[Photo of 4th Avenue from Aug. 1]
From 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. today… to refresh your memory…
And avoid Broadway…
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Last Saturday for Summer Streets
[Photo of 4th Avenue from Aug. 1]
From 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. today… to refresh your memory…
And avoid Broadway…
6 comments:
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I thought Summer Streets was a great idea until I tried to cross Park Avenue earlier. A woman was actually stuck in the middle of the street, yelling at the cyclists, "So you don't have to obey traffic laws?" Urban meltdown. I felt bad for her. I kept my cool and finally got across!
ReplyDeleteFrom the cyclists' perspective, it's actually really unclear that we should (should we?) stop at each intersection. There are volunteers at the intersections that allows traffic to go through perpendicular to Park/Lafayette who hold up a "stop" or "go" sign, depending on the traffic light.
ReplyDeleteAt other intersections, there is no indication as to whether cyclists and runners should stop for pedestrians crossing the street. Depending on the area and time of day, it would probably be really unsafe to suddenly stop when a pedestrian enters the crosswalk, as it could cause an accident when the rows of cyclists behind you are unable to stop in time. The best thing to do *seems* to be to weave around them when it's busy, and try to stop and let them cross if you're in a section that is more chill.
I think there probably needs to be some more informative signage and friendly reminders by Summer Streets volunteers and the police officers standing at several intersections. This info would be helpful to people trying to cross the street (going on with their daily lives and perhaps not aware of Summer Streets) as well as cyclists/runners who are trying to get the most out of a pretty cool experience. I think it would make it an even cooler experience if it didn't negatively impact those who aren't participating. Obviously this is hard in NYC though, where anything you do will probably inconvenience someone.
I'm so glad I sleep all day...
ReplyDeleteSummer Streets is very clear. You cross Park at the designated streets. There were volunteers and police directing traffic at those points.
ReplyDeleteWhy do people want to make everything in this city rocket science. Do they take pride in being obtuse? Or just love to complain about every damn thing?
I don't understand how being in a traffic jam made of cyclists and walkers is in any way fun. Thankfully I was out of town for this mess. The elimination of traffic rules is not made clear to anybody on this day. Why can't they be funneled down the side of the island, or through the Bronx which would be much more brag worthy and economically valuable? Or better yet, directed to a high, sheer cliff.
ReplyDeleteAs with most things in NYC (including biking everywhere, every day) different constituents make for conflicting interests.
ReplyDeleteThe Tour de NYC speed racers are a dangerous mix with tykes, strollers, walkers, runners, out for fun bikers and the elderly. In other words, most everyone else!