PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Michael Ring, Vice President of Disabled in Action of Metropolitan New York, on Transportation Issues
2:14:58
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108 sec
Michael Ring, Vice President of Disabled in Action, testified about transportation issues in New York City, focusing on the problems with scooters and traffic violations in his neighborhood. He highlighted concerns about scooter parking, pedestrian safety, and traffic law enforcement.
- Emphasized the need for better regulation of scooter parking to prevent obstruction of sidewalks
- Described dangerous traffic conditions at the intersection of 8th Avenue and Union Street in Park Slope, including illegal turns and running red lights
- Reported issues with a car rental agency misusing public space, including parking vehicles on sidewalks and in travel lanes
Michael Ring
2:14:58
Welcome to my world.
2:14:59
There is old Michaels.
2:15:01
My name is Michael Ring.
2:15:03
I'm vice president of disabled in action.
2:15:04
For anyone who needs a verbal description of my appearance, I'm a 61 year old white guy that needs a shave more than usual, and I'm wearing a blue hoodie.
2:15:15
I I'd really like to reiterate what Jean said about the, scooters.
2:15:20
When we met with the scooter operators way back before COVID, they were talking about little parking spots that they'd have for them that, they they even mentioned, like, the thing next to the ice machine at the bodega.
2:15:34
They were gonna pay the bodega owners money so they can use a little bit of sidewalk and require people who rent the scooters to return it to a good spot that people won't trip over them.
2:15:45
When I I don't live in a neighborhood where there's scooters, but when I go to those parts of Queens or the Bronx, it is it is litter.
2:15:51
It's hard to walk down the street.
2:15:53
Also, while I'm here, I I hate to switch into the complaining mode from being an advocate, but I live on the corner of 8th and Union and Park Slope, and it has become the Wild West.
2:16:04
It's it's 8th Avenue is a one way street.
2:16:07
Cars are continually making a right turn from the left lane because there's gridlock.
2:16:12
People are going through the lights all the time.
2:16:14
I walk out of my way to avoid crossing that intersection, and the big culprit of it is a car rental agency on Union Street that fills the sidewalk with their inventory.
2:16:25
And they use the travel lane on Union Street to store all their vehicles because they don't have enough staff to get them into the car rental place.
2:16:33
This this morning, there were I made a 3 one one complaint.
2:16:36
There were 7 cars with no one in them in the right lane of Union Street and a car parked on the sidewalk.
2:16:42
So anyone on the sidewalk had to walk on the ice or in the street to get past it.