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To the editor,

I find this curious: New York City’s Department of Transportation is giving bicyclists the same pedestrian rights at 19 intersections throughout Brooklyn. Essentially, city officials are telling cyclists to violate state law (as if cyclists needed that permission in the first place.) I promptly reviewed the New York State Vehicle and Traffic (VAT) laws in this matter. As listed on the website: www.publi c.legin fo.state.ny.us , I found the most interesting information. A pedestrian, under Sect. 130, is defined as “any person afoot or in a wheelchair.” However, under Sect. 102, a bicycle is defined as: “every two- or three-wheeled device upon which a person or persons may ride, propelled by human power through a belt, a chain or gears, with such wheels in a tandem or tricycle.” Yet, Section 110 (b) defines a crosswalk as “Any portion of a roadway at an intersection or elsewhere distinctly indicated for pedestrian crossing by lines or other markings on the surface.” This section doesn’t apply to pedestrians and bicycles, but only for pedestrian crossing! Crosswalk lights once flashed the words “Walk, Don’t Walk” but now display a figure and a hand — but no bicycle symbol, since that would designate a “vehicle!”

The best is Title 7: Rules of the Road, Article 34: Operation of Bicycles and Play Devices. That really spells things out for cyclists! According to Art. 34: “Every person riding a bicycle … upon a roadway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this title.” This means cyclists must obey all traffic control devices, i.e.: traffic lights, stop signs, etc. Thus, Sean Quinn of New York City Department of Transportation, Community Board 6’s Eric McClure and City Councilman Carlos Menchaca appear to be advising bicyclists to thumb their collective noses at state law, and pedal on, without consequence or retribution. But if I, as a motorist, tried that, well, I think you know that answer. Goodbye freedom!

I especially enjoyed reading an article on a Syracuse newspaper’s website, about cycling in that city. The reporter interviewed the owner of a local bike shop/café. That owner stated that most cyclists don’t stop at red lights, stop signs or intersections because they assume that people are going to let them pass. Many may remember that old Odd Couple TV episode, where Oscar and Felix are in court. Felix (Tony Randall) explains to all, when one chooses to “assume,” what it really means to do so! Unfortunately, most cyclists either still assume or just don’t care. Of the several dozen cyclists I witnessed this past week while driving, only one stopped for a red light. The majority cycled on, through those very signs and signals they were supposed to obey — by state vehicle and traffic law. Now the city says disobey those laws, because cyclists are now the same as pedestrians. I am afraid to ask: What’s next?

Kevin Hanley

Marine Park

A ‘chemical’ reaction

To the editor,

Once again, Syria gassed its own people with chemical weapons, but forgot that there’s a new sheriff in town.

A few years ago, Barack Obama threatened Bashar al-Assad citing the now-infamous “red line” if Assad would use chemical weapons against his own people. In contrast, President Trump bombed Syria’s chemical factories almost immediately after a chemical attack – a stark difference between a procrastinator and a no-nonsense president.

But in all fairness to Obama, he reneged on his “red line” promise after Putin gave him a wedgie.

The U.S.-led coalition attacked Assad’s arsenal of chemical weapons at the Him Shinsar chemical weapons storage facility, the Him Shinsar chemical weapons bunker and the Barzah research and development center, prompting Nancy Pelosi to state that “Trump’s Syria attack was a brutally inhumane crime.” Using the Pelosi logic, attacking one’s own people with chemical weapons must be fine, but attacking chemical weapons plants is “brutally inhumane.”

This, coming from an immoral member of Congress who uses insider trading to make millions — I know it’s legal for Congressional members to use insider trading, but not moral and we’re discussing Pelosi’s lack of morality. Her asinine remark still does not top her all-time asinine remark about the ObamaCare legislation: “we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it” — and we laugh at Yankees great Yogi Berra’s “Yogi-isms” such as “when you see a fork in the road, take it.” Maybe Pelosi should catch for the Yankees.

Of course Pelosi had no problem when then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her boss Barack Obama went to war with Libya, a country that was cooperating with the U.S. and gave up its war arsenal when President George W. Bush ordered our military to the Middle East. If Pelosi feels that Assad’s chemical attacks on his own people are moral, then what does that tell you about those who have voted for her — time and time again? Even our own Sen. Schumer agreed with President Trump. (I never thought I would ever write the last sentence).

How did Assad obtain his chemical weapons arsenal? When George W. Bush sent troops to Iraq, Saddam Hussein commissioned one of his confidants, retired Iraqi General Georges Sada, to transport Iraq’s chemical wea pons stockpile to Syria – and that is the reason that our military did not find Saddam’s chemical weapons. When we entered Iraq, the weapons were already in Syria.

Remember that at that time, Vladimir Putin asked the exceptionally naïve Secretary of State John Kerry if there was anything that would stop Obama from attacking Syria (as though Barack had intentions of bombing Syria after the wedgie). Of course Kerry responded: If Assad would get rid of his chemical arsenal, the U.S. would not bomb Syria. Obviously, Assad did not get rid of his chemical arsenal. Once again, an incompetent Democrat became the laughing-stock of a dictator.

What is the difference between President Trump’s action in Syria and President Clinton’s action in Kosovo? One was not sanctioned and one was — but they were both justified. Elio Valenti

Bay Ridge

Safety, by de-sign!

To the editor,

The horrific bus crash, injuring dozens of high school students on the Southern State Parkway, was but one of the many crashes on the city and state’s parkway system. It is well known that trucks and buses wander onto the parkways made for Model T’s. They ultimately hit one of the many overpasses, located barely eight feet over the roadway and the resulting death and mayhem is well documented.

While our narcissistic governor caught hell from the federal Department of Transportation for putting up illegal Blue “I Love NY” signs, federal money is about to be withheld to repair our poorly maintained roads. How about taking down those blue signs and properly marking all parkway entrances with a bold lettered no truck or buses! Maybe a height restriction of eight feet should be posted too. The governor would truly love New York if he made the roads a bit safer ands save the advertising for the internet where it belongs.

Robert W. Lobenstein

Marine Park

Transit money talks

To the editor,

Never stand between New York City Comptroller 2021 mayoral “wanna-be” Scott Stringer and a microphone, camera or photo opportunity. His press conference on the release of yet another report “Left in the Dark: How the MTA is Falling to Keep Up” calling for more off peak subway service between 5 and 7 am and 7 and 11 pm to keep up with ridership growth during those hours is nothing new. Comptroller Stringer has periodically issued reports with the same complaints about subway service for years.

How does Stringer proposed offering the MTA additional millions in funding necessary to finance increasing frequency of early morning and late night off peak subway service? Will Stringer ask Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill DeBlasio to provide more money? It costs New York City Transit several thousand dollars per hour to operate, power, maintain and service each set of subway cars.

Gov. Cuomo still needs to come up with $5.8 billion of the $8.3 balance he owes to fund the $32 billion 2015–2019 MTA Five-Year Capital Plan. Mayor Bill DeBlasio still owes a significant portion of the $2.5 billion he promised to help pay for the same plan along with $400 million toward the $800 million emergency New York City Transit Subway Recovery Action Plan.

In the end, quality, frequency and reliability of service is dependent upon secure revenue streams. We all have to contribute — at the fare box or tax revenues generated by different levels of government redistributed back to the MTA.

There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch, or in this case more subway service.Larry Penner

Great Neck