Archive for August 6th, 2012
betwixt spaces
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A recent posting- vaguely articulate– detailed a close call with a speeding bicycle in Queens Plaza’s dangerous weaving of pedestrian and vehicle pathways. A couple of folks emailed me, questioning my perceptions of where the bike path was located in physical space. Today’s post expands on the topic.
On my way to some meeting, somewhere, a humble narrator was moving through Queens Plaza. Remembering to photograph the pedestrian curb cut this time, with its icon indicating that the bike path is designed to flow right through it…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Proof of my point for the inefficacy of this situation then came whizzing across the street…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The fellow on the bicycle wasn’t doing anything illegal, as is evident in the shot above, the bike paths leading out from the Queensboro Bridge lead directly into the pedestrian crosswalk and up onto the sidewalk…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
They continue past the narrow section of the pavement alongside a subway stairwell…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Where they continue along, vehicles (bicycles) mixing freely with pedestrian traffic.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Coincidentally, that’s when two European tourists got off the Subway, having a heated discussion in some alien tongue. They didn’t seem to know which way to go, having just seen a bicycle roll through their apparent path.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’d imagine they were headed for one of the many new hotels located in the Dutch Kills neighborhood, one hopes they made it to their lodging without incident…
Also, on this day in 1945, the world changed– forever.
The Newtown Pentacle 