Mar 052013
 

800px-Do_Not_Cross,_Crime_Scene

In the wake of a series of fatal hit-and run crashes in New York City, the state Senate has approved new legislation that would stiffen statewide punishments for drivers who flee the scene of accidents which result in property damage, serious injury, or death, notes Amanda Woods for Home Reporter.

The proposed measure, which is sponsored by State Senator Marty Golden, upgrades the charges against motorists who leave the scene of a deadly crash to a Class C Felony. Click Here For More, Including A Hit-And-Run Case That Remains Unsolved After 19 Years

Feb 282013
 
car crash dominic bartolini Flickr

Image source: dominic bartolini via Flickr.

It looks like our pedestrian rage was fully justified.

Brooklyn Paper’s Will Bredderman recently used a radar gun to check out how many drivers are actually following 4th Avenue’s posted speed limit of 30 miles per hour.

The answer: Not many.

While most of the 28 drivers observed on a weekday afternoon stuck fairly close to 30 mph, only eight – less than one third, drove within the legal limit, with one driver clocked in at a whopping 68 mph!

Bredderman then repeated the same experiment at different times with similar results. Click Here For More, Including Why Drivers Speed In Bay Ridge

Feb 282013
 

This Sunday, March 3, getting from Point A to Point B will cost just a little bit more than it did the day before: the long-planned increases in fares and tolls will go into effect at 12:00am midnight.

To help visualize the changes, we’ve put together a few handy graphics.

MTA 2013 Fares For subway and bus riders, the base fare goes up a quarter to $2.50. The cost of commuting by subway will go up between $4 and $8 dollars per month, depending on whether you use a 7- or 30-day pass ($30 and $112, respectively). Express bus commuters will pay an extra $20 per month, as 7-day passes are now $55.

NEW FOR 2013 - The MTA will now charge a $1 surcharge for every new Metrocard purchased. This can be avoided by refilling your existing Metrocard. Riders who buy 7- and 30-day passes never had (or needed) this option before, but now any vending machine or token booth clerk can refill these unlimited-use passes. (The $1 card fee doesn’t apply to reduced-fare passes, or for Metrocards purchased from third parties, such as employer pre-tax transit programs.) Continue reading »

Feb 262013
 
Image source: salalbanese2013.com.

Image source: salalbanese2013.com.

Shortly after securing the endorsement of the union that represents most New York City MTA workers, Democrat mayoral candidate and Bay Ridge resident Sal Albanese unveiled a transit plan he says will fund improvements to the city’s roadways and public transportation system, as well as make them more equitable for all New Yorkers.

Albanese’s “Faster, Fairer, and Fully-Funded” plan calls for city control of mass transit, 20 new Select Bus routes by 2018, investments in subway infrastructure, and a new tolling system that his campaign claims would raise as much as $1 billion in revenue. It also makes bicyclist and pedestrian safety a priority, citing vehicular fatalities as “one of the invisible public health crises in our city.” Continue reading »

Feb 212013
 
Image source: Facebook.com.

Image source: Facebook.com.

Although Occupy Sandy’s Bay Ridge Kitchen at St. John’s Episcopal Church [461 99th Street] will be closing March 1, volunteers are still needed – especially in places like Sheepshead Bay and the Rockaways.

Occupy Sandy volunteers have been preparing hearty meals and delivering them to Hurricane Sandy victims around Brooklyn and beyond since November.

Months after Superstorm Sandy devastated coastal areas, the group continues to feed around a thousand people a day. They also maintain locations in Sheepshead Bay, Staten Island, and the Rockaways.

Click here for a list of places where you can make a difference by volunteering.

Feb 212013
 
574px-Willamsburgh_Savings_Bank_facade_burglar

Grotesque inset of a burglar on facade of the Williamsburgh Savings Tower at 1 Hanson Place in Fort Greene (Image source: Wikipedia Commons).

It looks like burglars are still finding plenty of homes to score jewelry, cash and electronics from in Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights.

While none of the incidents reported by Will Bredderman in yesterday’s Brooklyn Paper police blotter occurred on 70th Street, they all happened within blocks of previously pilfered apartments:

  • The occupant of a ground floor apartment on 73rd Street between 13th Avenue and 14th Avenue left at around 2 p.m. on February 11. She returned at 5:15 p.m. to find her glass sliding door shattered and a host of expensive items – including three gold rings, one onyx ring, a diamond bracelet, a diamond necklace, an elk ivory watch, a pair of elk ivory cufflinks, $5,000 in bills, and a Nikon camera gone.

 

  • The next day another victim, who had left her 76th Street flat at around 5:30 p.m., had trouble gaining entry after returning four hours later. Realizing the entrance was blocked with the door to an adjacent closet, she pushed her way into the apartment – which is located between 3rd Avenue and 4th Avenue. Seeing the place had been ransacked, she also noticed the shade on her fire escape window drawn open. Stolen items reported to police included two iPads, a checkbook, a gold chain, two gold necklaces, two gold watches, two gold bracelets, a silver necklace, a pair of gold earrings, and two gold pendants.

 

  • During that same day, a resident of Ridge Blvd between 75th Street and 76th Street was burglarized by some apparently numismatic crooks. He left for the day at 7 a.m. and came back at 11:30 p.m. to discover his MacBook, tablet computer, Canon camera, watch, and $400 in Chinese currency missing.

Feb 152013
 
Ah, the "good" old days. (Photo: Brian Hedden/Bay Ridge Odyssey)

Ah, the “good” old days. (Photo: Brian Hedden/Bay Ridge Odyssey)

Despite widespread criticism by commuters, activists, and elected officials alike, the MTA has announced that a series of planned toll and fare hikes will start to take effect on March 3.

Beginning at approximately 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 3, cash tolls on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge will rise to $15.

Of course those with an E-ZPass who live on the Staten Island side will pay “$6.36 to cross the Verrazano for the first two round trips of the month, and an even $6 on the third and subsequent trips,” writes reporter Ken Paulsen on Staten Island Advance’s website – while Bay Ridge residents who live within a stone’s throw of the world-famous span will still have to pay the full E-ZPass price of $10.66 per trip, a $1.06 increase.

But wait, that’s not all!

Via silive.com, here’s a breakdown of subway and bus fare hikes – because life in New York City was apparently not quite expensive enough without subsidizing folks in the ‘Burbs:

  • The seven day Express Bus Plus MetroCard will cost $55.
  • The seven-day regular unlimited MetroCard will rise to $30.
  • The 30-day regular unlimited MetroCard jumps to $112.
  • Single-ride tickets, only sold at vending machines, will cost $2.75.
  • A bonus of 5 percent is added to MetroCards with purchases of $5 or more.

There will be an additional fee of $1 for the purchase of new MetroCards, except for cards purchased at out-of-system vendors and for seniors.

Feb 112013
 
Source: Wikipedia Commons.

Source: Wikipedia Commons.

Veteran journalist and author Pete Hamill once said, “never go into a bar that needs a bouncer.” The following story just might prove the wisdom of that statement:

In the early morning hours of Sunday, February 3, a bouncer at Nouveau Restaurant [8214 3rd Ave] was reportedly stabbed in the buttocks by a violent patron, writes CNG’s Will Bredderman. Continue reading »

Feb 082013
 

Photos of the 1/27/2011 blizzard on 6th Ave in Bay Ridge [Image source: emilydickinsonridesabmx via Flickr].

The aftermath of the 1/27/2011 blizzard on 6th Ave in Bay Ridge [Image source: emilydickinsonridesabmx via Flickr].

Unless you’ve been in a drug-induced coma the last few days, then you probably know there are two “monster” storm systems set to converge on the Northeast tonight and tomorrow.

You also probably know that, in addition to the Nemo naming controversy, there’s been some contention as to which weather tracking model will prove to be right.

Earlier in the week, the American GFS model was calling for around 3 inches of snow, while the European ECMWF model – which is generally considered the most accurate, was calling for a little over a foot of frozen precipitation. Keep in mind the RPM model, which is calling for 30 inches, and you’ve got quite a disparity in winter weather predictions!

On Friday the uncertainty continues, with NY 1 calling for up to eight inches in the five boroughs, and ABC’s Accuweather forecast saying it will be more like 6- 18 inches, with higher snowfall totals the further northeast you go.

Indeed, one of the few points everyone seems to agree on is that the full force of this Nor’easter will be felt in coastal New England. This has resulted in a flood watch for Long Island Sound, which includes shore-front areas in the Bronx and Northern Queens.

While Southwest Brooklyn should be spared the two plus feet meteorologists are calling for in areas to our north and east, weather conditions – including hurricane force winds of up to 60 mph, will still be extremely hazardous for anyone stepping outside tonight into tomorrow morning.

Anyone in lower lying areas east of Bay Ridge and along the shore of Southern Brooklyn should also prepare for moderate to heavy flooding – although the 3-5 foot storm surge expected should not be anywhere near as bad as during Hurricane Sandy, when coastal waters rose 14 feet in just a few hours.

In the meantime, here are some transit & traffic updates for the next couple of days courtesy of NY 1 [Bear in mind these are all subject to change as weather conditions worsen]:

  • Amtrak has ended its northbound train service from Penn Station as of 12:30 p.m. Friday, and its Acela Express service as of 1:00 p.m.
  • The MTA has no plans to shut down New York City Transit, but there will be less subways and buses in service during the height of the storm as assets are stored underground.
  • There will be extra Metro-North trains early Friday afternoon to help customers get home before the snow gets too bad, but that also means there will be fewer trains after 5 p.m. Please be aware that cancellations are more likely as the evening progresses to prevent trains from becoming stranded.
  • Airlines have already cancelled hundreds of flights at area airports. [Airlines will probably be looking to send planes away from the Northeastern U.S. to prevent their fleets from becoming stranded and/or damaged in the blizzard]. On the plus side, most airlines say customers can rebook without paying any fees.
  • The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says it’s mobilizing its plows and salt spreaders to keep its airports, bridges and tunnels operational – That includes 200 plows, salt spreaders and de-icers, as well as 2,000 tons of salt and 1,500 tons of sand for the spreaders. It is also mobilizing equipment to clear tracks along the PATH.
  • Alternate-side parking rules will be suspended citywide through Sunday, though meters [WTF?!] will still be in effect.

Feb 062013
 
Image source: kthread via Flickr.

Image source: kthread via Flickr.

On the 28th of January, | My neighbor was victim-ized by, | Scumbag thieves a-leaping, | Up fire escapes and piping, | Land lady’s sleeping, | Nine bass drums thumping, | Eight cleaning ladies cleaning, | Between 70th and, | 69th Street a crook made off with, | Two gold rings, | One lap top, | Three French hens, | Two turtle doves, and | A diamond engagement ring.

In details that resemble lyrics from the Twelve Days of Christmas, Brooklyn Paper’s Will Bredderman is reporting that a sticky-fingered slime bag stole thousands in jewelry and electronics from a 13th Avenue apartment on January 28.

The victim told police that he left his home, on 13th Avenue between 69th street and 70th street, at 9:30 am. After returning at 1:30 pm, he noticed the missing laptop and jewelery.

While neighbors said they heard nothing out of the ordinary, police found footprints leading to a fire escape in the building’s rear yard.

As the ad-libbed song lyrics indicate, stolen items include a wedding band, two gold rings, a diamond ring, a gold chain, gold bangles, and a laptop. [The French hens and turtle doves went mercifully unmolested].

The vicinity of 70th Street has seen a rash of break-ins via fire escape since the year began.