News Brooklyn Boro

Brooklyn Today August 1: Have Bicyclists Taken Over Brooklyn?

August 1, 2017 Brooklyn Daily Eagle
good-morning.jpg
good-morning.jpg
Share this:

Weather, Brooklyn Borough Hall (NWS): Day 88°, Night 73°, sunny.


Send tips to [email protected]. Click here to signup.


Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 
 

Subscribe to our newsletters

THE LEDE: Welcome to August, Brooklyn! Did you know America’s first-ever bike path was on Ocean Parkway? We follow a handicapped commuter in the subway for a day. Work is already beginning on the new span of theKosciuszko Bridge, Uber has a serious competitor, and we go inside a nudist camp. Plus, therapists are using virtual reality to get into the heads of their patients. The Summer of Hell worsens, and a firefighter saves a woman from a boa constrictor. Finally, Princess Diana’s unsatisfactory sex life is revealed.
      
IMPRINT: I spy with my little eye Roger Federer on the latest colorful cover of Racquet.

  
____________________________    
The Rundown
 

~A DUMBO ROOFTOP WITH GARDENS AND A MOVIE SCREEN: Come with us as we tour a gorgeous rooftop in DUMBO complete with a movie screen, lounge chairs, conference tables, breathtaking views and beautiful flowers. The garden — or gardens, actually — are situated on the rooftops of three DUMBO buildings that belong to Two Trees Management. Because these are office buildings, amenities like conference tables, banquettes for lunching or taking work breaks and a screen for showing outdoor movies are interspersed among gray birch, flowering dogwoods, hydrangea and other plantings. Sorry, Brooklynites: Access to the rooftop gardens is limited to tenants of 45 Main St., 55 Washington St. and 20 Jay St. (via the Brooklyn Daily Eagle)
 
~WHERE ONE BRIDGE FALLS, ANOTHER RISES: With the dismantling of the old Kosciuszko Bridge still fresh in everyone’s minds, the construction for its replacement is scheduled to begin this summer. Granite Construction Inc. was awarded a $318 million contract by the New York State Department of Transportation for the construction of the second span of the new bridges. The passageway over Newtown Creek has been plagued with traffic for years, which is expected to continue until both spans are fully functional. Each span will flow traffic in opposite directions to alleviate the overcrowding issue. Last week, spectators watched as the 125-foot main span of the old bridge wasbarged down the creek to a recycling facility in New Jersey. (via Business Wire and the Brooklyn Daily Eagle)
 
~HAVE BICYCLISTS TAKEN OVER BROOKLYN?: Hoyt Street in Brooklyn holds a bike lane almost as wide as its car lane and on a recent night, more bikes passed on the street than cars did. There’s no argument that bicycles are on the rise in New York, which is only fitting, considering the first bike path in the country was made on Ocean Parkway. Now, there are more than 450,000 daily bike trips in the city and the ever-expanding Citi Bike arsenal is at 10,000 bikes. The increase hasn’t come without any opposition though, as some city-goers say they encroach on space. District 43 City Council CandidateJohn Quaglione proposed giving community boards a say in Citi Bike rack placement, arguing they take up sidewalk and parking spaces. Even Woody Allen says the bike situation has gotten out of control. (via NYT and the Brooklyn Daily Eagle)
 
~LINKNYC KIOSKS NOT A HIT WITH EVERYONE: Citi Bike stations aren’t the only new additions being met with resistance. Hundreds of 9-1/2-foot-tall LinkNYC kiosks — which provide free phone, Wi-Fi service and USB charging stations — have been installed across the city. While they are getting increased usage, the kiosks are not popular with everyone. Case in point: Cobble Hillresident Judith Barnes came back from a vacation last week only to find a LinkNYC kiosk installed outside her home. “It’s an eyesore — it’s a visual pollution, light pollution, noise pollution issue,” she said. “It’s a privacy issue. It has cameras. It’s right outside my door… 6 feet from my window.” Barnes added, “It’s a potential magnet for loiterers, people hanging around, charging their phones, staying here for a while — and this is my home.” (via the Brooklyn Daily Eagle)
 
~A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A DISABLED COMMUTER: We take you in the shoes of a handicapped commuter to see what it’s like to use the NYC subway with disabilities. Plus, the Summer of Hell continues as seven southbound Brooklyn N trains lost service yesterday and won’t be back for a year and a half in phase two of the MTA’s nearly $400 million renovation plan for the Sea Beach Line. The repairs came roughly two months after nine northbound Brooklyn N trains lost service for over a year in an effort by the MTA to modernize the decaying stations. Service will run express from 8th Avenue to Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue, making stops at 8th Avenue, Bay Parkway and Coney Island. The closed stations include: Fort Hamilton Parkway, New Utrecht Avenue, 18th Avenue, 20th Avenue, Kings Highway, Avenue U and 86th Street. (via the Brooklyn Daily Eagle)  

 
____________________________     
Staff Picks:    
 

LONG READ: “Generals Love Him. Top Democrats Despise Him. Can He Be President Anyway?” (via Politico) 
 
COMMUTE: Curb vs. Uber, how an app made for NYC taxis is giving Uber arun for its money. (via WSJ)
 
VACATION: Last week, we went inside a clothing-optional resort in Mexico. Now one writer recounts his first time visiting a nudist camp. (via Racked) 
 
LISTEN: You’ll want to hear this podcast on “Life and Death in the Delivery Room,” how America’s health system puts so much attention on the baby, that the mother is often ignored. (via ProPublica)

 
____________________________    
 

NATIONAL BULLETIN: A firefighter cuts off the face of a boa constrictorstuck to the face of a Ohio woman…Therapists are using virtual reality to treat their patients…And a new report says a lack of sleep can lead to weight gain. (via The Chronicle-Telegram, NYT and WaPo)
 
FOREIGN FLASH: The world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge has opened in Switzerland…Soccer is one of the only sources of hope and joy for a refugee camp in Bangladesh…The Disney movie “Moana” is now available fordetainees to watch at Guantanamo Bay. (via CNN, NYT and the Miami Herald)
  
____________________________    

 ROYAL WATCH: The mediocre sex life between Princess Diana andPrince Charles has been revealed in a new British documentary. (via the Daily Beast)

 
____________________________     
BROOKLYN TONIGHT 
 

7:00AM — Yoga Tuesdays at MetroTech Commons. Details.
 
12:00PM – 7:00PM — Night Out Against Crime 2017 at Fort Greene Park.Details.
 
1:00PM — Young Dancemakers Company at Kumble Theater for the Performing Arts. Details.
 
4:00PM — Basketball Clinics at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Details.
 
7:00PM — The Best Day at Kings Theatre. Details.
 
7:00PM — NYRR Open Run at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Details.
 
7:00PM — Fleet Foxes at Prospect Park Bandshell. Details.
 
7:30PM — Ben Percy: The Dark Net with Alice Sola Kim at Books Are Magic.Details.
 
8:00PM — The Scientists at Union Hall. Details.
 
9:00PM — London Grammar, Lo Moon at Brooklyn Steel. Details.

 
____________________________     


 EAGLE SPORTS: A new star has emerged on the New York Cosmos in 19-year-old midfielder Eric Calvillo. The California native has tallied four goals and one assist in his last four games, including two goals in the Cosmos’ 3-1 win against Miami FC on Saturday in the team’s fall season opener. “It’s honestly hard work and dedication,” Calvillo said. “My teammates push me everyday. My coaches push me everyday. They give me all the trust and confidence that I need.” The two braces earned Calvillo not only Man of the Match honors, but he was also named NASL Player of the Week for his heroics.(via the Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

 
____________________________     
MILESTONES
 
Happy birthday to Demián Bechir, Tempestt Bledsoe, Chuck D, Robert Cray, Giancarlo Giannin, James Gleick, David James, Sam Mendes, andJack O’Connell!


Leave a Comment

Related Articles

Leave a Comment