 11:26:36 -0000

Did his bodyguards drive around the closed park as well?

Re: This Greenway Bridge is Falling Apart — And Should Have Been Replaced By Now

Jonathan R — Fri, 24 Aug 2018 09:26:17 -0000

It has only really been bad since 2011 when there was a fire on the bridge one Saturday morning. I remember it vividly as the fire engine came up the hill from the bridge to take care of it. Before that there were no portable barricades necessary.

I presume that in case of a full replacement, the next bridge further downtown could be outfitted with a temporary ramp on the west side of the tracks and used instead. Right now there are only stairs, but I believe that it is accessible on the east side.

Re: Ninth Street Protected Bike Lane Taking Shape, Albeit With Narrower-Than-Normal Bike Lanes

Jonathan R — Thu, 23 Aug 2018 14:17:03 -0000

When it came to Seaman Avenue in Inwood, Brad Aaron's reporting for Streetsblog informed me that DOT decided that the street was too narrow for full size lanes on either side and therefore one side would have sharrows. Now that DOT has changed the implementation of its policy, will they go back and add narrower bike lanes to other streets like Seaman?

Re: Test Riding the New Citi Bike Electric Version

Jonathan R — Mon, 20 Aug 2018 14:00:28 -0000

Having to manage your battery's charge is in my experience one of the big downers of the electric pedal-assist bicycle, so an option in the shared-bike fleet like the one described here could be a big positive for riders who want the assist but don't want to lug either a spare battery or a charger around with them everywhere.

Re: Spot Check: The Q44 Bus Offers Signs of Hope for Bus Service

Jonathan R — Fri, 10 Aug 2018 09:09:40 -0000

When can we get a dedicated bus lane on the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge to shave off 10 minutes from the Q44's travel time?

Re: What Happens When a Company That Sells Car Trips Gets Into the Bike Trip Business?

Jonathan R — Tue, 03 Jul 2018 15:20:09 -0000

First of all, is Lyft actually making a profit? A nonexistent profit cannot be cannibalized by bike-share.

Second of all, Lyft and Uber are notionally platform companies, but on today's roads, every taxi ride needs a driver, so realistically their profits are encumbered by staff costs at a more than one-to-one ratio (every passenger gets a driver, plus some small percentage of headquarters staff).

In the bike share model, the rider is the driver and the share of staff costs is much less.

Re: Eyes on the Street: Say Hello to NYC’s First Bike Counter at the Base of the Manhattan Bridge

Jonathan R — Tue, 03 Jul 2018 07:57:33 -0000

Top picture looks like the Iwo Jima memorial, with the Marines raising the flag. Good job, Streetsblog!

Re: The Streetsblog Guide to Children’s Books

Jonathan R — Tue, 05 Jun 2018 11:54:16 -0000

I am partial to Zachariah OHora's "No Fits, Nilson," where the family takes the F train about halfway through the book.

http://www.worldcat.org/ocl...

Re: More Evidence of the Skills Shortage In Top Management | Beat the Press | Blogs | Publications | The Center for Economic and Policy Research

Jonathan R — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 12:36:08 -0000

During my visits to Norway, where wages are higher, i have noticed a paucity of fast food restaurants. Most folks pack their own lunches instead of expecting someone behind the counter at a restaurant to pack a lunch for them.

Re: Today’s Headlines

Jonathan R — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 09:37:14 -0000

Jane Brody's Personal Health column today is all about how to protect yourself from falling, yet she fails to advise wearing a helmet. Last October she averred that "even low-speed falls on a bike trail can scramble brains," yet today she (or her editor) unaccountably failed to mention how a helmet can mitigate the potential dangers of slips, trips and falls while outdoors.

Re: Eyes on the Street: A Safer Biking Connection to the Williamsburg Bridge

Jonathan R — Thu, 24 Aug 2017 16:09:14 -0000

If you are going on north on Bedford, why not just climb the path on the south side of the Bridge on the east side of Bedford? Saves time.

For the eastbound cyclists you describe, I think the idea is to cross the Bridge access road (Borinquen) on the SW side of S4 St, to the south side, then ride on the sidewalk to the crossing onto the median triangle and then across Havemeyer to the median path on Borinquen to Grand St.

Re: DOT Won’t Protect the 2nd Ave Bike Lane, So Volunteers Formed a Human Chain to Keep Cars Out

Jonathan R — Tue, 22 Aug 2017 15:16:26 -0000

9th Ave to Bleecker, R on Mott, L on Stanton, R on Chrystie.

Re: Drivers With Action Carting Have Killed 5 People Since 2008, and the Company Still Holds $74 Million in City Contracts

Jonathan R — Wed, 09 Aug 2017 15:57:19 -0000

Assume that "Commercial Trash Carting Reforms Could Cut Millions of Miles of Truck Traffic" as the David Meyer Streetsblog article from last year is titled, and then ask the question: if simple city reforms could reduce the number of miles driven by private garbage trucks, even if deaths per mile driven remains constant, would that not mean a reduction in carnage caused by the private trash-hauling fleet?

Re: DOT’s Plan for Thomson Ave Caters to Cars, Not the Thousands of Students Heading to School

Jonathan R — Tue, 08 Aug 2017 15:15:22 -0000

Is there still an NYC DOT office in one of those buildings? If so, it's pretty depressing if this is what the agency comes up with for their literal front porch.

Re: Today’s Headlines

Jonathan R — Thu, 03 Aug 2017 11:53:04 -0000

Have you considered buying your own bike, which you can then use at your convenience, without the hassle of undocking and redocking? Of course, you wouldn't be able to have the bike share mechanics fix it for you, and you would have to come up with your own storage solution, but on the whole that seems more realistic than demanding that a bike share operator support your transportation needs beyond what they can sensibly offer.

Re: Today’s Headlines

Jonathan R — Thu, 13 Jul 2017 16:00:07 -0000

What about the Staten Island resident discounts for the Verrazano Narrows Bridge?

Re: Today’s Headlines

Jonathan R — Thu, 13 Jul 2017 14:04:19 -0000

There's no corresponding discount on NJ roads and tolls for those with a NJ transponder. But there's nothing preventing NJ residents from getting a transponder from NY and taking advantage of the discounts that transponder offers.

Re: Today’s Headlines

Jonathan R — Thu, 01 Jun 2017 10:26:00 -0000

You went on Streetsblog multiple times to proclaim that public servants were engaging in criminal conspiracies without a shred of evidence, and today you have the gall to blame the police leadership for your letting your own imagination run wild. Suggest taking responsibility for your own statements, and maybe apologizing for what you said.

Re: Today’s Headlines

Jonathan R — Thu, 01 Jun 2017 09:43:53 -0000

Perhaps you could keep this story in mind next time you accuse PD of covering up for a killer motorist, as you did on multiple occasions following Mr. van Ohlen's death.

Re: Behold the Power of the Seriously Loud Bike Horn

Jonathan R — Fri, 26 May 2017 09:59:59 -0000

I had thought that part of the rationale for encouraging bicycling in the urban environment was to encourage a quieter, less polluting form of transportation, but I see now that I was mistaken. If you're going to honk like a truck driver, why not just drive an SUV?

Re: May 26th, 2017:

Jonathan R — Fri, 26 May 2017 09:19:05 -0000

The "[insert street here] is a disaster, so let's not do anything to disturb the status quo" is my favorite line at these meetings. But I strongly believe that the purpose of the negative rhetoric is to make it so uncomfortable for people at the meetings that they choose not to attend.

Re: Today’s Headlines

Jonathan R — Tue, 16 May 2017 08:01:48 -0000

Or to put it another way, commuter stations in Holland lack landscaping features and space for people to use nearby because those areas have been traditionally used for storage of personal bicycles.

Re: City Council Wants DOT to Relieve Crowding on NYC’s Most Congested Sidewalks

Jonathan R — Wed, 10 May 2017 16:09:45 -0000

Authorities are widening sidewalks on the west side of Main St x Roosevelt Ave, in downtown Flushing, as I write.