Rules don’t count for bicyclists
Manhattan: Voicer and Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Paul Steely White neglects to mention that bicyclists are also a major threat to pedestrians in New York City. As vice president of the West 54th-56th Streets Block Association, the biggest concern of residents in this neighborhood is the Wild West attitude of bicyclists who ride the wrong way, ride on sidewalks, run through red lights, ignore bike lanes, chain bikes to trees, smoke, drink and text while riding, ride at night with no lights, threaten pedestrians physically and verbally, and generally do whatever they feel like doing. While pedestrian safety is a goal to be lauded, White should devote some of his energies to cleaning his own house. And while I think the New York Police Department is the best in the country, in my 40 years of living here not once have I seen a police officer stop a bicyclist who was breaking the law. David Achelis
Horrible suffering
Brooklyn: Your editorial “Talk about a blind spot” points out how traffic deaths have not decreased with Vision Zero and the crosswalk accident penalty rule. Voicer Paul Steely White replied that they have reduced deaths. Who is correct? They both can’t be. I am sick of what this city has done to our roads and how they ignore the horrible traffic congestion. When will someone in government realize that we all need better from the city? This is the 21st century in New York City, the capital of the world, and we endlessly suffer from horrible roads and congestion. Greg Ahl
What gets paid for
Forest Hills: The mayor, with great fanfare reduced the speed limit within the borders of New York City. This did nothing to eliminate accidents when vehicles — whether automobiles, trucks or buses — turn left or right: at that point, a bus’s speed is well below the mandated 25 MPH. The new speed limit greatly benefited the manufacturers of the new speed limit signs. On the other hand, I suggest that either the mayor, or the responsible commissioner drive Queens Blvd. in either direction: especially south of the intersection with Roosevelt Avenue lane markings are faded or simply non-existent. The city had money for the speed limit signs: after all, the cameras recording the speeders bring income, but no money to repaint the lane markers. Of course not: they don’t bring in fines. How about it, Mr. Mayor? John H. Szalkay
Free speech, City Hall style
Manhattan: The city is currently reevaluating its contracts with Donald Trump in light of the offensive comments he made about immigrants . Yet in May, when the Daily News reported that the firm hired by the mayor’s office to conduct the environmental impact study on the horse carriage industry was headed by a man who publicly supported anti-horse, pro-developer NYCLASS, City Hall insisted everything was above board, and that “(D)isqualifying an applicant based on the personal beliefs of an individual is not only outside the scope of contract evaluations, but would be a clear violation of procurement law and the First Amendment.” Seems like the city has this First Amendment thing backward. Christina Hansen
Communism’s high cost
Laureldale, Pa.: In the story “Si, Cuba on high seas” (June 8), was the price of a Miami to Cuba cruise quoted in the article a misprint? $2,990 for a Miami-toCuba cruise? With apologies to Sarah Palin, you can practically see Cuba from a house in Miami. Why would a cruise of such a short distance on a cruise line noted for it’s low prices cost so much? Sounds like a lot of palmgreasing will be required between the American cruise line industry and the Cuban government to facilitate a working relationship. That’s not how I thought the new deal between America and Cuba was going to work. Silly me.
Mary Jo Salerno
All over but the shouting
Manhattan: I agree with Gov. Cuomo on one thing: Mayor de Blasio has no idea what the governor has to go through since Albany has a two-party system while New York City now has a one-party system. Unfortunately, neither brings us representation since both are winner take all and require voters to register in one party to vote in a primary. This forces a lot of citizens to either register in a party they don’t really endorse or go without any representation whatsoever. So go on and argue Cuomo and de Blasio — it just makes for much-ado-aboutnothing headlines. Suzy Sandor
Telling it like it is
Brooklyn: How well I remember the song, Eve of Destruction, from my teenage years! So bold and incisive an editorial as your “Eve of Destruction” (July 7) deserved placement on the front cover of the Daily News, not just the editorial page. Kudos for your courage! Sharon Sharvit
You’re welcome!
Staten Island: Thanks for the four tickets to see the Cyclones Monday night. My grandkids loved the game, running the bases and the boardwalk at Coney Island. Great night for all. Mary Sprague
Sinful ritual
Fleischmanns, N.Y.: The Hasidic ritual “kaporos”— in which the sins of the perpetrators are believed to be transferred to chickens that are abused and killed — only adds to the sins of those who participate in it! Kaporos should be outlawed on the streets of New York and everywhere.
Gloria Zola-Mulloy
Now you know
Brooklyn: The Daily News editorial on the Right to Know Act (RTKA) cited declining complaints to the Civilian Complaint Review Board as justification for why the RTKA is not needed. The editorial, however, excluded a rather important CCRB finding: Complaints about improper searches by officers have actually increased, something specifically addressed by the RTKA. It’s time to move past the knee-jerk opposition and defensive posture routinely taken by police unions. The RTKA isn’t an attack on the NYPD, but a common sense approach to improving police-civilian interactions. That is why the President’s policing task force — co-chaired by a big city police commissioner — has endorsed its policy objectives.
Mark Winston Griffith Executive Director, Brooklyn
Movement Center
Pointless flags
Middle Village: What exactly is all this uproar over the Confederate flag? Because some ignorant racist killed people in a church? Are there people who really think that banning Confederate flags will change anybody’s views? I believe what that flag represents is based on the individual. If you see it as a symbol of racism, then that’s how you see it. If you see it as a symbol of our country’s war history, that’s fine, too. My point is that if you start trying to change people’s freedoms and beliefs, then what’s the point of having any flag? Randy Barona
It ain’t necessarily so
King George, Va.: Can we please give the word “bigot” a rest for a while? Simply disagreeing with somebody or having an opinion that differs from the majority does not necessarily make one a bigot.
Tom Turro
Never forget
Brentwood, L.I.: With all the talk about offensive flags, why do we only hear about the Confederate flag? Why don’t we hear about the flag under which atrocities against Americans were carried out? Just to mention two such atrocities: the Bataan Death March and the beheading of some of the Doolittle crew. If ever there was a flag that should never fly anywhere in the United States, it is the flag of Japan.
W. J. Van Sickle
Trump, that is
Little Egg Harbor, N.J.: I remember my father telling me about a politician who promised the people that he would deal with the “problem” of immigrants by expelling all those who were not citizens according to the law. He also appealed to the people by improving the economy at a time when most people were out of work. It was said that he had the courage to say what many other people were thinking, but were afraid to say aloud. Coincidentally, he also had a terrible combover. His name? Adolf Hitler. It could never happen here? Think again! Bentley Gubar Sickening Sayville, L.I.: So Jared Fogle, spokesperson of Subway gets arrested on child porn. Sick. I don’t believe he lost that weight from eating sandwiches — he lost it from pulling pork. What a pig.
Maureen Fazio