Dear Michael Shinozaki: The Daily Invites You To Visit Reality

Visit reality with us, Michael. A virtual tour is the best we can do for now. But if you’re really interested in representing this community, not simply defending RIOC, we welcome you.

by David Stone

The Roosevelt Island Daily News

Visit Reality with Us, Michael

Your aside, questioning the accuracy of “bloggers” comments concerning PSD’s track record for Main Street safety, came back to me, last night. It was around 7:30. Here is what I saw at the poorly lit crosswalk leading into Blackwell Park.

Approaching the crosswalk, in less than one minute, I watched four eBikes race past the stop sign and through the crosswalk without pausing. Full disclosure: A fifth eBike passed by too. He didn’t run through the stop sign and the crosswalk because he was riding on the sidewalk. Worse yet, an eBike cut through the crosswalk at Riverwalk Commons while a man in a wheelchair was in it, leaving the disabled man cursing and the biker with a free pass from absent PSD.

What I don’t get is, if I can see these things every day without any effort, why can’t you or PSD?

One thing I didn’t see, walking from Good Shepherd Plaza to The Tram, was any sign of PSD on the job.

Then, I remembered your kissy-face agreement with Chief Kevin Brown that “You’re watching the crosswalks.” That came just before you attacked “bloggers” accuracy. Really, Michael. Which crosswalks?

Soon, Chief Brown griped about the “bloggers” making a big deal about three people being hit by cars on Main Street “in three years.” Correction: they were all in the final six months of last year. Chief Brown knows that. So, why not tell it like it is?

I wonder how the senior who was hit in September, injured badly enough that she’s still recovering, liked Chief Brown’s discounting the truth.

Let’s take a look, Michael…

Above is a video I shot in December at the Good Shepherd Plaza crosswalk. It starts well with one car stopping, but in just 20 seconds, two more and an eBike barely pause if at all. PSD headquarters is about 100 feet away, but it’s clear that no drivers anticipate any enforcement.

This is not atypical. Visit reality, once in a while. You’ll see it.

An eBiker running the Good Shepherd Plaza stop sign and crosswalk while a public safety officer socializes nearby.

Final Thoughts

Your staunch defense of a badly malfunctioning PSD was out of place anyway. You were rambling on, reacting to a comment about President/CEO Shelton Haynes’s failure to come up with a promised traffic safety plan. We understand, based on recent disclosures, that he’s busy, but what about…

Chief Brown’s promise – in September or October, 2020 – that he’d have officers on bicycle patrols as soon as they finished training. Was this a four year degree course in pedaling?
Promenade patrols that would keep eBikes and unauthorized vehicles out. I haven’t seen any, but I’ve seen eBikes and private cars.
Speed bumps Brown hilariously promised when he should have known they are illegal in the city. Strangely, nobody had complained about speeding. It’s the crosswalks, Kevin, the crosswalks put there to protect people on foot.

Visit reality, Michael. Join in with those of us who live here. Of course, that means discontinuing your practice of masking RIOC and Public Safety, but it would make you a better community contributor. That’s worth something, isn’t it?

Kick in a couple of bucks of support for The Daily. Thank you.