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.
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?
More from the Roosevelt Island Daily News
- Tuesday’s PSD blotter: noise calls, a harassment reportRIOC’s Nov. 10 PSD blotter lists 15 incidents, all on Main Street, including four noise complaints, a harassment report and one hospital transport.
- Queens Public Library Ransomware Attack: Digital Services Still DisruptedThe Queens Public Library ransomware attack continues to disrupt public computers, digital books and online services, with no confirmed restoration date.
- A new RIOC appeals officer denied records on how its general counsel was hiredA different RIOC appeals officer denied records on how RIOC hired general counsel Lance Polivy. RIOC’s internal deliberations on the hire stay withheld.
- Monday’s PSD blotter: two hospital transports, two disputesRIOC’s Nov. 9 PSD blotter lists 14 incidents, including four aided calls with two hospital transports and a verbal dispute at 750 Main Street that drew FDNY.
- Flushing Spa Murder: Man Charged After Woman Found Stabbed to DeathFlushing spa murder investigation leads to a murder charge against a 54-year-old man after a woman was found fatally stabbed in a Queens storefront.
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