Elmhurst-Jackson Heights cell phone thief on the loose

From PIX11:

Police are searching for an elusive thief who travels by bike and has stolen 11 cellphones over the past month.

Flag burners run away from flag protectors

Daily News photo

From the NY Post:

Nothing says “rebel” quite like being saved from a pummeling by the men and women you’re protesting against.

The anti-cop group “Disarm NYPD” staged a pre-Fourth of July flag-burning Wednesday night in Fort Greene Park — but the protesters’ plans went up in smoke when a group of furious bikers moved in to teach them a lesson.

The activists had publicized the event as a response to “systemic racism” in NYPD policies. They originally intended to burn a Confederate flag to (somehow) make that point, then changed their minds, opting instead to light up Old Glory. “We maintain, unwaveringly, that both the Confederate flag and the American flag are symbols of oppression,” the group announced.

But when the handful of protesters arrived at the park, they were met by dozens of counter-protesters equipped with water guns.

Then members of the Hallowed Sons Motorcycle Club lit into the flag-burners — at which point New York’s Finest came to the rescue, sheltering the protesters and escorting them safely out of the park.

Julissa in damage control mode

From a city newspaper:

Queens City Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras called for an investigation of her district office manager Monday after a blog linked the staffer to a Facebook page to raise money for a motorcyclist charged with attacking Manhattan father Alexian Lien.

The staffer, Ivettelis Rodriguez, is part of a motorcycle group that is trying to spring Robert Sims from jail, a Queens blog reported. “I am deeply disappointed with the behavior my staffer, Ivettelis Rodriguez, has exhibited,” Ferreras, a Democrat, told the Daily News through a spokeswoman, adding that she is “working with the City Council to launch a full investigation.”

Why is an investigation necessary? It's quite obvious that she did this on taxpayer time. But even if it wasn't, there was no mercy shown to a deputy press aide for Scott Stringer who had the audacity to criticize the president on Facebook, so why should Ms. Rodriguez be shown any for supporting biker thugs?

She must have a shitload of dirt on Ferreras!

From another city paper:

“I am deeply disappointed with the behavior of my staffer, Ivettelis Rodriguez,” [Ferreras] said. “Her statements are not in any way indicative of my beliefs nor is it an accurate reflection of the high standards of personal conduct to which I hold my staff.”

But Rodriguez told The Post that someone copied a message onto her Facebook page through the “tag” function and that she doesn’t support Sims in any way.

“I just didn’t take it [the posting] down fast enough,” she said. “I don’t support him, I don’t even know him, I’ve never met him.”

Actually, the screenshot proves that your husband posted it to your misguided biker page, so don't blame "tagging".

I also find it quite hilarious that daily papers that plaster double entendre headlines and photos of half-naked women on their front covers on a semi-regular basis have problems crediting a blog called "Queens Crap" as their source. Or even just providing a link back to the original post in the web versions of their stories. You know things are bad when 2 of the big three are ripping off little old me. What the hell happened to journalism?

Julissa Ferreras' District Office Manager is a rogue biker chick

"Do you know the Council Woman Julissa Ferreras of the 21st district? Her district office manager is trying to raise money to get Robert Sims released from jail - the same Robert Sims that attacked Alexian Lien !!

Her district manager's real name is Ivettelis Rodriguez. These screen shots are from her secret biker page which was taken down ten minutes after I called their office raising hell as to why they were raising money to get this criminal out of jail!








Another bit of info: Craig Wright was also arrested for attacking Lien. Please read the sixth comment !!!



Proof they attacked the Range Rover, that's why Lien freaked out and took off!

Oh, BTW, "Untamed Ryderz Stickey Prez" is the husband of Ivettelis Rodriguez! Her page was Bandolera Ryderz Ldysticky Pro." - anonymous









Wow, so you're in a biker gang in your spare time, and you post pictures of yourself working for the City Council on the gang's Facebook page while you're at work? What brainpower!

Isn't it sad that Julissa can't seem to find relocation for her constituents at Willets Point, but she can find a job for a person like this?

Bicyclists need babysitters

From the Daily News:

Safety officers installed on three city bridges to keep the peace between cyclists and pedestrians will cost taxpayers about $80,000 a month, officials said Tuesday.

The program, which started Monday and is slated to end Nov.26 - but could return in the spring - has drawn mixed reviews from bridge users and advocates.

The $38-an-hour "pedestrian managers" have been assigned to the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges and told to educate users about the rules of the road. The workers, employed by Sam Schwartz Engineering, can't give out tickets or physically interfere, they said.

At the Manhattan Bridge, they are stationed at on-ramps to make sure cyclists and pedestrians use their designated sides.

On the Brooklyn Bridge, they took up position on the white line separating the two narrow lanes, trying to stop tourists from blindly walking into fast-moving bikes.

From CBS New York:

Two Hunter College professors have produced a study that shows roughly 1,000 pedestrians are struck by bicycle riders each year state-wide. Half of those are in New York City.

The authors of the study only counted pedestrians who were hospitalized after being struck. The authors believe, therefore, more than 1,000 people in New York are hit by bicycles each year.

The study didn’t count the number of bicyclists who were injured.

Bridge biking still a menace

From the Daily News:

Nine days ago, we published an open letter to Sadik-Khan pointing out what was going on. That provoked uproar among cycling activists who contended that we had labored under a misimpression and invited us to visit again.

We did so and discovered that Sadik-Khan had sent staff to the bridge to prevent cyclists from entering the walkway. Her office said that such vigilance is common. Hmmm, we thought, and returned unannounced.

During the evening rush of 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, at least 74 bikers zipped along the pedestrian side of the bridge, which, due to the presence of construction sheds, is narrowed to less than 50 inches in places.

At the peak of the evening commute, at 5:45, about 40 bikers invaded the pedestrian lane, overwhelming the dozen or so walkers.

The transgressors were young and old, tourists from Asia and hipsters from Bushwick. They were united in breaking the rules and nearly doubled the number of pedestrians who used their own lane during the entire 90-minute period.

We asked a biker why he violated posted signs. He answered, "It's easier," than using the DOT-mandated route that will be in place until construction is complete, probably in January.

Oh, and it turns out those polls that showed NYers are overwhelmingly in favor of bike lanes were bogus.

Why bike advocates are not taken seriously

From Bayside Patch:

Queens Civic Congress Vice President Dave Kulick caused the raising of some eyebrows—and voices—when he stated on Monday night at the group’s Transportation Forum that “anyone” could ride a bike from Queens to Manhattan.

Kulick spoke in support of Transportation Alternatives, a group invited to the forum with representatives of the Department of Transportation and MTA.

“I understand that you’re biker fanatics. We can’t ride [bikes] into the city every day,” Glen Oaks Village President Bob Friedrich told Budnik.

“I do it every day,” said Kulick, adding, “Anyone can.”

“No, I can’t,” shouted back Janice Schreibersdorf—answered back by Kulick with “yes you can.”

“You don’t know my life,” said Schreibersdorf, “Don’t get on your high horse. I’m lucky I can cross the street some days.”

“I’m not superman. I’m almost sixty years old,” said Kulick. Though Schreibersdorf‘s physical impediment was not apparent, there was at least one wheelchair—bound woman present at the meeting.

Ok, so advocating that more people bike is fine. Advocating that everyone bike is unrealistic. And the MTA needs money, so it's also counterproductive.

Bikeholes prove they aren't environmentally friendly

From the NY Post:

A nonprofit group that espouses cycling as an eco-friendly substitute to cars in the city is not so friendly to trees -- faxing thousands of sheets of paper opposing a bike-registration proposal to the city councilman behind the push.

City Councilman Eric Ulrich said he got the reams of faxes from Transportation Alternatives, accusing him of a "hateful attack against every New Yorker who owns a bike now or might ride in the future."

The Queens Republican called it a tremendous waste of paper -- especially from a group that considers itself environmentally friendly.

"Transportation Alternatives promotes itself as a champion of environmentally friendly causes, yet they inundated my office with 4,840 paper faxes -- 99 percent of which came from people who don't even live in my district," Ulrich said. "These kinds of tactics are anything but 'green' -- they're just wasteful."

Bikers upset about proposed licensing

From the NY Post:

In a bid to rein in rogue cyclists, all adult pedal pushers in the city will be required to get an ID tag affixed to their bikes if a city councilman has his way, The Post has learned.

Eric Ulrich (R-Queens) says he is floating the proposal -- which would require a small fee -- because "there seems to be a double standard when it comes to enforcing the traffic laws. Bicycles are involved in accidents, unfortunately, across this city."

Ulrich says that many of his constituents are seniors and that "people on bicycles scare the hell out of them. Sometimes they can be an intimidating presence on the city streets."

Cycling advocacy groups said they'd lobby against the idea.

"We're adamantly opposed to any legislation that would require licensing or registration of bicycles," said Kim Martineau, a spokeswoman for Transportation Alternatives. ". . .[T]he deterrent effect it would have on cycling would be enormous."

Why would it have a deterrent effect on cycling? Because bikers would have to take responsibility for their actions? Because hit-and-run with an injury is a crime? Or is it the fee they oppose? I thought their mantra all these years was that if you want to use the roads, bridges, park, etc. you should expect to pay a fee. Why should they be exempt?

Better bike-pedestrian accident reporting

From CBS:

Pedestrians hit and injured by bicycle riders – it’s a statistic that no one kept. However, after CBS 2 exposed the gap in record-keeping, New York City is moving to fill in the blanks.

In a city where pedestrians and bike riders are clashing, some advocates say something is missing in the debate – reliable injury data.

As CBS 2 revealed in our “Bike Bedlam” reports, New York City hasn’t been collecting data on the number of pedestrians injured by bike riders.

...the state has agreed to use motor vehicle accident forms to finally document accidents between bike riders and pedestrians.

The data collection won’t begin until next April, and the numbers won’t be crunched for months after that, even as the city moves forward with plans to build miles of additional dedicated bike lanes.

While the city and state work to start collecting the injury data, bike safety advocates are working with hospitals to document the problem using emergency room reports.

I was under the impression that motor vehicle accident reports were already filled out by police in the event of a collision between a cyclist and a pedestrian. Is this not the case?

Bicycles on sidewalks a big problem

From the NY Post:

Freewheeling food deliverymen are giving Upper West Siders indigestion, riding their bikes illegally on sidewalks and mowing down pedestrians who get in their way, residents griped yesterday.

"I've almost gotten hit a bunch of times. Out of nowhere they'll come flying," said Stewart Marvin, 50, a marketing consultant. "They have a total disregard for safety."

The problem has become so rampant that members of Community Board 7 are threatening to withhold their much-needed support for sidewalk and liquor-license renewals to restaurants with menacing cyclists who ignore bike-safety measures.

The Department of Transportation mandates that commercial cyclists display business names and phone numbers prominently on their shirts and carry ID cards with the business name.

Restaurant owners are asked to keep a log of deliverymen and trips, and to post signs with safety procedures.

Board manager Penny Ryan said the problem has been brewing "for a long time . . . We've been getting complaints from pedestrians that a delivery bicyclist came near them or hit them."

Dena Berlin, 55, a pediatric nurse, said she "got hit by a bike only last week. He came out of nowhere, whizzing by so quickly.

"They're out all hours of the day and night, and they don't abide by any of the rules. They're so reckless."

Ryan blames the increase in bicycles on takeout habits in the city. "If you live anywhere where there's deliverymen, you know what I'm talking about," she said.

Also from the Post:

Bikers get away with murder, and it's worse since Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan made clear the city's priorities are with them, not with pedestrians or motorists.

Her "pedestrian plazas" are mainly loitering grounds for tourists.

Her bike lanes have taken away precious parking spaces all over town. Except, that is, on East 79th Street: I've yet to see a lane in front of Mayor Bloomberg's house, even though the street, a gateway to Central Park, would seem to be a prime candidate.

While CB 7 wants restaurants to "enforce" DOT rules for bike deliverers, the whole mess is mostly the DOT's fault.

By promoting mass bicycle ridership in a city singularly unsuited for it, and by shoving aside opposition to ill-conceived bike lanes, the agency effectively authorized all bikers to laugh at the DOT's own rules.

Cops got the message. They wink at cyclists who ride on sidewalks, speed, run red lights and go the wrong way on one-way streets. Officers I've alerted to maniacs who nearly ran me down showed no interest.

Are they lazy -- or has Bloomberg so empowered Sadik-Khan even Ray Kelly's afraid of her?

The real story about our trendy bike culture

I suggest you all read this great series by Restless.

[ NYC Bike Myths - Intro ]
[ NYC Bike Myth 1 - Increased bike use is good for everyone in NYC ]
[ NYC Bike Myth 2 - Bikers will stick to bike infrastructure, and if drivers and pedestrians behave too, we can weave a nice orderly bike network into the city. ]
[ NYC Bike Myth 3 - NYC bikers deserve special treatment because they're good for the environment. ]

AMEN.

City not being straight with motorcycle club

From the Times Ledger:

History sure seems to repeat itself for the Queensboro Motorcycle Club.

The biker group was unceremoniously uprooted from its original clubhouse among the old ash heaps of central Queens in 1939 to make way for the creation of Flushing Meadows Corona Park in time for that year’s World’s Fair, according to Bill Goldstein, the club’s president.

The resilient club, which turns 100 this year, was never compensated for its property, Goldstein said, but it pushed on and eventually found a new slice of Queens in Willets Point, where members built a modest clubhouse behind a chain-link fence between two warehouses on 34th Avenue.

But time and the inattention of city officials took its toll on their new digs, and the Iron Triangle turned from bad to worse as the years passed. And it looks like the Queensboro riders may be rolling into the sunset once again.

The city never installed sewers, running water, sidewalks or other urban amenities in Willets Point and the 62-acre section of land is in a new administration’s sights.

The plans for Willets Point leave the bikers in a lurch as they attempt to continue their gatherings, rides and community service activities from a point with an uncertain future. Goldstein said the club pays $4,000 a year in taxes and he asks only that the city tell them what will become of them in coming years.

“We understand that this is an area of contention and that no one wants to breathe a word about it,” he said over sodas in the club’s wood-paneled meeting room. “But we pay $4 grand a year and we get nothing for it. We get no road repair, no sidewalks, no streetlights, there’s no sanitation. This place is an absolute pigsty.”

Or, as club member James Frost put it last week, “it looks like Beirut now.”

Years of unattended potholes and ruts have turned the roads of Willets Point into a minefield for motorcyclists, and earlier this month a member of the club slowly riding to the clubhouse hit a nearby pothole, sustained minor injuries and damaged his bike, according to club members.

The state of disrepair has reached a breaking point, members said, and member Jan Borodo has been compiling a file of the club’s repeated requests for repairs. Borodo has a file with dozens of copies of documents he has sent to Bloomberg’s office, the city Department of Transportation, 311, Community Board 7 and a number of news outlets in hopes of getting basic repairs done — all of which have yielded little or no results.

The group’s members said they do not want to fight the city — they only want to know what lies ahead. Goldstein said the group is willing to take a fair relocation deal or to stay if the city makes improvements.