Yesterday, GA wrote about a Hoboken cyclist's near collision when a car ran a stop sign; he'd recorded the incident on video.
The cyclist, Peter Kim, was returning from a Hoboken City Council meeting. He'd gone to speak in opposition to a Resolution amending the City's ordinance on "Bicycle Rules and Regulations." Specifically, with respect to the rules on riding bicycles on the sidewalk.
I'm not a cyclist, but am a parent. So when I read the proposed changes which PASSED on First reading- specifically this:
No person thirteen years of age or older shall, without being accompanied by a person twelve years of age or younger, ride a bicycle on any sidewalk on a street with striped bicycle lanes, adjacent off-street bicycle paths, or speed limits of 20 miles per hour or less.
What kind of IMBECILE drafts legislation to make it illegal for a 13 year old kid to ride his/her bike on the sidewalk, forcing them into the street?
This Resolution was sponsored by 5th Ward Councilman Peter Cunningham, and co-sponsored by 3rd Ward Councilman Mike Russo.
What kind of INCOMPETENTS read this and still vote "YES"?
6th Ward Councilwoman Jen Giattino, 1st Ward Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher and 4th Ward Councilman Ruben Ramos.
How dare you.
It seems to me like this half-baked legislation was rushed out by a lame duck council to stick a finger in outgoing Mayor Zimmer's eye. After all, Zimmer elevated biking as public transportation, and that's her legacy.
I really can't believe the magnitude of legislative incompetence. There is no excuse for this. Everyone had a copy, and a vote was taken on a rule change forcing 13 year-olds to ride their bicycles in the street.
What is wrong with Council President Jennifer Giattino? She's that angry at Zimmer? To vote on a resolution pushing 13 year old kids into the street.
This resolution should have been pulled.
The fact that it wasn't tells me that vindictiveness is driving the COuncil bus, at the peril of Hoboken children.
It's not funny.
I am afraid for our City.
Short answer is "yes, she is that angry". Angry people do stupid things and stupid angry people do even dumber things. Jen and the gang are definitely coming across as angry vindictive little people and a part of me thinks at least a few of them are complete frigging morons. The only thing I find solace in is Jen lost and with luck so permanently damaged her reputation that she can never run for mayor ever again. But until she loses her CC seat, we will have to deal with her vindictive stupidity.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was kind of weird that Councilman Cunningham asked for a vote on the Ordinance as/is despite agreeing it wasn't OK as/is.
ReplyDeleteWhy not fix it and then vote when it's ready for prime time? For example if the 13 year old age limit will be ultimately raised to something more sensible like 16 or 17, then why spark an unnecessary public discussion about 13 year olds?
Was there some kind of first reading emergency? Since Peter acknowledged they were going to have to do another first reading on the real ordinance, this vote did nothing to advance the process.
Like I said - weird.
It's actually quite ridiculous. There is no evidence that sidewalk riding is a public safety issue. If they'd been supportive of protected bike lanes it would be an easier sell, but the reality is that at most every turn many of the council have loudly and clearly said NO to protected bike lanes. Let's educate and enforce the current law (stop people from riding on sidewalks faster than pedestrian walking pace) and build some safe spaces for bicyclists. And while we're at it, stop pitting pedestrians against cyclists. We all want the same thing - to not get crushed by cars.
ReplyDeleteWhat's interesting is that Mike DeFusco and Jen Giattino were privately huge supporters of a dedicated Bike lane on Washington Street. But they let the mayor take the heat and tried to throw her under the bus when they thought the political winds had shifted the other way.
ReplyDeleteNow they want to ban bikes on sidewalks to solve a non-existent problem while doing nothing to make streets safer for bikes.
We at Team giaFISHco accept your unconditional surrender!
ReplyDeleteWhile you have been spinning your wheels with discussions (with waaaaaaaayyyy too many points of view) about a resolution impacting public safety and particularly children; some crap about bringing back runoffs so the OGs can get city hall back again once and for all; and giving a stupid transition update - none of which anyone cares about or it would be on OUR corporate websites.
Meanwhile we have had a YUGE week.
- Not one but two articles complaining about you.
- A hopeful aside on our alt-right crackpots-only site that a notorious grifter may be about to win his nuisance lawsuit against the city -- because as you know bad for the outgoing administration = good for us. (Along those lines we are considering revising our past position on the hospital sale - while we revise our past positions on everything else to align with the needs of sustaining a permanent butt-hurt.)
- The announcement that one of our as many as four participants is seeking yet another public office! Everyone raise you glasses and give it up for .... Tony Waiters! (sp?) (Patty Soares? Not sure. So hard to keep those perennial bajobseekers straight. And it does help that they all gravitated to Defusco. It's not the anti-semitic one, it's the one who outs everyone and whines loudest when he's outed? The one who reduces all criticism to bias attacks but gets all pissy if anyone else calls out a bias attack? Gleefully criticizes everyone else's appearance but his own is off limits? Yeah, that guy. To keep it interesting we're pretending he's not one of our as many as four participants so please play along!
- And finally our hommage à Beth's window treatments.
It's so over for you losers. So, so over....