This is the Pedestrian Refuge Area That CB8 Refused to Protect

This scene was photographed by Flickr photographer BicyclesOnly on Saturday. Read his note below. Hopefully someone will ask members of Manhattan Community Board 8’s transportation committee if this sort of car crash meets their rigorous aesthetic standards. Last January, CB8 rejected a proposal to physically protect Park Avenue’s pedestrian refuge areas because they didn’t think bollards, barriers or planters could be made to look pretty enough. Streetsblog readers will also remember CB8’s transportation committee as the group that tried to kill DOT’s crosstown bike route plan for the Upper East Side last summer. It looks like CB8 is still trying to kill it. The 91st Street bike lane is on the agenda of their December 10 meeting: 

This guy was driving too fast in the snow and apparently drove right up
onto the Park Avenue Mall at 78th St. I didn’t see the collision, but
there were two ambulances there and the driver was fine, so he may have
hit one or more pedestrians standing on the mall.

Ironically, on
January 3, 2007 the Transportation Committee of Community Board 8
rejected a proposal to erect bollards on the Park Avenue Malls to
protect pedestrians against this threat. The Community Board was
concerned that the bollards might detract aesthetically from Park
Avenue.

The driver (pictured) tried to prevent me from taking these photos, but
he found that I’m not easily intimidated. I checked out his plates and
found that this isn’t the only illegal thing he’s done with his limo
lately:

• 10 VG43 7323821939 08/24/2007 NO STANDING-EXEC. TRUCK LOADING 105.00
• 11 VG43 7839654850 Hearing Pending 10/26/2007 NO STANDING-DAY/TIME LIMITS 115.00
• 12 VG46 7326909738 Hearing Pending 10/23/2007 NO STANDING-EXEC. TRUCK LOADING 95.00