Letters to the editor

Volume Number 1 Issue Number 12 / December 15 - 21, 2006

Bike path poorly marked

To The Editor:
Re “Drunk driver on Hudson Park bike path mows down cyclist” (news article, Dec. 8):

I ride the Hudson River bike path nearly every weekday all year-round. I have encountered cars on the path or attempting to enter the path on several occasions.

One problem is that the double yellow line down the center of the bike path is the same as regular road lane markings. This is particularly confusing to out-of-towners, who are already challenged by big-city traffic. Also, there is only one “No Motor Vehicles” sign on either side of the bike path next to a driveway entrance. This is printed in black letters on a white background, posted on the left lane and certainly does not stand out. Similarly, the signs warning bikers of upcoming driveways are nondescript. Also, poor signage and street markings lead to cars exiting the driveways to stop and block the bike path completely while waiting for traffic lights to change.

Another hazard is that the left-turn lanes from the northbound West Side Highway are obscured by trees and bushes planted in the center median. This limited visibility could have had a major effect on the fatal accident with the police tow truck operator at W. 36th St.

Rick van Valkenburg

Those were the days

To The Editor:
One of the wonderful things for those of use who grew up in the Chelsea/Greenwich Village area during the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s was that we now have lasting friendships and a common bond that is ageless.

Two years ago, several of us formed The Chelsea/Greenwich Village Association as a nonprofit organization that would focus on “giving back to the community” that we loved.

Last Saturday, we held our second annual Christmas Party, collecting toys and donations for the children at the Foundling Hospital, which is now located in Chelsea.

This T.C.G.V.A. tradition was started last year but has roots that go back many years. One of our members is the “official” Santa Claus for the Foundling Hospital.

When we were kids, the I.L.A. [International Longshoremens Association] and other social/fraternal organizations would host Christmas parties for neighborhood kids at St. Bernard’s School on W. 13th St. and at several movie theaters throughout the neighborhood.

Clearly, Chelsea and Greenwich Village are much different today...but the spirit lives on. For a sampling, visit www.tcgva.org.

Pat Crowley
Crowley is vice president, The Chelsea/Greenwich Village Association