Results tagged “regulations”

Will pedicabs become extinct before carriage horses? At the end of last month there were reportedly only 25 of 1,000 pedicabs who became licensed under the city's new regulations. The NYCPOA declared this was untrue, and we've contacted them today to confirm the latest Post report, which says that number is up to only 321. Peter Meitzler from the organization told us that "the current number of plates issued so far to inspected pedicabs is 349 as of 9 this morning."

Not even a week after the pedicab crash in Williamsburg , officials and pedicab owners have reportedly "agreed on licensing and safety requirements that will resolve a years-long tussle over regulating the pedal-powered cabs." Mayor Bloomberg noted that the pact would ensure passenger safety in what Councilman Dan Garodnick recently called a "Wild West" type situation. The new regulations will add requirements for licenses, insurance and inspections. To get a license, owners must not only have insurance, but pass inspections confirming they have working seat belts, brakes, turn signals, and other safety features. Still, you might want to avoid steep slopes like the ramp on the Williamsburg Bridge!

Following the Williamsburg pedicab crash, the regulations around the human-pedaled vehicles are garnering some attention. The NY Times delves into them today, reporting that in 2007 the City Council passed a bill which was challenged in court by pedicab owners, who claimed it would allow more inexperienced drivers to get licensed. This put the rules on hold for years, but the lawsuit ended in April and still no new rules have been drafted or put in place—a task that falls in the hands of the city’s Department of Consumer Affairs. The paper notes that "the city acknowledges that its safety and licensing provisions," which include a ban on bridge travel, are not being enforced. A lawyer for the NYC Pedicab Owners Association said, “We begged the city, for the sake of safety, to please enforce these things before someone gets hurt," but so far that hasn't happened, and until it does the rules are moot. Currently the NYPD are treating pedicabs as cyclists, meaning there are no fines for carrying too many passengers and not having seat belts.

Barack Obama's campaign organization is in hot water with Joel Klein, the NYC School's Chancellor, after it produced a short film (it runs about 13 minutes) starring Bronx public high school students and teachers discussing race issues and Obama's campaign. The video was distributed online to generate revenue for the candidate's campaign and the page where the video is located features a prominent "DONATE NOW" button.

Property owners are not holding their breath for a citywide ban on domestic smoking, like the ones barring lighting up in bars or restaurants, but non-smoking is increasingly becoming a requirement for renters in New York City.

After a year of widely publicized construction site deaths, New York City's Buildings Dept. is working to tighten up some work rules that may have fallen by the wayside or are no longer sufficient. DOB Commissioner Patricia Lancaster wants new rules and a strengthening of the enforcement of work licenses for contractors and concrete operators.

Architect Robert Scarano, who has been charged with violating city building standards at 32 properties, has an ally at the Department of Buildings. The Daily News is reporting that Patricia Lancaster, the department's commissioner, hid Scarano's mistakes, signing a stipulation in which she promised not to report Scarano to any regulatory agency that could revoke his license. The News article is part of its I-Team Special Investigation unit. Reporter Brian Kates explains that Lancaster promised...

The NY State Division of Housing and Community Renewal finally closed a loophole in rent regulations that would have allowed owners and landlords leaving government-subsidized housing programs to increase rents to market rates by citing "unique and peculiar" circumstances. According to the NY Times, some tenants' rents would have skyrocketed from $981/month to $4,500/month for a two-bedroom on the Upper West Side and from $1,000/month to $5,275/month for a three-bedroom, also on the Upper West...

Yesterday was the city's day to honor and remember veterans of the U.S. armed forces. The 88th annual Veterans Day Parade started with the Eternal Light Monument Ceremony in Madison Square Park, followed by a parade up Fifth Avenue to 56th Street. An estimated 20,000 gathered for the parade, and there were veterans from World War II, Korean War, and the Iraq War. Mayor Bloomberg said, "You should know that 70 New Yorkers have given...

Earlier today, the Reverend Pat Robertson endorsed Rudy Giuliani for president, showing that the former mayor was able to win over an influential Christian conservative leader. Robertson explained,"To me, the overriding issue before the American people is the defense of our population from the bloodlust of Islamic terrorists.... We need a leader with a bold vision who is not afraid to tackle the challenges ahead." And he acknowledged Rudy's NYC history, "Rudy Giuliani took a...

With the original set of rules tossed aside, the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre, and Broadcasting (MOFTB) has focused in on levels of sidewalk obstruction when it comes to shooting photographs and film in the city. Juliana Luecking points out the ridiculousness of the new rules, which don't allow much space for shooting. There will be a public hearing about the new regulations on December 13th (details here), and you can address your comments prior...

After Brooklyn prosecutors decided to drop murder charges against ex-FBI agent R. Lindley DeVecchio, after the star witness's testimony was deemed questionable, the judge presiding over the case decided to scold the defendant. DeVecchio had been on trial for allegedly giving mob informant Gregory "The Grim Reaper" Scarpa information to kill other rival informants.

City officials changed their mind after citizens raised a hue and cry over a proposal they feared would give law enforcement the right to harass almost any person with a camera. The New York Times reports that the city will make an effort to inform the public, government offices, and law enforcement about the now-clarified rules on public photography. We'd like to thank all the people that loudly protested against the city's proposed rules against public photography.

Rensselaer County Clerk Frank J. Merola is unhappy with Gov. Spitzer's plan to issue drivers licenses to illegal immigrants. As an employee of the State, he has no legal discretion over whether he can ignore the plan once it's enacted, so he's filed a lawsuit to block the initiative in state Supreme Court in Albany. In a statement explaining his lawsuit. County Clerk Frank Merola alluded to a recent public opinion poll that showed widespread opposition to Spitzer's plan licensing plan.

“New York residents have stated loudly and clearly that we are not in favor of giving license to illegal aliens and all we get from the Governor are lectures on how we are wrong, and that if we were as smart as he was, we would understand and support this policy. Well, 72% of New York residents, including myself and a vast majority of County Clerks are not as smart as the Governor and I am filing suit to prevent this travesty of a policy from being implemented.”

Starting at noon, pedicab owners began a protest down Broadway to voice their opposition to a new city law that started today. Pedicab owners sued the city yesterday in state Supreme Court, claiming the Department of Consumer Affairs distrusted licenses for pedicabs unlawfully. A law passed earlier this year, which pedicab drivers protested, limits the number of pedicab licenses to 325 and preference was supposed to be given to existing pedicab owners before any other operators.

High-ranking firefighters in the field are claiming that the regulations that are supposed to keep FDNY members and the public safe are simply not feasible and rarely enforced. In the wake of the deaths of firefighters Robert Beddia and Joseph Graffagnino during the Deutsche Bank fire in August when a standpipe to provide water to firehoses was found disconnected, it became clear that the FDNY itself had not inspected the building properly as required by law. All building and demolition sites are supposed to be inspected by the fire department every 15 days. The New York Times interviewed a number of chiefs, company commanders, and union officials who said that not only isn't that standard not upheld, but it would literally be impossible to comply with, and the top brass at the department know it.

If Public Law 19 takes effect on its scheduled date of September 20, the number of New York City pedicabs will soon be capped at 325. Half of the pedicab drivers will lose their jobs, pedicabs will be banned from bridges and bike lanes, and small electric-assist motors will also be banned. The lottery to determine who in the industry will survive and who will be shut down is scheduled for this month.

When the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting announced in June that they were proposing new rules for videographers, filmmakers and photographers - everyone who's ever seen an image of New York responded.

Seething over their many, ignored complaints about new construction at 808 Columbus Avenue, residents of Park West Village held a rally to demand an investigation. All 280 apartments at one Park West building, 784 Columbus, were evacuated when a retaining wall collapsed at the 808 site on Wednesday night. However, there were a number of calls to the Department of Buildings from 784 residents, complaining that the building was shaking as workers blasted in the 808 site.

Last month Reverend Billy was locked up for reciting the First Amendment in Union Square. Tonight he returns with a troupe of others to speak out against the outrageous new law that would limit public photography and filming in New York.

Senate Majority Joseph Bruno's and Governor Eliot Spitzer's epic Choppergate fight grows each and every day. Yesterday, Bruno demanded that investigations be opened to focus on Spitzer's administration and whether Spitzer staffers were engaged in trying to sabotage him. Bruno said, "A lot of people in authority think there was criminality in the executive branch... I want to know how much the governor knew ... This is not going to go away, not going to get swept under a rug."

A new noise code will go into effect tonight/tomorrow morning when the clock strikes midnight, and that clock better have muffled bells. It's the first comprehensive overhaul of noise ordinances in about 30 years and was proposed by Mayor Bloomberg three and a half years ago. It's mostly oriented towards bars and clubs, where a growing nightlife presence in neighborhoods like the Lower East Side has left many residents sleepless. The New York Times notes that noisy cars and motorcycles will be completely banned from the city, there will be a limit on how long dogs can bark continuously, garbage trucks will be required to stay at least 50 feet from residential buildings between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., construction noise must be mitigated (Adrienne Shelley was killed for complaining about construction noise), and ice cream trucks will have to go quiet when parked curbside. We wonder if this will have any effect on the creative siren-DJ stylings emanating from police cars. Either way, enforcement of the new code may be spotty because the Dept. of Environmental Protection only has 26 noise meters. The police have 80.

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a found grenade(!) at Sedgwick Ave. and Depot Pl. in the Bronx, a child abduction on 8th Ave. and 150th St. in Manhattan, and a person struck by a train on 103rd St. and Roosevelt Ave. in Queens.
• A New Jersey State Police report concluded that the unauthorized use of flashing emergency lights by his driver didn't cause Governor Corzine's near-fatal crash, but it did contribute significantly to the accident by initiating the chain of events.
• Your apartment is only as small as your imagination and creativity, and a retired steamfitter who lives in Peter Cooper Village knows it.
• Parents Against Styrofoam in Schools (P.A.S.S.) are objecting to the approximately four million styrofoam trays used in New York's public schools every week.
• The woman charged with robbing rapper Foxy Brown was released from Rikers Island after her alleged victim failed to appear at the accused's grand jury hearing.
• Brownstoner notes that the DUMBO pedestrian plaza is coming together at a record pace.
• Before new city noise regulations kick in July 1, Stereogum rates the 20 Loudest Albums of All Time.
• Mayor Bloomberg lashed out against special tax breaks that could hand developer Bruce Ratner an extra $300 million for developing Brooklyn's Atlantic Yards. Mayor Mike hopes Gov. Spitzer will quash the "carve-out" benefit.

The Mayor's Office of Theater, Film, and Broadcasting, which coordinates film and television production and issues permits around the five boroughs, is considering rules that could potentially severely restrict the ability of even amateur photographers and filmmakers to operate in New York City. The NY Times reports that the city's tentative rules include requiring any group of two or more people who want to use a camera in a single public location for more than a half hour to get a city permit and $1 million in liability insurance. The regulation would also apply to any group of five or more people who would be using a tripod for more than ten minutes, including the time to set up the tripod. Does the Gorillapod count?

The New York Times has a story today on the required unveiling of NY Sen. Hillary Clinton's investments, which were previously held in a blind trust jointly owned with her husband and former President Bill Clinton, but needed to be disclosed as Sen. Clinton is now running for President herself. The trust was liquidated in April after the Clintons learned that their holdings included potentially politically damaging investments in military contractors, oil, pharmaceutical companies, and Wal-Mart. That the latter three could be considered politically damaging is interesting and says something about America's political landscape, because we imagine that 95% of all Americans either consume oil, ingest pharmaceuticals, or shop at Wal-Mart in any given week of the year.

Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore and his distributor, Harvey Weinstein, appeared at a press conference yesterday to question why the government is investigating Moore's trip to Cuba for his upcoming film, Sicko. The film, which premiered at Cannes and is scheduled to open in a few weeks, questions the American health care system and, at one point, Moore takes three September 11 rescue workers to Cuba to get health care treatment for them there.

Sen. Chuck Schumer appeared in Red Hook yesterday to support the plight of the vendors that serve the people who come to watch and play sports at the Red Hook ballfields. The vendors have been cooking up ethnic food that appeals to their mostly Hispanic clientele for several years under a series of temporary permits from the city. The Parks Dept. wants to put an official vending permit up for bidding, and the current vendors who sell relatively low-priced food to their customers are not assured of winning the contest over a business catering to newer and more well-heeled Red Hook residents.

Elliot Spitzer has a whole new attitude about the financial companies inhabiting Wall St. now that he is governor. At one point in time and as state attorney general, Spitzer was a relentless critic, and his mere mentioning of a company's name was enough for tens of billions of dollars of market capitalization to disappear in a few hours. Spitzer strong-armed industry reform by threatening companies and individuals with prosecution while he was the state attorney general. These same companies became frequent and generous contributors to his political campaign when running for gubernatorial office. Now Governor Spitzer recognizes that New York's financial companies are an important tax- and job-generating source of economic strength in the state, and is committed to making the city the financial hub of the world.

While the city has spent the last few years making life difficult for bar owners in a fixed location with a vested interest in maintaining good relations with its neighbors, the State Liquore Authority has been passing out temporary liquor licenses like refills at an all-you-can-drink affair. According to the New York Post, the SLA issued 2,899 temporary liquor licenses in the city during 2006. That's 13% more than in 2005 and a 55% increase from the temporary licenses handed out in 2002.