Results tagged “automobiles”

Since the cost of a barrel of oil jumped $11 on Friday, helping the stock market drop 400 points, gas stations in the area made sure to raise their prices, too. The Post reports that many stations were charging $4.50/gallon or more!

Representative Charles Rangel is proud of his leased-through-Congress 2004 Cadillac DeVille. And he even offers rides to constituents, so they can discuss issues. Rangel told the NY Times, "I want them to feel that they are somebody and their congressman is somebody. And when they say, ‘This is nice,’ it feels good.” And taxpayers should feel a little ownership over the car (which is apparently so roomy Rangel has a desk in it)--taxpayers are footing the $777.54/month lease (not to mention gas).

My endorsement of this measure, issued in blue covers, first referred to as the “blue Bills”, have come to be known, on late night Talkshows, as “The Blue Balls.” This, while accurate, is disrespectful to my Office.

Lawmakers are looking to toughen laws around tinted windows on automobiles. Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum pointed out that police officer Russel Timoshenko was fatally shot when he approached a stolen SUV with tinted windows. And current State Senator Eric Adams (a retired police captain and a founder of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care) summed it up, "The criminal element does not use tinted windows to protect themselves from dangerous UV rays. They use them to protect their illegal activity."

Car makers are flocking to the city with the New York International Auto Show opening this weekend (media previews start tomorrow) at the Javits Convention Center, and there's one particularly NYC-focused exhibit: Taxi '07.

CarFreeBedford, the site dedicated to removing automobiles from the main stretch of Williamsburg, has put up some pretty new renderings.

Jagshemash!

Last week the owners of the cars crushed in the Washington Heights wall collapse were informed they would have to pay for the towing of their pancaked automobiles. Well, now that the dirt has been removed, Gothamist reader Bob Matsuoka went up to Castle Village and got some shots of the cars-- doesn't look like those wrecks are going anywhere without a crane and flatbed truck-- and how much is that going to cost the owners?

Well, Gateway National Recreation Area is right in our neck of the woods, extending in three New York City boroughs and into northern New Jersey. It is a good place to start your quest for the perfect patch of sand and cooling waters.

We're getting ready to check out tonight's gorgerous July 4th fireworks, the city releases information that they seized 1,442 cases of illegal fireworks. The city had announced their summer crackdown on fireworks in early June, which included a new deterrant - the seizure of automobiles if one is caught with illegal fireworks. Over 50 cars were confiscated and over 120 people were arrested. And the people were really serious this year - there were even police chases into other counties to find vehicles carrying illegal fireworks!

"We're here to say if you're in a car and you want to get around Manhattan, you're better off going around Central Park. It's clear, to ensure that those of all ages who choose to run, walk, bike and play in the park can enjoy themselves in a healthy and safe environment, we have to say no to cars and yes to quality recreation. Parks are for people, not cars," says Manhattan Borough President Stringer.

We had kicked back to watch TV the other evening - live, not TiVo'd - when we started to see an "I ♥ NY" logo on screen. Awesome, we though, as the logo got bigger. But then the NY was replaced by...a freaking Honda Accord! Honda paid NY State $45,000 to use the logo in their ad which is appearing in the NY-area, and to us, that's getting peanuts. No wonder NY State has so much debt and such a terrible credit rating! Bobby Zarem who promoted the slogan, created to kick NY State out of its 1970s slump, is disgusted by the ad while Milton Glaser, who created the logo, is flattered. Feh, we rather car companies co-opt our neighborhood names, not claim that we love them.

Starts and Fits has a great comparison of two photographs of the corner of E89th and Lexington-- the first was taken in 1913, the second in 1991. As you can see, the sidewalk decreased in width by about 75%, and the stoops and first-floor entrances of each building were eliminated entirely. The block used to have a wonderful, airey feel-- but with the widening of the street, it's now one of the more congested, dirty corners in the Upper East Side. Sure-- we can speed down Lexington Avenue at 45mph, but now it's hard to walk in anything other than single file down the streets. S&F writes:

The Times this morning has a story about air pollution in Los Angeles. The city and state have been very successful in reducing pollution from cars –ozone alert days reduced by half, but are growing concerned about the increasing levels of pollution from particulates. Particulates are fine particles, less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter that lodge themselves in your lungs and cause all sorts of problems. Particulate pollution is increasing because the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are booming, the ships and trucks that carry their cargo both run on diesel fuel, and, unlike with automobiles, the state of California doesn't have jurisdiction to set pollution limits.

The NY Times wonders why there are such big cars in the city, as many auto manufacturers are bring teeny tiny "city cars" to the International Auto Show, like the Renault Zoe. Apparently, the Times didn't get the memo that NYers will try to find ways to maximize their space, from getting mini-storage at a warehouse to mini-store on wheels in the form of an SUV. Plus, bigger is always better, ain't it? Anyway, Gothamist was amused by the failed introductions of smaller cars (like the Smart car) to the U.S.; again, when New Yorkers see their American brethren driving across country in their souped up SUVs, clearly there's a envy factor. So that's the illogical explanation as to why there are not only Hummers in the city, but also those ridiculous SUV limos carting the prom kids in town.

Critical Mass meets tomorrow night at Union Square North. And photoblogger Mike Epstein at Satan's Laundromat was one of the biking arrestees last go around. And related, Kryptonite is offering free locks to those whose locks are easily picked.

As hurricane season gets officially underway, tornadoes are stealing the spotlight. As reported by Leslita, yesterday a tornado touched down in northern New York and another one was reported in New Jersey, though may not have actually touched down. Still, it's only June and it seems like we've been getting our fair share of severe weather and wonderfully entertaining thunderstorms.

Now that New York is experiencing a consistent amount of decent weather, I'd like to move my workouts from the gym to Central Park. One thing I'm concerned about is the amount of traffic on the park's main loop. When is Central Park closed to cars?