Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/62990

This weekend begins the intensive work on the Sandy-ravaged tunnel on the R and (late night) N line connecting Court Street station to Whitehall Street in lower Manhattan, scheduled to last until October of 2014. On weekends (presumably this means from 11:30 p.m. Friday and 5:00 a.m. Monday) and late at night (again presumably 11:30 to 5:00) Monday to Friday, the trains will run in both directions on the Q line over the Manhattan Bridge between DeKalb Avenue in Brooklyn and Canal Street in Manhattan. On weekdays (presumably from 5:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.) R trains will run between Court Street and 95th Street in Bay Ridge in both directions. They will also run between Whitehall Street in Manhattan and all points north in Manhattan and Queens.

There are no other planned diversions or cancellations directly affecting service at any local stations this coming weekend or the following week. For planned service changes, including skipped stations, that may affect your travel plans on other parts of the system, please consult MTA Info or The Weekender.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/61431

New York Times writer Gina Bellafante writes about her experience with Citi Bike Share and it wasn’t totally awesome.

NYT: In light of these declaimed absurdities, I became determined to embrace bike sharing after having had reservations, not about the concept itself, but about its execution. Last week I set out for an inaugural ride with the goal of getting from Brooklyn Heights, where there are 10 Citi Bike kiosks (so many that it seems clear that Citibank pushed to have the heaviest presence in the most affluent neighborhoods to maximize promotion) to Pike and Monroe Streets in Lower Manhattan. There, in front of the Rutgers Houses, the Transportation Department was fitting people for free bike helmets, something it will continue to do in front of Housing Authority properties all summer. The idea was to get some sense of how low-income New Yorkers were responding to the bike-sharing program and how well it might serve them.

When I went to retrieve a bike at Clark Street, there was a problem with dislodgment; none of the various codes I entered managed to release a bike. It took eight calls to the help line to get to the automated voice system and ultimately to a human being. At this point I was running late and decided to take a cab to Manhattan and return home using a bike from the Pike and Monroe kiosk. As it happened, I had to ride back to Brooklyn from another station because that kiosk was shielded with blue tape, and none of the bikes was usable.

In April, Brooklyn Spoke looked at Bellafante’s earlier critiques of the program.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/59880

Brooklyn Heights resident/NYC TLC commish David Yassky spoke to NY1 this week about the go ahead for the plan to bring hail cabs to outer boroughs. And the cabs will be painted green(sky). Watch the video here.

New borough taxis – WNYC PHOTO

WNYC: In a decision issued Thursday, the state’s Court of Appeals reversed a previous decision by the State Supreme Court which had brought the city’s plans to a screeching halt.

Under the new ruling, the city can now issue up to 18,000 ‘hail licenses’ to livery drivers. In addition, the city will sell 2,000 new medallions for wheelchair-accessible yellow taxicabs. The city has said that auction could generate $1 billion in revenue.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/59867

London’s Bike Share czar, Nick Aldworth, has some advice for New Yorkers on both sides of the Citi Bike Share scheme. Streetsblog reports on Animal New York’s interview:

Streetsblog: Citi Bike’s first days have seen some technical problems with glitchy docks and stations, and some distribution problems — early reports suggest that Midtown tends to have pronounced bike shortages at times. Aldworth says London is no stranger to the occasional un-docked Barclays bike, and that the greater challenge is managing the distribution.

“Redistribution is the key,” he says. “Once you have thousands of thousands of people cycling around, I think the negativity will quickly go away, but that challenge of redistribution won’t.”

Cobble Hill currently does not have Citi Bike docking stations, but suggestions are being taken now for future builds. Where would you put them?

Source: Cobble Hill Blog
http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/8732

This dispatch just in from the Cobble Hill Association about a new traffic signal coming to the neighborhood:

CHA: Every day, scores of local residents cross Court street where there is a ADA accesible curb cut but no pedestrian signalization. As part of the Court Street corridor improvement plan which the Cobble Hill Association advocated for last year, a new crosswalk will remedy this danger and bring a signalized intersection to the pictured spot where Bergen becomes Congress Street. Latest word is that the safety enhancements should be installed by early summer, but fortunately you can already see the gray metal box in the ground which will soon house pedestrian signals. It’s a small but significant improvement and one we are thankful to the Department of Transportation for taking action upon our request.

Source: Cobble Hill Blog
http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/8690

After so much whooping and hollering from all sides all sides, the Citi Bike Share program officially launched today, as evidenced by this pic along Hicks at Montague streets—where the newly filled racks extend from the corner at Heights Cafe to J. McLaughlin.

NYC Mayor Bloomberg and Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan christened the beginning of program at a docking station near the Brooklyn Bridge Monday morning. Bike-share launches with 6,000 bikes at 330 docking stations in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Some reports claim 9,000 people have signed up for the program so far.

And the reactions from all over the city are trickling in:

News: Well, that was fast! First Citi Bike cycle stolen: The bike-share program rode into trouble last night b… tinyurl.com/nubqwlh

— New York Post (@new_york_post) May 27, 2013

I predict CitiBike will be a success in Brownstone Brooklyn, judging by this station in Ft. Greene. twitter.com/OrenNYDN/statu…

— Oren Yaniv (@OrenNYDN) May 27, 2013

Don’t worry guys, I just Chased the first Citi Bike I saw back to the Financial District (Manhattan) #Brooklyn

— Dan Meller (@Dan_Meller) May 27, 2013

Took #citibike from Williamsburg to Brooklyn Heights. Nothing but smiles from everyone we passed. #bikenyc

— Lisa Soverino (@lisasoverino) May 27, 2013

@lpolgreen I rode in from Brooklyn this morning on a CitiBike. It was great! Though I had to divide the trip, so as not to face charge!

— Andrea Kannapell(@AKannapell) May 27, 2013

Sean @311nyc was great. Filed complaint against #citibike rider who almost hit my baby stroller riding wrong way on 1-way street.

— David Bressler (@djbressler) May 27, 2013

The only two conversations NewYorkers are having today – opinion and info on CitiBike or how amazing this weather is and how to be outside

— Lauren Manning (@lmanningdesign) May 27, 2013

First #citibike ride: flawless 19-min ride from Williamsburg to Alphabet City. Took 2 tries to dock my bike. Saw lots of others out there!

— Chris O’Leary (@ohhleary) May 27, 2013

“It is illegal to ride with both headphones on.” Lets have be first citation! #citibike twitter.com/skift/status/3…

— Skift (@skift) May 27, 2013

Findings suggest that bike accident rates won’t soar, even if the Citi Bike program becomes as popular as many predict. theatlanticcities.com/commute/2012/0…

— Thomas Le Ngo (@thomaslengo) May 23, 2012

Can’t wait to be a #citibike accident statistic. My bet? It happens with a tourist who stops mid-street to take a pic of an unimportant bldg

— Sabrina Zahran (@Sabrinaazah) May 24, 2013

How long before a clueless #CitiBike tourist gets hit by a car?

— David Stehle (@davidstehle) May 27, 2013

Citibike or citideath! You decide. Literally 45 seconds after getting on I hit a metal plate when… instagram.com/p/Z0oDMpoZPC/

— Tom Arthur (@tomarthur) May 27, 2013

Clinton Hill Resident Fights Citi Bike With Art bit.ly/10vQRkj #Occupy #OWS #occupywallstreet #OccupyHQ #GrassRoots

— OccupyHQ (@HQOccupy) May 27, 2013

The citibike is like a visual metaphor for the banks dominating NYC

— Keegan (@KeeBro) May 27, 2013

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/59350

As Downtown Brooklyn’s population continues to grow, a new report suggests that public transportation in the surrounding neighborhoods—including Brooklyn Heights—is falling behind as congestion mounts. On Tuesday, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, Councilwoman Letitia James and three local civic groups released the “Brooklyn gateway transportation vision,” which argues for congestion pricing, residential parking permits, more bike lanes, bike-share stations and more rapid-bus service.

Website Capital quotes the report: “Existing traffic and parking congestion, demands on transit service and dangerous roads for cyclists and pedestrians already pose hurdles for residents, businesses and the environment. The opening of Barclays Center in September 2012 has further compounded these challenges. The lack of a comprehensive and satisfactory transportation demand management plan from the Department of Transportation and developer of Atlantic Yards” stands to further complicate the area’s potentially stifling congestion.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/52846

Subway service on the R train from Brooklyn Heights may not be returning before the end of the year. According to MTA in the New York Daily News, “The line’s Montague Street Tunnel, which connects Brooklyn and Manhattan, saw more flooding than any of the eight subway tubes inundated by superstorm Sandy.”

In addition, “Water from an unprecedented sea surge cascaded down a tunnel ventilation shaft at the southern tip of Manhattan, and it rushed down the stairs of the Whitehall St./South Ferry station. The volume of water in the tunnel was so great it extended up a steep incline into Brooklyn Heights, about four blocks from the riverbank. It stopped about 500 feet from Court Street station.”

MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota says, “That’s a long distance and the water was floor to ceiling. “The tunnel and the equipment was severely damaged.” NYC Transit President Thomas Prendergast said it will probably take at least two or three weeks to repair and replace signals, signal relays and other equipment. (Photo: The Brooklyn Paper)

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51893

An article in Time titled “New York Transit System’s Openness about Sandy Recovery Makes New Yorkers Hate Them Less,” posted November 8, discusses MTA’s clean-up efforts following Hurricane Sandy, including 15 dramatic video clips uploaded in the past week showing their ongoing efforts.

Relevant to Brooklyn Heights: “The Montague Street Tunnel, which brings the R train under the river between Brooklyn Heights and Manhattan’s Battery Park, was inundated by millions of gallons of water and is still being dried out.” The L train, as we know, is also still AWOL… Sigh… One at a time.

The piece concludes, “The MTA is keeping commuters updated on every movement via YouTube and social media. It’s all very 21st century for a transit system with its roots in the 19th century. Fixing these problems has required bringing in powerful machinery—not to mention an Army Corps of Engineers ‘dewatering’ team from Illinois—as well of thousands of hours of overtime work by MTA employees. And riders, inconvenienced or not, are gaining a modicum of respect for the authority that is normally among the most hated-on in New York City.”

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51713

The MTA announced this morning that the G train has returned, albeit with “with extended waits between trains due to ongoing signal repairs,” according to Curbed. The train will have eight cars, up from its usual four, so it’s actually the size of a regular train. It is running between Court Square and Church Avenue.

City Council Member Steve Levin, whose district includes Greenpoint and parts of the waterfront stretching from Williamsburg to Brooklyn Heights and into Park Slope, raised sand Monday that G and L subway service had not yet returned following Hurricane Sandy. He told The New York Observer, “Commuters along the G-train deserve the same service and respect that other lines get. And the same goes for the L-train.”

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51481

City Council Member Steve Levin, whose district includes Brooklyn Heights, is fuming that MTA has not yet restored G and L subway service following Hurricane Sandy. He tells The New York Observer, “Commuters along the G-train deserve the same service and respect that other lines get. And the same goes for the L-train.”

MTA has responded that fixing those lines is “our highest priority,” although it does not expect to restore service until some time this coming week, making these the last lines to resume even partial service.

“What I expect them to do is provide the fullest service possible,” Levin adds. “I expect that my constituents are treated the same as subway riders in every other neighborhood. It is a critical part of the city’s economy.” Levin represents Greenpoint and parts of the waterfront stretching from Williamsburg to Brooklyn Heights and into Park Slope. He is calling for shuttle bus service to help replace the absent trains.

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz does not fully agree with Levin’s viewpoint. He says in the story, “The MTA has done a remarkable job of restoring more than 80% of the system under very difficult conditions, and making sure Brooklynites have as many transportation options to and from Manhattan, such as the bus bridge,” according to spokesman Mark Zustovich said. “Additionally, while we understand that the L line is heavily used, restoration of the J train provides at least some service close to Williamsburg and other areas served by the L.”

See more from the Observer story here.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51294

Service to and from Manhattan, as well as into Brooklyn, has been restored on the 2 and 3 line at Clark Street and Borough Hall, and on the F line at Jay Street/Metro Tech and at York Street in DUMBO. So, counting the 4/5 line at Borough Hall, there are now three options for Manhattan service from local stations. There is still no Manhattan service on the A/C line at High Street or Jay Street, or on the R/N line at Court Street or Jay Street. Service on the G train remains suspended.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51259

MTA is advising that as of Saturday, subway service has been restored between the Bronx and Brooklyn on the entire Lexington Avenue 4/5/6 route. For Brooklyn Heights, that means 4/5 trains are again running from Borough Hall into Manhattan. See updated Hurricane Recovery map here. (Photo: CT)

In addition, MTA sent a Tweet that the 2/3 line is also expected to return over the weekend. Of course, that links Brooklyn Heights to Manhattan at both Clark Street and Borough Hall. As well, D, F, M and J trains are supposed to resume service into Brooklyn this weekend. The No. 7 line has been restored from Midtown into Queens.

Wall Street Journal: “New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Saturday that 80% of service in the New York City subway system has been restored, including critical under-river connections between Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.”

MTA says some East River tubes will remain flooded through at least Monday. South Ferry and the washed-out A in the Rockaways will remain out of service indefinitely. PATH service between New York and New Jersey also suspended indefinitely.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51132

The U.K. Guardian: “At noon Friday the line for gas at the Shell station [on Atlantic Avenue] in Brooklyn Heights weaved around three blocks and stretched back for half a mile. ‘I’ve been here two and a half hours,’ said Brian Temporosa. ‘I’ve been empty for probably two days now. Luckily I haven’t run out yet but if I’m here for another 15 minutes, then yeah, I might.’ Krystyne Todaro traveled a quarter of a mile to the Shell station in two and a half hours. ‘This is the worst of what I’ve had to deal with so far, so I’m OK. It is what it is,’ she said. (Photo: Wayne, N.J., Flickr/Bbop18)

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51167

MTA is advising that as of Saturday, subway service has been restored between the Bronx and Brooklyn on the entire Lexington Avenue 4/5/6 route. For Brooklyn Heights, this means that 4/5 trains are again running from Borough Hall into Manhattan. See updated Hurricane Recovery map here.

In addition, MTA sent a Twitter message that the 2/3 line is also expected to return over the weekend. Of course, that links Brooklyn Heights to Manhattan at both Clark Street and Borough Hall.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51132

Columbia Heightster offers this helpful comment in our Transportation Drama Open Thread: “I made it to midtown via the East River Ferry. There’s no schedule, just a continuous circulation of boats. From DUMBO, it first goes south to Wall Street, then up to North Williamsburg. At North Williamsburg, there is a free transfer to a different boat that takes you to 34th St. Door to door was about 1hr 30min, but it was organized & civilized. $4 each way, free transfer. Sounds like a much better option than the Bridge Buses.”

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51055

Grocery stores in Brooklyn Heights were restocking perishable items as of Friday morning, as trucks began making their way back to the neighborhood at 7 a.m. Key Food management at 102 Montague Street told BHB early this morning that fresh fruits, milk, bread and meat are returning to the shelves, with night crews working overtime to stock. The biggest challenge, he said, remains trucks being able to find gas to deliver groceries to the neighborhood. For the time being, the store’s hours remain 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Atlantic Avenue’s Key Food was also fairly well stocked Thursday night, although those same perishable items remained AWOL. Ditto for Trader Joe’s, where the lines were—for once—almost non-existent. A stop by Garden of Eden at 180 Montague Friday morning reveals a similar situation. We haven’t made it to Gristedes yet. (CT)

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51018

The MTA and New York City Department of Transportation have established three routes for bus bridge service and bus priority lanes from three Brooklyn locations to Midtown Manhattan. Starting at 6 a.m., and operating 24 hours a day until further notice, shuttle buses will travel to and from subway stations at Atlantic Avenue, Jay Street and Hewes Street.

The Atlantic Avenue and Jay Street routes will operate via a new, two-way bus lane across the Manhattan Bridge and into Manhattan via bus-priority lanes on Bowery and 3rd Avenue, making stops at major cross streets up to 55th Street in the inbound direction, and via bus-priority lanes on Lexington Avenue, 23rd Street, and 3rd Avenue and Bowery in the outbound direction.

The shuttle bus from Hewes Street will operate over the Williamsburg Bridge and Delancey Street, then via Bowery and 3rd Avenue up to 55th Street before returning downtown via Lexington Avenue, 23rd Street, 3rd Avenue and Bowery.

Thursday’s limited service at the Barclays Center location was apparently a grand fiasco, according to Gothamist, as seen in the pic above and below. Read more here.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/50978

Now this is genius… MTA has released an up to-the-minute map that shows which subway lines will be operating beginning Thursday, November 1. No lines are making stops below 42nd Street, while, as you’ll see, unfortunately, there’s no service yet connecting Brooklyn Heights with Manhattan. Info about transit options connecting buses from Jay Street to NYC are in the post below here. Hold onto this link: The map will be updated daily as more subway lines are deemed safe and available for public access.

See full map below, along with a line-by-line subway & bus update from Montague Street BID. (Just added a nifty widget from the MTA, after the jump.)

Brooklyn subway service will be as follows:
2 — No service in Brooklyn
3 — No service in Brooklyn
4 — Borough Hall-New Lots Av (Local)
5 — Atlantic Av/Barclays Center-Flatbush Av (Express)
A — Jay St/MetroTech-Lefferts Blvd (Local)
B — No Service
C — No Service (See A service above)
D — Atlantic Av/Barclays Center-Bay Pkwy (Express Pacific – 36 St)
F — Jay St/MetroTech-Av X (Local)
G — No Service
L — Broadway Junction-Rockaway Pkwy (Local)
M — Myrtle Av/Broadway-Metropolitan Av (Shuttle)
Q — No Service
R — Jay St/MetroTech-95 St (Local)
S Franklin Avenue Shuttle — No Service
S Rockaway Park Shuttle — No Service

Shuttle buses:
All buses run north on 3rd Av and south on Lexington Ave.
Atlantic Ave/Barclays Center to 57 St/Lexington Ave via Manhattan Bridge
Jay St/MetroTech to 57 St/Lexington Ave via Manhattan Bridge
Hewes St to 57 St/Lexington Ave via Williamsburg Bridge

Try this handy widget from the MTA. – Homer

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/50874

Now this is genius… MTA has released an up to-the-minute map that shows which subway lines will be operating beginning Thursday, November 1. No lines are making stops below 42nd Street, while, as you’ll also see, unfortunately, there is no service yet connecting Brooklyn Heights with Manhattan. Info about transit options connecting buses from Jay Street to NYC are in the post below here. Hold onto this link: The map will be updated daily as more subway lines are deemed safe and available for public access.

See full map below, along with a line-by-line subway & bus update from Montague Street BID. (Just added a nifty widget from the MTA, after the jump.)

Brooklyn subway service will be as follows:
2 — No service in Brooklyn
3 — No service in Brooklyn
4 — Borough Hall-New Lots Av (Local)
5 — Atlantic Av/Barclays Center-Flatbush Av (Express)
A — Jay St/MetroTech-Lefferts Blvd (Local)
B — No Service
C — No Service (See A service above)
D — Atlantic Av/Barclays Center-Bay Pkwy (Express Pacific – 36 St)
F — Jay St/MetroTech-Av X (Local)
G — No Service
L — Broadway Junction-Rockaway Pkwy (Local)
M — Myrtle Av/Broadway-Metropolitan Av (Shuttle)
Q — No Service
R — Jay St/MetroTech-95 St (Local)
S Franklin Avenue Shuttle — No Service
S Rockaway Park Shuttle — No Service

Shuttle buses:
All buses run north on 3rd Av and south on Lexington Ave.
Atlantic Ave/Barclays Center to 57 St/Lexington Ave via Manhattan Bridge
Jay St/MetroTech to 57 St/Lexington Ave via Manhattan Bridge
Hewes St to 57 St/Lexington Ave via Williamsburg Bridge

Try this handy widget from the MTA. – Homer

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/50874

Subway service into Brooklyn: There will be subway service between some local stations and destinations within Brooklyn. 4 trains will run between Borough Hall and New Lots Avenue, making all local stops. To get to Flatbush, change to a 5 train at Atlantic Avenue/Barclays Center. A trains will run between Jay Street and Lefferts Boulevard. F trains will run between Jay Street and Avenue X. R trains will run between Jay Street and 95th Street. There will be no service at Clark Street, Court Street, High Street, or York Street, and no G train service.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/50847

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/50323

Rehabilitation work on the Brooklyn Bridge necessitates closing the Manhattan bound lanes from 11:59 Friday to 6:00 a.m. Monday this (October 5-8) and next (October 12-15) weekend, according to information just received from Notify NYC. Traffic will be redirected to the Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges and to the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/48896

Rehabilitation work on the Brooklyn Bridge necessitates closing the Manhattan bound lanes from 11:59 Friday to 6:00 a.m. Monday this (October 5-8) and next (October 12-15) weekend, according to information just received from Notify NYC. Traffic will be redirected to the Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges and to the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/48896

The Atlantic Avenue BID is applying for a city grant with the intention to make the underpass beneath the Brooklyn Queens Expressway more inviting to pedestrians—and to drive more foot traffic between the businesses along Atlantic Avenue and Brooklyn Bridge Park.

According to DNAInfo.com,
the BQE currently creates a divide between Brooklyn Bridge Park and the shopping strip on Atlantic Avenue. Josef Szende, executive director of the Atlantic Avenue BID believes that because of a lack of signage, pedestrians at either location have little knowledge “that there are opportunities on either side of the tunnel.”

Szende adds, “The underside of the BQE is an unpleasant place to be or to walk through. We want pedestrians to feel there’s something interesting or interactive all the way down Atlantic Avenue to Brooklyn Bridge Park.”

To gain funding and support, the Atlantic Avenue BID is applying for an NYC Department of Small Business Services BID Challenge Grant, which would provide $75,000 toward the project. Earlier this month, the BID met with urban designers of Planning Corps, a volunteer group helping non-profits plan and resolve design issues, and to brainstorm ways to make the tunnel under the BQE more interactive, appealing and useful to pedestrians passing through.

Read more here.

Source: Cobble Hill Blog
http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/7777

In a rare defeat for NYC Mayor Bloomberg and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Manhattan Supreme Court Justice ruled Friday that the popular initiative to allow 18,000 livery cabs to take street hails from Manhattan to the outer boroughs and the upper reaches of the city is a no go. No doubt, this should have residents of Brooklyn Heights seeing red, since it can be next to impossible to convince yellow taxis to cross the Brooklyn Bridge late at night.

The decision by Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron is also sour news for the city, which would lose $1 billion in revenue from 2,000 new medallion sales. NYC’s corporation counsel Michael Cardozo said he will immediately appeal the decision, according to The Wall Street Journal, saying city officials are “confident the appellate court will uphold” the law.

Taxi & Limousine Commissioner and Brooklyn Heights resident David Yassky also vowed to fight: “The court’s decision is a great loss to millions of New Yorkers outside of Manhattan, as well as for professional livery drivers whose ability to feed their families by providing a popular service their communities want and deserve is in jeopardy.”

The New York Daily News explains that earlier this summer, Engoron blocked the Bloomberg administration from selling the yellow medallions and taking applications for livery hail licenses after lobbyists for the yellow cab industry came up with the argument that the plan was illegal.

The judge determined that yellow cabbies would “suffer irreparable harm” if the plan were put into effect. Michael Woloz, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade, told WJS, “Thousands of individual owner-drivers and hundreds of small-business owners in both the taxi and livery industries are breathing a sigh of relief.”

Mind you, this is the same industry that just celebrated a whopping 17% fare hike. After Labor Day, the starting rate will remain $2.50, but the meter will climb 50 cents instead of 40 with every click, after one-fifth of a mile or 60 seconds. The flat rate from Manhattan to Kennedy Airport will climb by $7, to $52, and the surcharge from the city to Newark will escalate from $15 to $17.50.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/46017

Street signs in Brooklyn Heights will soon be following the letter of the law. The Federal Highway Administration has mandated that your tax dollars be spent on replacing 250,000 capital-letter street signs in New York City with mixed-case—specifically utilizing a condensed version of the Clearview typeface (licensed as ClearviewHwy).

So far, about 11,000 street name signs have been replaced around NYC’s five boroughs to meet national standards in typography and surface reflectivity, according to The New York Times—including some along Brooklyn Heights’ Montague Street. Brown historical signs will maintain their color.

Clearview was created in the 1990s by designers Donald Meeker and James Montalbano, working with the Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute. “With its crisp, clean design, Clearview represents exactly what its name suggests,” says city transportation commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan. “Whether through signs, markings or sidewalks, we’re bringing clarity and simplicity to street design.”

Developer Montalbano recalls about two years ago crossing the East River from Brooklyn—where he lives—coming off the Brooklyn Bridge and seeing a sign for “Chinatown” with an arrow in Clearview. About a month ago, he also noticed Clearview signs on Montague Street in the Heights. “It’s very exciting,” he told NY Times. “We’ve been working on this project for a very long time.”

A number of the new signs replace those scheduled for routine maintenance, as well as when streets are under repair or reconstruction. “But sometimes, the new signs appear to have replaced perfectly serviceable older signs with all-uppercase lettering,” the Times notes, which has meant of tirade of criticism directed toward the Highway Administration, an agency of the federal Department of Transportation. As a result, DOT has since eased or eliminated some 46 deadlines and/or mandates for dutiful compliance.

(Graphic/New York Times)

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/45877

While the massive hole in front of 200 Hicks Street and Montague continues to get wider, deeper and messier, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Beginning this week, the entire sidewalk from the Chinese Hand Laundry and McCurdy Real Estate at 111 Montague up to Subway sandwiches at 115—which also encompasses retailers Peerless Shoe Repair and Connecticut Muffin—will be torn to bits.

The superintendent for the Berkeley and Grosvenor apartment buildings at 111 & 115 Montague tells BHB that infrastructure work below the sidewalk will endure for a minimum of three months. Oh, joy!

(Photos: Chuck Taylor) At top, the mess at 200 Hicks. Below, a last look at the sidewalk on Montague along the impacted area.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/45728

New York City’s highly touted Bike Share Program, which includes locations in Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn Bridge Park and nearby Downtown Brooklyn, has already been delayed until summer’s end because of an alleged “software glitch,” as previously reported by BHB. But now it appears the wheels of progress may be facing greater delays.

The New Times reports that as Labor Day looms, thousands of bikes for the program, sponsored by Citigroup and known as Citi Bike, sit in boxes in Building 293 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, along with parts for the docking stations—with no discernible activity taking place.

“There is no official date for the rollout, and supporters fear the warm-weather window to begin the program this year is shrinking,” the Times reports. Enduring delays would push the kickoff further into the upcoming NYC mayoral race in which transportation is likely to be a major issue. Any stumbles could call into question the very wisdom of the Bike Share Program.

Current mayoral candidates have not made explicit promises regarding the Bloomberg bike legacy, and Paul Steely White, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, says he is bracing for an administration less friendly to “alternative transit.” If the bike-share program is embraced by New Yorkers, it would be the most visible and enduring symbol of current Mayor Bloomberg’s policies, suggests the Times. But if it runs into trouble, it could make any new mayoral administration skittish about bringing similarly sweeping changes to city streets, threatening the program’s existence.

Read the full article at The New York Times here.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/45543