More stairway shenanigans

From reader NE:

The stairway at the 44th street exit at the Ft. Hamilton station on the D line has been allowed to fall into complete decay by the MTA and has been closed for years. Why should we be building expensive new lines in Manhattan while the Brooklyn infrastructure is allowed to deteriorate?

We need someone to lobby the MTA to repair this abandoned structure.

No trucks except for local deliveries

From JZ:

Something need to be done to prevent 18-wheelers from taking over our residential streets in Carroll Gardens. Too many times I see them spewing black smoke or damaging parked cars as they try to turn corners on our narrow streets. Whether we need more signage on the streets coming off the BQE, Gowanus Expressway, and our commercial strips (Court/Smith St), or residents taking pictures of violators and turning them into the Precinct for summonses, we need to improve both air quality and safety to our residents & their property.

Side-view mirrors are not getting any cheaper. Maybe if we made life easier for trucks to do business where they should be, they wouldn't have to drive where they're not wanted.

Rats

This in from two long-time residents of Cobble Hill. I am so skeeved out right now.

When you are elected, will there be anything that you can do about the rat problem in this neighborhood? There has been an increase in rats in this neighborhood because of so much construction going on. We were shocked when our own exterminator told us today that he was called in right next door to us because the tenant on the third floor saw a rat come right out of her toilet!! That is too gross for words, and pretty scary too!

I remember, in the 1960's, meeting a woman from Baltic Street who said she would keep watch on her baby all night, because she was afraid of rats coming in and biting the baby; and I remember seeing rats on Baltic Street in broad daylight; but I thought that problem had been resolved long ago.

Rats are a health problem and more serious than other minor annoyances in the neighborhood.

Turn on the light

From SL:

On 10th Ave and 46th Street, a light has to be installed for the safety of the community. There have been numerous car accidents at this location and it also has become difficult (unsafe) to cross. Every corner of 10th Avenue has a stop sign or a street light (49th Street & 10th) except 46th Street.

What the...

From reader AC:

If its needed, why don't they fix it? And if it's not needed because people have cell phones, why don't they remove all of them? This is on 51st Street, corner of 11th Ave.

Street light needed

From reader DH:

The corner of President Street off of Clinton Street is very dark - there is no street light in the area, the Clinton Apothicary Pharmacy is on one corner and there is a private home with a #2 car garage on the opposite side of the street which does not have any lighting at all.

I have 2 teenage daughters who utilize our neighborhood all hours of the day. My main concern is the safety of our neighborhoods, both young and old.

Can we talk about the MTA for a minute?

From an anonymous reader:

Elderly people, women with baby carriages, etc. need to use the subways-there should be more elevators available at more subway stations.

That's so true - and it's reflective of the wrong-headed priorities at the MTA. I've gone on record with the TWU that operations ought to be prioritized over capital investments in our transit system. And I've fought a public battle to keep a real station agent in the booth at my local F stop. But this reader brings up another excellent point. When there is money to spend on capital improvements, how come it never seems to enhance accessibility at Brooklyn stations? How many times have you watched a young mother struggle to carry a stroller up all those steps at the Ditmas Avenue F, or the 50th Street D?

There are 12 subway stops in the 39th District. How many are listed as accessible on the MTA map?

One.

Not in the district, but in the spirit

On 65th Street and Ft. Hamilton Parkway a turn signal has to be added to the existing lights to allow cars to turn right or left onto the avenue. If you have the chance, go down to that intersection and watch the cars try to turn onto Ft. Hamilton Parkway from 65th Street. It is an accident waiting to happen. Thank you, - SL

I can't well fix this one, but I can sure tell Simcha.

Amen to that

From reader MS:

My mother needed to drop off donuts for my children and just pulled over for less than a split second to hand me out the donuts; there was a cop blocking her in and giving her a whopping $115 dollar ticket. That's about half what she earns a week.

When you become a council member I would like someone who is not a rubber stamp to Bloomberg and undoes all he has done. Reduce all those fees and make Brooklyn a place you can actually live in.

10th Avenue Parking Sign

Sent in by reader SJ. Seems like I could probably take care of this one whether I get elected or not, with a couple of hex bolts.

Collapsed fence, dilapidated small park

Spotted this one right off New Utrecht and 46th.

It's the little things

A lot of big issues have come up in this campaign - but the things I hear about most from voters as I go door-to-door are the small things. Potholes. Traffic lights. Parking tickets. Decaying infrastructure. Dirty streets. Graffiti.

These are the everyday things that can make our lives better or worse. And every one of these small changes is within our reach. As our next representative on the City Council, I pledge to make these quality of life concerns my number-one priority. And I invite readers of this blog to contribute photos or descriptions of neighborhood problems. Just email a photo or a note to basics@JohnHeyer.org. We'll post your concern here. And I pledge to fix the problem within my first year in office.