Petition Renews Campaign For Bike/Pedestrian Pathways On Verrazano

By on April 2, 2013  Featured story, Traffic & Transit
Apr 022013
 
If proponents of a Verrazano bike-ped path have their way, the Five Boro Bike Tour and NYC Marathon will no longer be the only times people can cross the Narrows w/out the use of a motor vehicle (Image source: mlcastle via Flickr).

If proponents of a Verrazano bike-ped path have their way, the Five Boro Bike Tour and NYC Marathon will no longer be the only times people can safely cross the Narrows w/out the use of a motor vehicle (Image source: mlcastle via Flickr).

Six months after Transportation Alternatives proposed bike and pedestrian lanes on the Verrazano Bridge as part of their Harbor Ring project, supporters of the idea have begun a petition on website Change.org in order to help gain some much-needed traction, as well as the attention of Governor Andrew Cuomo.

While some officials have expressed doubt concerning the plan’s feasibility and cost, proponents note that the proposal is hardly a new one, and in fact goes all the way back to the bridge’s blueprint stage. Continue reading »

Subway Fare, Verrazano Bridge Toll Hikes – Now With Pretty Charts!

By on February 28, 2013  Featured story, Traffic & Transit
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 »

Mayoral Hopeful Sal Albanese Unveils Ambitious Transit Plan, Secures Union Support

By on February 26, 2013  Featured story, Traffic & Transit
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 »

Seen In Bay Ridge Weekender: Photography Is Not A Crime

By on February 22, 2013  Seen In Photos
Feb 222013
 
Photo: Brian Hedden/Bay Ridge Odyssey

Photo: Brian Hedden/Bay Ridge Odyssey

Yesterday, the Bensonhurst Bean posted a stunning sunset photo of the Verrazano Bridge that reminded me of a pet peeve of mine. You see, unlike most V-Z pics, which are from a short distance away from either the Brooklyn or Staten Island anchor, or perhaps from a considerable distance, this new photo was taken right from the road deck itself.

Of course, you know and I know that these not-so-polite signs are posted on both sides of the bridge to make one thing clear to all motorists: photography of any kind is prohibited.

My pet peeve is that the government has no right to put these signs here.

There are lots of web sites regarding photography rights, and there are two that I consider to be my favorite. One is krages.com, which publishes a handy primer on what types of photography are allowed and not allowed (hint: the list of things you can’t photograph is smaller than you think).

The other is called Photography Is Not A Crime, which documents cases of authorities claiming photography and video bans where none can be applied. At the risk of stealing his thunder, I feel like that phrase should be repeated over and over again, until authority figures and laymen alike understand: photography really isn’t a crime. Continue reading »

Beginning March 3, Prepare To Shell Out $15 For Verrazano, $2.75 For Subway

By on February 15, 2013  Featured story, Traffic & Transit
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.

VIDEO: NYPD Rescues Cargo Ship Captain Near Verrazano Bridge

By on February 4, 2013  News
Feb 042013
 

Last Tuesday the NYPD carried out the daring rescue of a cargo ship captain suffering from a heart attack, and the entire incident was caught on video, as reported by CBS 2.

The Grey Shark, a 330-foot commercial vessel, was anchored between the Verrazano Bridge and Staten Island Ferry Terminal – not far from Ambrose Anchorage, when its pilot Captain Aly Akl reportedly suffered a heart attack.

The NYPD rushed to the ship, which a medic then boarded in order to treat its skipper.

After Detective Robert Brager confirmed that Akl’s condition had stabilized, a decision was made to airlift him off the Grey Shark for medical treatment.

An NYPD helicopter on the scene lowered a rescue basket which was used to hoist Akl up, followed by Brager.

In the above video, courtesy of insideNYPD, you can see Akl being prepped for the rescue basket – which begins at around 41 seconds, with the actual airlift taking place at approximately 3:20.

Other police involved in the rescue include Det. Ralph Gaglioti, Sgt. John O’Hara, Officer Colin Woode, and Officer Christopher Maher.

Seen In Bay Ridge Weekender: Attractive Overpass

By on January 11, 2013  Seen In Photos
Jan 112013
 

Overpass Verrazano Gowanus Belt David Tan

When I first saw this photo – by the talented Mr. David Tan – and realized that it may be the single most attractive underside of a highway overpass ever seen, I imagined some rusticated voice chime in, “Best damn ramp in the state! Uh huh…”

I believe this little park/playground area, lying underneath the ramp connecting the Verrazano Bridge/Gowanus Expressway to the Belt Parkway, also made a brief cameo in the film Saturday Night Fever.

It was taken on December 15, 2012.

To gaze at more of David’s noteworthy negatives, please visit his blog at dtanlog.blogspot.com.

[UPDATED] Man Jumps Off Verrazano Bridge, Condition Unknown

By on January 7, 2013  News
Jan 072013
 
Subway fares and bridge tolls are going up in March 2013. (Photo credit: Brian Hedden)

Photo credit: Brian Hedden/Bay Ridge Odyssey

[UPDATE] 1/8/13 A Canarsie woman who wishes to remain anonymous reportedly came forward yesterday to Denise Romano at Home Reporter. The source allegedly identified the missing man as her daughter’s boyfriend.

Less than two days into the new year, a man was seen jumping from the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

The incident occurred at around 4 p.m. on Wednesday, January 2, when witnesses spotted a man stop his car in the right lane of the Staten Island-bound upper level at around the center of the span before leaping off, as reported by Denise Romano for Home Reporter.

The right lane of the upper level was closed for approximately one hour while NYPD Harbor Units and Emergency Services Units searched for the jumper. The man’s identity was not reported by media as it was not known at press time and his condition is likewise a mystery, as police have yet to recover a body.

According to Staten Island Advance, excluding Wednesday’s occurrence, “there have been five suicides on the bridge since December 2011, three thwarted attempts and one person who survived the jump.”

Local Republicans Blast MTA Verrazano Hike, Offer No Viable Alternatives

By on December 19, 2012  Traffic & Transit
Dec 192012
 
Gridlock-Sam-Fair-Plan

Even as New York City’s most accomplished traffic planner pushed for an overhaul of the region’s toll system, politicians opposed to a toll increase on the Verrazano Bridge have failed to take notice. (Source: Sam Schwartz via Streetsblog.org)

Today, as MTA board members approved a series of expected toll and fare hikes on subways, buses, commuter trains and bridges; a group of Republican state and federal legislators who represent Bay Ridge are making their disapproval known – particularly when it comes to toll increases on the Verrazano Bridge. Continue reading »

Seen In Bay Ridge Weekstarter: Verrazano Statehood Quarter

By on December 17, 2012  Seen In Photos
Dec 172012
 

Giovanni Da Verrazano Medallion

I think the medallion at the base of the Verrazano Bridge would make an excellent Statehood Quarter. It even comes with its own custom display board.

Flickr user wallyg, who has posted a similar picture, has the real history of the medallion, and the monument into which it has been incorporated: Continue reading »

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