Category: Linked

Greenpoint Avenue is Latest Battleground in the Car-Cyclist Clash

Greenpoint’s community board has asked the city to halt its plan to remove much-needed parking spaces to accommodate an extended bike lane on Greenpoint Avenue.

“Much-needed” by who?

The stretch of Greenpoint Avenue in question – between Provost and the Greenpoint Avenue bridge, by the treatment plant – has always been a vehicular free-fire zone. The introduction of unprotected bike lanes a year or two ago did nothing to improve the situation. Spend 10 minutes watching traffic and you’ll see that vehicles coming off the bridge use the (poorly-marked) bike lane as a high-speed passing lane.

NYT: Protestors Against Wall Street

In case you missed it, the Times had a very full-throated endorsement of #occupywallstreet:

It is not the job of the protesters to draft legislation. That’s the job of the nation’s leaders, and if they had been doing it all along there might not be a need for these marches and rallies. Because they have not, the public airing of grievances is a legitimate and important end in itself.

East River State Park Lights

People who live next to East River State Park aren’t happy about the solar lighting system installed by the State.

I don’t particularly like the poles either (it seems there are way more than are necessary, and they do seem a little bit randomly placed), but they are there so that everyone can use the park after dark.

(Actually, it seems that complainers aren’t happy about those lights or the soccer field lights at Bushwick Inlet Park, but the letter is a bit muddled on this.)

NY Housing Official Hit with Corruption Charges

A couple of local angles to the arrest of an HPD assistant commissioner for allegedly taking bribes for affordable housing project. First, the whole scandal seems have come to light because of a probe involving extortion of Polish construction workers in Greenpoint. And second, Sergio Benitez, one of the developers indicted, is at the center of a separate investigation into an apartment in an affordable development that he allegedly gave to Councilman Erik Dilan.

Brooklyn Has the Best Pizza in the City

The Daily News reports that Brooklyn has taken the top spot in Zagat’s pizza ranking. The top-rated pizza in the city is Totonno’s. The top five are all outer borough – four in Brooklyn, including Roberta’s, and one on Staten Island. So if you’re looking for decent pizza in Manhattan, check out the list here and skip down to #6.