GRIDLOCK SAM
Sun. Jul. 4th-Sat. Jul. 10th
SUNDAY PARKING RULES ARE IN EFFECT MONDAY, INDEPENDENCE DAY (OBSERVED)
Ready for fireworks? Today, Sunday, closures on the FDR between 14th and 51st Streets will start at 3 p.m.; traffic will be halted on the Williamsburg and Queensboro for the big show this evening at 9:30 p.m.
The weather will be pleasant on Monday, which means holiday return traffic will peak in the late afternoon and evening as vacationers try to enjoy their last hours of sun. Expect sluggish conditions on the CrossBronx, Lincoln Tunnel, LIE, N.J. Turnpike, GW, Goethals, and VZ bridges.
The City will hold a “Hometown Heroes” parade Wednesday starting at 11 a.m. The celebration of essential workers, healthcare providers, and others involved in the response to COVID will take place along the Canyon of Heroes, the stretch of Broadway between City Hall and the Battery; I’d avoid Lower Manhattan through the mid-afternoon.
It’ll be a busy week at Citi Field, which returns to full capacity this week; the Mets will be hosting the Brewers Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at 7 p.m., and the Pirates Thursday at 7 p.m.
Access-A-Ride shared ride service will resume Tuesday. Riders will also once again be allowed to bring guests in addition to a personal care attendant on a space-available basis.
Tuesday to Friday, 9:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Pelham Bay Park-bound 6 trains will skip Whitlock Ave., Elder Ave., Morrison Ave.-Soundview, and St. Lawrence Ave.
MAILBAG Dear Gridlock Sam,
What is your take on the permanent closure of one Brooklyn Bridge lane into Manhattan? All I see are extensive delays on the BQE eastbound and backups in downtown Brooklyn. It’s ugly.
Chris
Dear Chris,
To me it’s about history and equity. The Brooklyn Bridge was built as a rail and walking span with small horse carriageways. In its peak, it carried over 400,000 people/day. Then in the 1940’s, as part of the “modernist movement” the tracks were removed and replaced with car lanes. The number of people crossing dropped to about 170,000/ day—some progress!
Across the East River to Manhattan, we have 44 car lanes, versus just 2 dedicated bike lanes and two lanes shared with peds. We have 24 car lanes across the Hudson River to Manhattan and 0 lanes for bikes. 68 car lanes in total; 2 dedicated bike lanes and 2 shared with peds bike lanes. Pretty abysmal.
NYC can withstand adding one bike lane by taking away one car lane. In fact, I have proposed new bike/ped bridges to Manhattan from Brooklyn, Queens, and New Jersey.