Merry Gridlock!



Streetsblog editor Aaron Naparstek and StreetFilms’ Nick Whitaker hit the intersection of Atlantic, Flatbush and Fourth Avenues Thursday morning to see what a "Gridlock Alert Day" looks like at one of New York City’s most congested intersections.

After about 25 interviews with drivers it became pretty clear that if City Hall truly wants to reduce traffic congestion during the holiday season, it needs to do a whole lot more than just say, "Hey, everybody it’s a Gridlock Alert!" 

What might the City do instead of issuing futile alerts? Here’s one idea from London that seems to be working pretty well.

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

Here They Are — Your Car-Free Street Scenes From Marathon Day

By Ben Fried |
If you can get to the course early enough, marathon Sunday lets you roam freely, for one morning, on some of New York’s most atrocious traffic sewers. Here’s a look at how some people made the most of the car-free time. #marathonfunday Kids riding on Flatbush! pic.twitter.com/RSUtGAFJNr — Hilda Cohen (@HildaBikes) November 2, 2014 Fourth […]

In the Shadow of the Queensboro Bridge

By Aaron Naparstek |
Life Near the Queensboro Bridge A Streetfilm by Nick Whitaker Running time: 3:44 Sarah Gallagher of the Upper Green Side introduces us to life on the neighborhood streets on the Manhattan side of the Queensboro bridge. Talking with store owners and others in the area, Streetfilms’ Nick Whitaker learns that expensive rent isn’t the only […]
STREETFILMS

”Bikelash!” The Streetfilm

By Clarence Eckerson Jr. |
Six months ago, Dr. Doug Gordon and Dr. Aaron Naparstek charmed audiences at the 2014 National Bike Summit with a great routine called “Moving Beyond the Bikelash,” sharing what they’ve learned from the pushback to New York City’s bike network expansion. So last week, while at the Pro-Walk Pro-Bike Pro-Place conference, I thought it would be interesting to ask advocates from […]

Get Your Tickets to the 10-Year Bash for Streetsblog and Streetfilms

By Ben Fried |
Ten years ago, Mark Gorton, Aaron Naparstek, and Clarence Eckerson started a new media venture — Streetsblog and Streetfilms. The idea was to show that cities work best when streets are designed for people, not cars, and to press public officials to bring street design and transportation policy into the 21st century. No one had seen […]

A Brooklyn Parking Lot Becomes a Neighborhood “Living Room”

By Aaron Naparstek |
Paint a Parking Lot, Put Up a Paradise A StreetFilm by Nick Whitaker Running time: 2:45 StreetFilms has some excellent video coverage of the Dept. of Transportation’s launch of its Public Plaza Initiative in Brooklyn’s DUMBO neighborhood last week. The before-and-after images are particularly compelling. What once nothing more than a parking lot and illegal […]

The 9th Most Influential Streetfilm of All-Time

By Clarence Eckerson Jr. |
With the 10-year benefit for Streetsblog and Streetfilms coming up on November 14 (get your tickets here!), we are counting down the 12 most influential Streetfilms of all time, as determined by the impresario himself, Clarence Eckerson Jr. Snowy Neckdowns (a.k.a. “Sneckdowns”) Number of plays: 52,349 Publish date: February 5, 2011 Why is it here? This Streetfilm started […]