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Chances are you're not trying to ride your bike anywhere today in this mess, but anyone who's tried to pedal over the bridges connecting Brooklyn with Manhattan this week was in for a treacherous trip, because the city has yet to adequately plow or salt the bike and pedestrian paths. As of last night, much of the Williamsburg Bridge path (pictured) remained impassible on two wheels, and commenters on Streetsblog say both the Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge remained unsalted and icy.
One cyclist had this utopian suggestion: "If it weren't a government operation, with 'not my job' rules and turf, it would be possible to stick a plow on that small police vehicle that patrols the bridge and have the cop clear it while patrolling." Another took to Craigslist to pen a heartfelt Missed Connection: "You were the two bridges connecting south Brooklyn with Manhattan. I was the solitary biker trying to make it across the boroughs and back home."
And yesterday the calls for protest began rumbling: "The Manhattan Bridge path is still covered in ice as of this morning. I'm pissed off. Anyone want to organize a ride in the vehicle lanes in to protest? Even if you ride really slowly as a pack over the bridge, it'd still be faster and safer than walking the bike over an ice rink."
A DOT spokesman tells us: "Crews plowed the bridges immediately after the storm over the weekend, and DOT again sent out multiple crews to plow the bridges and clear the bike lanes on Monday and Tuesday." If that's really true, all we can say is, "You're doing a heck of a job, Brownie!"
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I'll never understand why anyone, either from the public or private sector, fails to lay down some salt after a snow/ice storm. How much does a bag of salt cost? Half the time I want to carry a bag with me so I can lay it down wherever I see the necessity, like a Johnny Sodium Appleseed.
Ice-covered sidewalks also adjoin city parks, which is currently the case with the sidewalk on the southside of my neighborhood Petrosino Park. So if I just happen to slip today on that sidewalk, and hurt myself, do I get to join that ever-growing throng that sues the city?
It's not just the bike paths - all the plowing and salting this year has been abysmal at best. Way to cut back on DPW spending, NYC! It'll all pay off when the broken hip lawsuits start to trickle in
I was just about to make a comment about the sidewalks adjoining parks. They're doing a terrible job of keeping them safe. The most dangerous sidewalks in my neighborhood are those right outside the parks.
I third that #2 and #4. The sidewalks by Astoria Park were awful too, which means I either risk breaking something on the ice or take my chances in the street so the gypsy cabs can use me for target practice.
The Parks Department did a really bad job with a lot of parks. Monday, I saw some Parks Department employees salting Cadman Plaza around Borough Hall in spots that didn't really need it, while in other parks you could have probably strapped on a pair of skates to safely traverse the park.
Areas of Madison Square park and surrounding pedestrian plazas were total ice fields last night. Lots of people gave up and walked on the side of the street. The east river esplanade was surprisingly ice free, though.
Get off the track bike, and get on a MTB when it snows. I rode 6 miles this morning in Ringwood State Park and I can assure you, nobody shoveled the singletrack.
I agree with the area around Astoria Park, and the path from the park to the Ditmars subway station. I wish there was a way to make more shop owners and residents shovel their sidewalks, especially in high-traffic areas. I'm tempted to whip out the shovel myself, since it's becoming annoying to tiptoe over the same 7-8 icy spots to and from work everyday.
Was the DOT guy talking about the bridges in NYC? Look at that pic - after the melt they will say what a great job they did
What a decadent society we live in. Just about anywhere else it would be up to you and your friends to go out and clear this stuff up or just wait until it melted if the job was too stiff. Apparently the marionettes whose job it is to come out and make everything magically perfect while we sleep just aren't getting the job done. ATTICA!
If Parks commish Adrian Benepe spent less time doing PR press conference, and just spent some time instead salting, the parks would look better.
That is what you get from a nepotistic appointment. (Remember this all you Caroline supporters.)
#11: are you serious or just a troll? I think it's pretty fair for people to expect the taxes they pay to take care of things like this actually go toward taking care of stuff like this.
Put chains or snow tires on your bike and stop crying about what the city should do for you.
It's not just sidewalks around parks and paths over bridges. The ice is still a couple inches thick on the parts of the subway platforms that aren't covered by a roof along the N/W in Astoria.
Q1: Who's responsible for this?
Q2: How much will we pay in slip-n-fall injury lawsuits?
Answer is the MTA/LIRR and Amtrak are responsible for cleaning bridge overpasses. The ones in Maspeth, Middle Village & Ridgewood were also sheets of ice yesterday, too. I guess they're waiting to hike the fares before they invest in rock salt or shovels.
http://queenscrap.blogspot.com/2008/12/ice-aint-nice.html
www.forgotten-ny.com
In Nassau County, sidewalk snow removal is pretty much unknown unless homeowners do it out of the goodness of their hearts. The county and municipalities pile up plowed snow in the crosswalks. If it rains after the snow, as it has been, it's a rink.
Today's conditions, melting ice with a layer of water, are the most slippable possible.
www.forgotten-ny.com
Much of Greenpoint is a mess too- my entire block is just a sheet of ice, I have to walk on the other side of the street (where the condos under construction feel it appropriate to salt) and try to slide up a slant from the nearby driveway just to open my front door.
#11, are you suggesting that with my limited holiday cash, i should be salting my block so i don't break a leg trying to get home?
Funny, neither the sidewalks nor the streets around my office (near Madison Square Park) were particularly well cleaned. There were still huge chunks of totally unsalted, super-slippery rainy ice all over this afternoon.
But that's not a change from the norm. Remember that snowstorm two winters ago where the snowplows made giant icy mountains between the sidewalks and the streets, and you practically needed climbing gear just to cross the street? I pretty much use that to set my expectations and go from there.
What do my tax dollars go for, again? Oh right, union pensions.
There are plenty of homeowners out in Kew Gardens Queens who refuse to put out salt or break up the goddamn ice. I am not sure if it some religious thing or they are just too fucking cheap or lazy to do anything...
that looks dangerous for pedestrians and bicyclists.
guess we know where the city's priorities are.
The Grand Street bike lane has been impassable for days with ice and snow.
Why don't the elitists who want us to spend tax money on their silly bike lanes shovel it? It's good upper body exercise.
"Why don't the elitists who want us to spend tax money on their silly bike lanes shovel it? It's good upper body exercise."
Yeah, I mean we're living in particularly robust financial times right now with virtually no budget concerns to worry about. Why the city hasn't jumped to resolve these heinous conditions in our city is UNKNOWN. Clearly this is YET ANOTHER flagrant snubbing of cyclists who are, as we all know, systematically targeted for abuse by EVERYONE.
I know someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe building owners are responsible for clearing sidewalks. In which case, this is the year of the laziest building owners ever because every street I've been on in brooklyn since the snow has been a sheet of ice. I saw the Cadman workers breaking up some ice outside the park so that's a start but seriously, what gives? These owners and the city do realize they are setting themselves up for huge liability claims?
§ 16-123. Removal of snow, ice and dirt from sidewalks; property owners' duties. a. Every owner, lessee, tenant, occupant, or other person, having charge of any building or lot of ground in the city, abutting upon any street where the sidewalk is paved, shall, within four hours after the snow ceases to fall...
full reg here:
http://law.onecle.com/new-york/new-york-city-administrative-code/ADC016-123_16-123.html
§ 16-123. Removal of snow, ice and dirt from sidewalks; property owners' duties. a. Every owner, lessee, tenant, occupant, or other person, having charge of any building or lot of ground in the city, abutting upon any street where the sidewalk is paved, shall, within four hours after the snow ceases to fall...
full reg here:
http://law.onecle.com/new-york/new-york-city-administrative-code/ADC016-123_16-123.html
"If it weren't a government operation, with 'not my job' rules and turf, it would be possible to stick a plow on that small police vehicle that patrols the bridge and have the cop clear it while patrolling."
Why not surgically implant a saltspreader into your anus so that wherever you go you always leave a clear path behind you?
@22
Wrong, rode it 6 times since Sunday, on 700x23c tires. Don't talk about impassable until you actually try it.
Any hard-core winter cyclist should have a pair of studded tires,
e.g.
http://www.schwalbetires.com/node/1787
http://www.schwalbetires.com/marathon_winter
Rideon!
Thanks for the source Jerky. The city should demand that bikers use those tires from Thanksgiving day to Easter or get fined. Let's raise some money to pay for clearing those bike lanes.
Hey people, have you seen our budget situation lately?
Is it really that surprising that a few things aren't getting done?
And lets be hinest its a big town, are the sidewalks across bridges oradjacent to parks such a huge deal?
The roads are done at least.
I'd rather maybe we as citizens man up a little and forego the expenses.
Better that then the property taxes.
hipster losers of willyb-
why not donate some of that trust fund money to help clean up the roadway.
If the poor Chinese delivery man can make his appointed rounds on his bike with 6" of snow on the ground and still snowing, so can all the other bikers in New York.
I can never understand how cold hearted some people are by ordering out on the worst nights of the year. They should give 100% tips.
This city hates cyclists and pedestrians. Why?
This city hates cyclists and pedestrians. Why?