Cops Shot Far Rockaway Teen 11 Times
Video: New School Students, Comrades Toss Trash Pre-Arrest
Straphanger Who Pulled Emergency Brake Comes Forward
Turkey Cruelty Ad Nixed By NBC
Would You Be Comfortable Locked On A Train With A Murderer?
Polllsters at Quinnipiac checked in with New Yorkers on some quality of life issues that have been in the news lately. A couple months into the Broadway pedestrian mall experiment, city residents are still supportive of the mayor's initiative—though they like it best from a distance. The mayor seems to generally be in good shape on the issues asked about—New Yorkers stood behind him on control of the schools as well. The city's real enemy, not surprisingly, is the MTA. Here are some of the results from the poll taken last week:
- Despite all the lip service paid to what's wrong with the Times Square patio furniture, 58 percent of those polled think that the Broadway pedestrian malls have been a good idea with only 34 percent against it. That number jumps up to 66 percent favorability in Manahattan, the lawn chairs' back yard.
- The welcoming of the pedestrian malls doesn't mean that New Yorkers are eager to see them all over town. People were split when it came to whether more should be built and 57% said that they didn't want them in their neighborhood. Over half of those polled hadn't even been to the Broadway pedestrian malls and the borough most against them, The Bronx, also happened to be the one whose residents had visited them the least.
- New Yorkers supported the job that Mayor Bloomberg has been doing while in charge of the city's public school system and would like to see him remain in control of the schools by pretty close to two-to-one margins.
- Straphangers oppose the recent fare hikes by a whopping 70 to 25 percent of those polled. Those who think that service on subways and buses has gotten worse attribute that by a large margin to the performance of the MTA.
- Those polled don't really see any easy solutions to the agency's budget problems however. A large majority are still against both congestion pricing and adding tolls to all of the East River crossings. It's no wonder that eighty percent of those polled predicted that the Second Avenue Subway would not be completed on schedule, just days before the MTA confirmed it.
The Post notes that the high percentage of New Yorkers who stood behind mayoral control of the schools is most support Mayor Bloomberg has received on the issue. And the director of the poll summed up the results on pedestrian malls with, "Times Square with lawn chairs instead of cars is a nice idea, but...NIMBY (not in my back yard)."
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
Of course most New Yorkers haven't visited the plaza. It's fucking TIMES SQUARE. Nobody wants to go near that shithole.
I can, however, applaud the idea from a distance. Is that such a crime?
Who in their right might wouldn't want pedestrian plazas in their neighborhood? You can't go by the lawn chairs in Times Square as an example - a finished product would be like the one in Chelsea, which is quite nice.
You do know you can prove anything with a poll. Just watch this video to see how.
did they ask if any of them are parents with children in the NYC public school system? or just a reaction to think mayoral control is a good thing? freakanomics ya'll john stossel.
I am strongly for the pedestrian malls. I walk from 42nd to 46th on broadway/7th every morning and makes the walk faster and more pleasant.
That idea in Times Square is ludicrous. The so-called "crossroads of the world" is supposed to be crowded! It's Times Square for Pete's sake! Or was. Yeah...the space in Chelsea/Meatpacking works...as does the one at Madison Square except that it's screwed up traffic. (Where the heck did that Flatiron downtown bus stop go?)
What makes you think it's not crowded anymore? Something tells me you're one of those people who criticize it without actually having seen it.
Yeah, it's crowded. With chairs.
out with the chairs, and bring back the hookers! no, really. the only current cheap thrill in TS is stopping to pee on the naked cowboy.
I'm mixed on the idea of pedestrian plazas. In one way it's nice to have a place to sit and relax after walking for quite some bit, but it's another to have chairs and what not in the streets. It seems like Bloomberg is trying to make Manhattan into a split between city life and country life. City life has traffic, tons of cars and what not, if you don't like cars then move to the Catskills. Everyone wants to have the best of best worlds without giving up anything.
"City life has traffic, tons of cars and what not, if you don't like cars then move to the Catskills."
What city are you talking about? LA?
In the areas where these plazas have been established, only about 1 in 10 residents own cars, and probably a similar proportion of workers commute by car. On the other hand, up in the Catskills, you couldn't survive without a car.
My point is then why have roads in Manhattan anymore? Shouldn't all the roads be covered with grass and concrete walkways? Residents might not have cars, but delivery do and their trucks. How else do you expect to see inventory in stores?
I rather the city develop more parks than wasting money on chairs and tables in the streets.
How about a third option for fixing the MTA:
-Audit their fucking books and strip the agency down. The MTA has been a black hole for too long, and throwing money at an ever increasing black hole means that in 5 years we'll be posed with newer, more creative solutions to throw more money at them.
What's next after congestion pricing and East River tolls? How about an end to creative solutions and a start to responsible management
How about we just get rid of the MTA entirely. It's too far gone to fix.