Last week, hours after his graduation, Bronx high school football star Isayah Muller was fatally stabbed by a parking lot attendent who was in a dispute with Muller's father Andre over a missing bottle of $200 cologne. Afterwards, to the dismay of the Muller family, police arrested the elder Muller, and not the two attendants involved, saying that he was "the agressor" in the incident. Newly released surveillance footage certainly doesn't do much to bolster Andre Muller's case.
Video: Father Of Slain HS Football Star Threw The First Punch
Many Garages Breaking New Law by Turning Away Bikes
The law applies to all lots, but those with fewer than 100 spaces have a two year grace period before they must make room for bikes. But a reporter for the Post recently tried to park a bicycle at 26 Manhattan lots with more than 100 spaces and was turned away over half the time. The city can impose a $500 fine on any garage that turns away cyclists, but some owners seem willing to take that chance. "The city just sent us a letter a month ago—you're my first customer," attendant José Angel at Mercer Parking told the Post. "But it's not enough time to prepare. Every little corner in this garage we are using for cars."
Man Busted Charging Drivers To Park In City-Owned Garage
Police arrested a 48-year-old man suspected of taking over a city-owned parking lot in Lower Manhattan when it was closed and charging drivers to park their cars. Brooklynite Steven Pappas is accused of breaking into the South Street parking facility on at least two weekend days in September, putting a sign outside, and asking motorists for $10 per day for a parking spot, according to the Post.
Bike Parking: How Much Would You Pay?
In addition to the Bicycle Access to Buildings Law, which requires commercial building owners to allow tenants to bring bicycles to their offices, another bike law went into effect recently: The Bicycle Access to Garages Law. It requires some commercial garages and parking lots to provide spaces for bikes at a specific ratio relative to their number of car spaces. But prices for the new bike parking have been left up to the market, and Streetsblog notices that at least one garage is taking cyclists for the proverbial ride.
Brooklynite Chooses Garage Over Humanity
Brownstone Brooklyn, you never cease to amaze us. Long story short: Man buys brownstone in recently landmarked district of Prospect Heights from old woman. Old woman continues to live in the garden apartment. Man decides he wants to put a garage in there. LPC says they have no applications for Landmark approval for the address.
Bike Parking Bill Requires Some Garages, Lots To Take Bikes
The Bicycle Access Bill requiring commercial landlords to let office workers bring bikes inside office buildings wasn't the only bike-friendly law passed by the City Council last week. Less noticed was Intro. 780, the Bicycle Parking Bill. If signed by Mayor Bloomberg, it will require the operator of every garage and parking lot with a capacity of one-hundred or more cars to provide and maintain parking spaces for bikes. (And in two years, garages and lots with 51 or more spaces will have to provide bike parking.) The law mandates one bike spot for every 10 motor vehicle spots.
Lou Reed Trashes Bloomberg Over Sanitation Garage
Mayor Bloomberg has an unlikely opponent for his plans to build a sanitation garage in SoHo. Lou Reed has now taken his soapbox (previously stationed over at New York magazine) to the people's network: NY1. They report, "The rock star and his musician wife, Laurie Anderson, are among those suing the city over the plan that would build a garage, maintenance facility and salt shed on the corner of Washington and Spring Streets." Reed showed up at the network's studios last night and declared, "Why would anybody in their right mind want to do something so ugly, so irresponsible, so disgusting other than Bloomberg and real estate people, and slither this thing through without anyone having a chance to say about it because no one knew anything about it. You can't keep track of every last thing these thieves do. But having said that, to store that much salt over water, over the apex of two parks is beyond irresponsible and these people ought to be jailed." Fair enough. But one has to wonder if Reed would use his fame power if the facility were further away from his penthouse.
Required Parking at New Developments Means More Congestion, Pollution
Despite the economic tailspin, developers are still moving forward with luxury residential buildings that – assuming anyone can still afford to occupy them – will result in 170,000 new cars on city streets by 2030, thanks to city regulations requiring new developments to contain a minimum number of built-in parking spots. That estimate comes from public transit advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, who held a press conference at City Hall yesterday urging the city to change the policy, which they say will produce 431,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year.

