How neglectful can the City be of street repair? This neglectful.

The one thing I will have done in my life that is virtuous that will outlive me is bring into being the curb cut onto the GW Bridge. Long ago I lobbied Transportation Commissioner Dr. Lucius Riccio for it. After making it, he was kind enough to credit me for it.

There followed some more recent, minor victories—on the GWB (see: ) and the repaving of 177th St. between Ft. Washington and Cabrini leading to the bridge. It had been an exciting series of uplifts, bubbles, buckles, depressions, and pot holes. DoT Comm. Janette Sadik-Khan had it inspected by Scott Roveto, the road paving chief of upper Manhattan. What a nice surprise that he, himself, called me to tell me he recommended it be re-surfaced. And it was.

The following pictures are, or were, of Riverside Drive near 142nd St. Even drivers, seeing the crevasses, came to a complete stop before proceeding slowly and cautiously. You can imagine the effect on bicycle wheels. The question on everybody's lips was: Which would crack first? My bicycle frame? Or my teeth?

DoT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan was sent these pictures...and the road was re-surfaced within a week.

Pictures taken February 15, 2011

This digression into shameful and shameless descent into self-glorification is a prelude to the core preachment of this Website: one person can bring about change and improve the cycling conditions in NYC. Yes, you who are reading this can!  All you have to do is: 1) Really give a damn, and 2) Bestir yourself to merely make calls and write notes instead of just parasitically leaving to others, relying on others, waiting for others to do for you what you can do for yourself (and for others).

Write the DoT commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan at: jsadikkhan@dot.nyc.gov or call her at: (212) 839-6620;
Write the Manhattan DoT comm Margaret Forgione at: mforgione@dot.nyc.gov or call her at: (212) 839-6210;
Write the DoT's bike coordinator, Ryan Russo, at: rrusso@dot.nyc.gov 
Write the upper Manhattan road paving director Scott Roveto at: sroveto@dot.nyc.gov or call him at (212) 487-8439

Not to dilute your request, but while you're at it, you might mention we sure would like the sidewalk at the junction of the ramp onto the GWB widened (without imposing any added difficulty on drivers) and that metal plate surfaced with a non-skid compound. (See the GWB page on this site: http://newyorkbike.com/NYBike_web.html.)