Gothamist: Bloomberg Goes After Box Blockers

Still Not Amused

Sun, 27 May 2007 01:03:37 -0500

No simpathy ! Go make that money !!!!!

Jerky

Fri, 25 May 2007 20:16:44 -0500

So they'll ticket you for getting stuck in the intersection, but they'll ignore the geto-limo drivers, towncars, NJ-idiots, and taxis who run red lights on a regular basis? That makes a lot of sense.

Tom

Fri, 25 May 2007 17:18:16 -0500

i dont think they could hand out enough tickets to make up the wasted salaries... not to mention they create more congestion then they solve if they just left it to the lights. If one officer hands out two $100 fines per day in a five day work week, that's $52,000/year. I think that would cover their salary, no? Want to stop traffic violations? Suspend a drivers' license until they re-take their road test every time they get a moving violation. Costing people time in NYC is far more effective than costing them money.

Tubulus

Fri, 25 May 2007 15:15:33 -0500

They should also start ticketing the limo drivers who triple park in front of the hotels in midtown - backs up the traffic coming down Park and Lex for 30 blocks.

bklynd

Fri, 25 May 2007 13:41:56 -0500

Not blocking the box is actually a somewhat difficult skill that has to be learned. Non-NYC drivers really don't encounter the same situation, so I can understand people from out of town fucking it up. But I'm pro-ticketing, of course, as long as the officers can do it with a little intelligence. In general, I'd say that the box-blocking situation is actually not that bad out there, considering. What I hate is the jerky stop-and-start rhythm that builds up on the West Side Highway when traffic gets really heavy. You gotta stop at every green light, wait and see if traffic ahead of you will clear, lurch forward, stop, crawl ahead for another block, repeat.

Tim N.

Fri, 25 May 2007 13:36:51 -0500

exclaricire... Dead right, except you left out the tour buses. Anyone who has ever tried to get across Canal Street - by any means - knows what I'm talking about.

Frank

Fri, 25 May 2007 13:35:23 -0500

2nd the commuter buses being some of the worst. They run reds, block the box and change lanes like its Daytona. I've even heard numerous MTA drivers complain about them. Why do they do it? Because no one gives them tickets. That should change. Plain and simple.

what are they teaching in drivers ed

Fri, 25 May 2007 13:19:55 -0500

Why can't Americans drive properly? If you can't make it across an intersection, don't enter it. If the guy in front of you IS waiting to make sure he can make it across, don't lay on the the horn; you will just get stuck further into "the box". If you aren't the fastest car on the highway, stay to the right. Same goes for walking down the sidewalk and taking the stairs in the subway: stay to the right.

WT Economist

Fri, 25 May 2007 13:15:49 -0500

In NYC you can park on the street for free. So why not have a car or two or three? As a result, there is no place to park -- and the city collects over $700 million per year in fines, with parking fines leading the list. Similarly, the alternative to "congestion pricing" could be "congestion fining." Is that the way to allocate scarce space?

exclaricire

Fri, 25 May 2007 13:05:25 -0500

The most important question...will they ticket city buses and commuter buses? They are some of the worst offenders of blocking the box! Their length blocks the entire box, and they do so with impunity! Go check out the intersection of 5th Avenue and 57th Street any weekday between 4-6PM. The buses block pedestrians and cars, making for an incredibly dangerous situation.

Christian

Fri, 25 May 2007 13:04:18 -0500

I once punched a box-blockers car during the transit strike. Next car to get punched: annoying a-holes who honk when you wait at a green light for space to open up across the street in order to avoid blocking the box. These scum-suckers are right up there with people who honk .000001 seconds after the light turns green from 5 cars back. The worst box-blockers, in my experience, are charter buses. They take up the entire box, and don't have the maneuverability to squeeze around traffic, which a car can do if it blocks the box by mistake.

Kai

Fri, 25 May 2007 12:52:52 -0500

Weez...that's exactly what I was thinking! But it does beg the question as to what is the fine for cockblocking?

?

Fri, 25 May 2007 12:50:16 -0500

There should be a cop at every intersection in Midtown on weekdays. They could make a MINT How many more cops do they have to recruit? How much overtime?

Frank

Fri, 25 May 2007 12:46:23 -0500

I think it's high time we ALL remembered we're in this together, and pedestrians who stop or slow traffic are also a pain. As if their mothers never taught them to wait their turn.

weez

Fri, 25 May 2007 12:40:42 -0500

that shirt is the best subtle anti-cockblocking proclamation i've ever seen. Kudos.

tony

Fri, 25 May 2007 12:23:27 -0500

i'd rather not have to pay cops to sit around chatting and talking on their cell phones aat every intersection, i dont think they could hand out enough tickets to make up the wasted salaries... not to mention they create more congestion then they solve if they just left it to the lights.

g

Fri, 25 May 2007 12:19:47 -0500

yeah it's about time!

SP

Fri, 25 May 2007 11:59:47 -0500

PRAISE THE LORD. There should be a cop at every intersection in Midtown on weekdays. They could make a MINT, and maybe we could get the terribly unfair Unincorporated Business Tax repealed too while we're at it.

chief wahoo

Fri, 25 May 2007 11:58:56 -0500

I advocate Tim N. as moron of the week.

Tim N.

Fri, 25 May 2007 11:54:14 -0500

They should borrow another idea from London... congestion pricing. Meanwhile, I'd advocate fines starting at $10,000 and going up from there, depending on the length of your car.