A traffic enforcement camera (Image source: Wikipedia Commons).
Mayor Bloomberg labelled state lawmakers as “reckless and negligent” on Wednesday for blocking a budget provision that would bring speed enforcement cameras to the five boroughs. Continue reading »
A flier from the Fourth Ave safety workshop. (Image source: NYCDOT).
As the NYC Department of Transportation unveils a series of traffic-calming measures for Fourth Avenue to mixed reactions, State Senator Marty Golden (R) and the police union are lobbying Albany lawmakers to nix a speed camera demonstration program previously approved by the New York State Assembly and supported by City Councilman Vincent Gentile (D).
At a March 21, meeting where city planners showcased the proposals, Bay Ridgites on both sides of the issue voiced strong opinions about the possible changes – which include narrowing a 13-block stretch of the busy thoroughfare from Ovington Avenue to 84th Street, as reported by Will Bredderman for Brooklyn Paper. Continue reading »
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This past President’s Day, when alternate side parking [ASP] rules were suspended, many Bay Ridge drivers assumed meter rules would also cease to be in effect for the day. Unfortunately, they assumed wrong.
In order to prevent this type of confusion in the future, Councilman Vincent Gentile has reintroduced legislation to coordinate ASP and meters so that both parking rules are suspended on the same days, as reported by Fox 5.
Gentile had mentioned suspending Sunday parking meter rules during his recent campaign kickoff at the Dyker Beach Golf Club, under the theme of protecting everyday New Yorkers from being preyed on by a revenue-hungry city government.
“I’m not afraid to fight for your right as a New Yorker to get what you deserve or get government off your back,” Gentile was quoted by Home Reporter as saying. “Taxpayers and small businesses should not be an ATM for the city of New York.”
While the councilman says he has garnered bipartisan support for the measure, his office conceded to reporters that even if it were to pass Mayor Bloomberg would most likely veto it.
Image source: Tomas Fano via Flickr.
Tens of thousands of New York City families who rely on yellow buses to get their children to and from school – including many in Bay Ridge – may have to find alternate means of transportation tomorrow, as the union representing drivers and matrons have authorized a strike. Click Here For More, Including How To Get Your Child To School In The Event Of A Strike
With New York City Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott saying a strike by school bus drivers this week is inevitable, bus companies have responded by threatening legal action.
At a press conference held yesterday in Lower Manhattan, Walcott was quoted by NY 1 as saying about the possible strike by drivers, “it is not now a matter of if, but a matter of when.”
“This is a strike against our children,” Walcott said, “It is illegal as far as what they’re asking us to do and they are hurting our most vulnerable children and it is totally unacceptable.”
The Amalgamated Transit Union or ATU is requesting job protection for some workers, but both Walcott and Mayor Bloomberg say it’s just not possible after the state Court of Appeals previously struck down such measures – known as Employee Protection Provisions or EPPs, in 2011.
“The Employee Protection Provisions, the EPPs that the union is asking for us to include in the bid, was struck down by the highest court in New York State, the New York State Court of Appeals,” the chancellor said.
Meanwhile in a story published this morning, a coalition of school bus companies announced that they will seek an injunction from the National Labor Relations Board and civil damages if the drivers walk off the job.
The AFL-CIO and New York City Central Labor Council responded by citing city government’s past defense of employee protections, as well as by expressing doubt as to whether the court decision in question applies to this contract.
Several union drivers who spoke with reporters said they were expecting an announcement sometime today for a Wednesday strike.
Walcott had said he wants the union to give at least 24 hours’ warning before the start of the strike, so that parents can make alternate plans to get their children to school.
Updates on school bus service are reportedly being provided on the Department of Education’s website, schools.nyc.gov, by 7 a.m. every morning.
Mayor Bloomberg held another press conference from the Office of Emergency Management [OEM] in Downtown Brooklyn just after 11 a.m. The mayor said that while damage is severe and ten New Yorkers lost their lives as a result of Superstorm Sandy, no first responders had died. The mayor praised the heroic work of rescue personnel during the storm.
Bloomberg vowed to keep shelters open, tweeting that the emergency lodgings would remain open until New Yorkers “can safely return to their homes.” He added that drinking water has been tested and, although safe, it has been treated with additional chlorine as a precautionary measure.
U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer also gave an update on federal efforts to aid in the city’s storm recovery, telling the press that President Obama would give local officials all the help they need. Schumer stated that, as is usually the case, federal reimbursement for storm damage would be at least 75%.
Earlier this morning, State Senator Marty Golden tweeted that FEMA has begun taking applications at DisasterAssistance.gov.
Bloomberg said that he would give updates as the day progressed, and continued to remind the city that parks are closed and public transit is still not running. He urged residents to use caution and not venture out unless necessary and only to help others.
Image source: digitizedchaos via Flickr.
What has been referred to by a skeptical New York media as the annual “budget dance,” a choreographed clash which begins every year with Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s threats of austerity – cutting jobs, closing firehouses, the discontinuation of after-school programs, followed by posturing from city council members and program directors, with all roads leading to an inevitable happy ending – ended this week.
As Mayor Bloomberg’s last year in office passes its halfway point, many – in both the press and in politics – are weighing the pros and cons of this yearly ritual. Continue reading »