tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post1990110866096374150..comments2024-02-01T04:37:41.878-05:00Comments on Cap'n Transit Rides Again: We didn't start this war (these wars)Cap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-90293122124295146322011-04-12T01:35:00.483-04:002011-04-12T01:35:00.483-04:00Seriously, comparing New York to Worcester on this...Seriously, comparing New York to Worcester on this issue is like comparing poverty in the US to poverty in Sierra Leone.Alon Levyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12195377309045184452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-45362091417354315742011-04-12T01:18:40.425-04:002011-04-12T01:18:40.425-04:00True buses come "reasonably" frequently ...True buses come "reasonably" frequently - for now - on the Verrazano and Whitestone, but not the Throgs Neck. This does not mean we shouldn't also be able to walk or bike over these same bridges if we so choose. These are two more cases where peds, cyclists were treated as absolute non-entities, beneath any serious person's notice.capt subwayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238954255206457928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-60977512445015545082011-04-12T00:48:02.581-04:002011-04-12T00:48:02.581-04:00The sidewalk disappeared further up the road, but ...The sidewalk disappeared <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=42.257948,-71.801276&spn=0.001209,0.00284&t=h&z=19" rel="nofollow">further up the road</a>, but I was in a hurry and didn't take a photograph. I had to walk in a highway median.<br /><br />New York has buses that come reasonably frequently - even on the Verrazano. They're slow, but usable.Alon Levyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12195377309045184452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-48029420784448368892011-04-11T12:10:34.546-04:002011-04-11T12:10:34.546-04:00Well at least there's a sidewalk in the underp...Well at least there's a sidewalk in the underpass, as dingy and filthy as it might be. Here in NYC vital links like the Verrazano and Throg's Neck Bridges were built without ped paths whatsoever - a shameful disgrace. And the ped path was removed from the Whitestone when they expanded from four to six vehicular lanes.<br /><br />On the Verrazano I'd really like to see two lanes taken over for peds and bicycles. That reduces the vehicular lanes from 12 to 10. I can live with that.capt subwayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238954255206457928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-78134024359348277782011-04-11T01:06:49.989-04:002011-04-11T01:06:49.989-04:00I was just in Worcester, where sidewalks at railwa...I was just in Worcester, where sidewalks at railway underpasses look like <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78336867@N00/5608428853/" rel="nofollow">this</a>. Now who's waging war on who?Alon Levyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12195377309045184452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-40759500607746268572011-04-10T09:26:49.978-04:002011-04-10T09:26:49.978-04:00I think the whole concept of "car carnage&quo...I think the whole concept of "car carnage" needs to be talked up even more. Most people simply have no conception of just how dangerous a contraption a motor vehicle actually is, nor as to the actual death and injury toll caused by these vehicles. Nor of the extent to which the operators of these vehicles are given "carte blanche" to kill and maim. (Want to kill somebody? Don't use a gun or a knife because if you do you could probably end up doing some really hard time. Just run them over with a car and chances are you'll get off with nothing but a summons, and maybe a few months' suspended license.)<br /><br />Motorists here in NYC regularly speed, weave, blow red lights and stop signs while the NPD focuses it's enforcement efforts on "reckless" cyclists and "aggressive" pedestrians.<br /><br />So yes, let's talk up the "carnage" and "road bigot" angle. Put them on equal footing with the bigger issues of foreign oil addiction and global warming.capt subwayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238954255206457928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-46510869177420719642011-04-10T03:27:46.550-04:002011-04-10T03:27:46.550-04:00I completely agree that we transit supporters have...I completely agree that we transit supporters have to push the agenda. The house is currently so stacked against transit that we need to be active and forthright in promoting the benefits of life with a sustainable transportation network.<br /><br />However, recently I've noticed a trend that disconcerts me. As the Prospect Park West bike lane story evolved into a mudslinging battle, the pro-bike (and presumably pro-transit) faction has taken on a decidedly darker tone. The bike/transit blogosphere seems to be heavy on the "car-carnage," "road bigots" language recently--at least more than I noticed in the past. Is it just me, or does anyone else think that this tone won't do the cause any good? Many car drivers see cyclists as a fringe, radical group to begin with, or annoying at the very least. I hope this doesn't evolve into the partisan warfare in Congress that you alluded to.rockfenderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14431927955785377232noreply@blogger.com