Friday, September 25, 2009

More wasteful street light spending

From the Daily News:

A $4.7 million project to replace 500 working street lamps in Flatbush with antique reproductions has flamed out with residents, who charge the new fixtures don't work as well as the old ones and cost nearly three times as much.

The antique lights, which are called bishop's crooks, cost about $10,000 to purchase and install. Standard streetlights cost about $4,000.

About 250 of the 500 antique lights have been installed since this spring on Ditmas Ave., Westminster Road and Beverly Road.

So far, most Flatbush residents haven't seen the light when it comes to the fancy new lamps.

"It's a beautiful thing, but they aren't very bright," said Murray Fink, 84, who added that the new lamps near his apartment on Westminster Road were swapped out this spring. "On the corner, they need [the old lamps]."

Drivers are also irked by new fixtures: Traffic signs on the new lights are hung about 2 feet higher than on standard poles because of their design.

"The parking signs are too high," said Ronald Joseph, a teacher who parks near his Ditmas Park apartment. "They're hard to see."

Residents also said buckling sidewalks and potholes should be tended to before paying for the fancy new lights.

9 comments:

-Joe said...

These are along Myrtle ave in Glendale. I think they look great and are worth every penny

Anonymous said...

They do look great. But the people there want their money spent on other priorities. Remember when elected officials actually spent money on the things people wanted and needed?

Anonymous said...

I think that schools, hospitals and public safety, etc. are far more important, at least for the moment, than indulging local business improvement districts with money for eye candy fluff at taxpayers' expense.

These tony lamp posts are surely shedding a new light on wasteful spending during a financial crisis and the continuing corruption rampant in NYC.

As if you can eliminate the root cause of neighborhood problems by prettying up the street scape!

Let's put an end to discretionary (slush) funds...NOW!

Joe said...

Spend $$ on Schools to babysit children of Illegal foreign nationals?
Those kids are all wild, disruptive; most have 1 parent and people in the household who are worthless trash. These kids can not be taught anything its genetic thing from these 3rd world countries. All they want to do is screw or get drunk one puberty set’s in
The crazy mayor knows this fact (The 1 dam thing he’s got right) that’s why he has no use for teachers.

I’m already been paying for these people & brat offspring by owning a house in Ridgewood 24. It’s nice to get something back that helps cancel out the F_ mess that’s been made and things I have to look at.

Anybody taken a ride or down Grand Ave lately? All you see is Trucks, Bodegas and single moms pushing 2+ baby carriges with 2 or more kids in tow.
-UNITED STATES BOOTDELLO !!

Anonymous said...

What does this streetlight project have to do with the slush fund scandal? I can't stand the endless regurgitation of rhetoric on this shitty blog.

They don't do improvements, you moan. They do improvements, they're not right ones - you moan more.

Queens Crapper said...

No one on this blog ever cried out for fancy street lamps.

"I can't stand the endless regurgitation of rhetoric on this shitty blog."

Then why on earth do you come here? Why torture yourself?

Bye, troll.

Anonymous said...

Crapper is right- just don't read this blog- plain and simple.

But the silly name calling (troll, etc...) is really unnecessary Crapper.

Lets stick to the issues, huh? Enough with the "troll" comments and silly racist nonsense.

I want OVERDEVELOPMENT info!

Anonymous said...

What you call "silly racist nonsense" is what we call reality.

You can't have a discussion about overdevelopment without discussing the rampant illegal immigration that the USA allows and Bloomberg encourages.

Anonymous said...

Wish they would come to Corde Meyer in FH...We have a few great old police/fire call stations (poles) and the new (antique) fixtures would fit the character of the neighborhood. The silver bare monstosities take away from the neighborhood, and for some reason invite grafitti. 108th street next stop please !!

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