SUPERPOWER ACTIVATED!

A year ago today I was about to start chemotherapy so I posted this on Facebook

I can stop rush-hour traffic with no hands.

On Thursday, July 2, 2015 I got to grand Army Plaza at about a 6:45. I watched the last bits of rush-hour traffic use Prospect Park as a shortcut. Then a couple of guys in a garbage truck showed up and put out the gate. They didn't think it was a big deal, but I knew it was

Yeah, back in the spring I got fed up with Prospect Park being used as a shortcut during rush hour. So I started this change.org petition. I didn't know what would happen with the petition. I was just hoping to get some attention from politicians maybe shame them into helping my cause. Maybe. 

Maybe also shame Transportation Alternatives to getting off their butts and put this issue back on the front burner. an organization I felt that their focus had become more global a little less local to suit my tastes. I'm not sure what they were doing to rid the parks of rush-hour traffic, To me it looked like they were resting and accepting the status quo. I'm not sure if I got transportation alternatives to actually do anything. I went to one of their meetings and people talked about doing stuff. Whatever. But a couple days after the Mayor announced that the PM rush hour would not happen in Prospect Park anymore and most traffic would not go to Central Park anymore Transportation Alternatives took a lot of credit for it. That's okay, their are people there to get paid to get things done.  Maybe I didn't kick the ball down the hill maybe was already rolling and I was running behind.

So far, the highlight of this process was having my picture taken behind the do not enter sign. Prior to that it was a few weeks ago when I was waiting for ack stress o ride. I got a call from my favorite reporter at DNA Info. She wanted to know if I had anything to say regarding the Mayor's announcement that he would ban rush-hour traffic from Prospect and Central Parks. What a way to find out you succeeded when a reporter asks you for a comment! 

I'm not sure how will my powers next. I think of try to get the traffic lights straightened out so that cyclists and pedestrians get along will better. I made these observations a few years ago when they put in a new traffic light pattern in Prospect Park. 

http://whatyourdonotknowbecauseyouarenotme.blogspot.com/2012/04/beginning-of-better.html

As far as I can tell Prospect Park is the only place in or near New York City where pedestrians can press a button and make the light turned red in a bicycle lane. It's been three years relatively few people are pressing the button and bicycles aren't stopping anyway. I thought then and still think now that there should be a permanent blinking red light for pedestrians with a warning that the crossing of bike lane. At the same time there should be a blinking yellow light for the cyclists reminding them that their approaching a crosswalk. Last Sunday I just sat in the shade and observed people at the crosswalk. I watched a little kid press the button and then his family dragged them across the street before the walk signal showed up. Then when the light turned red for the cyclists some of them stopped and some of them didn't. Even more chaos in the roadway. Next week I'll see if I can get this fixed