Two Less Cars

Two fewer cars will be driving around Manhattan, however, they are still on the street.

On my way home from work last night, I came across not one, but two burned out car wrecks on Staff St. in Inwood. Funny thing is last year I saw a burned junker within a few blocks of where I found these two. That one was on the street for about two weeks but I never managed to get a picture before it disappeared. I wonder if this is indicative of a new trend of people totaling their cars and then ditching them on the streets of Upper Manhattan. Sort of like Bronx landlords burning down their buildings in the 70s.

And here's the other one...a minivan:

I would think the owners of these cars are responsible for disposing of them, and I don't see how that includes putting them on a public street alongside other (not wrecked) parked vehicles. Despite the fact that these things are environmental hazards and obviously need to be dealt with somehow, something about them makes me feel kind of good. Maybe it's because seeing two of these on one block fuels my fantasy of a return to an edgier New York City. If this happens often enough, maybe I'll be able to afford to buy an apartment around here. Or maybe I just like seeing destroyed automobiles.

UPDATE: Apparently there was a car explosion on April 22 around 1 AM. Here's some additional information with pictures and video.

It's dead.

Well, they finally killed it.

It seems the NY State Assembly prefers that we continue to have everyone foot the bill of our congestion "tax" in the form of heavy traffic, pollution, and mass transit deficiency instead of having the minority of road users pay the price directly in real money. The privilege of the few has been put above the needs of the many. Congestion pricing was a plan that would have had a negative impact on very few New Yorkers and would have had positive results for nearly everyone (improved train service, new Metro-North stations, bus rapid transit, better cycling infrastructure, cleaner air, and faster commutes for those who actually need to drive, etc.).

The state assembly basically decided we don't need to discourage unnecessary driving into the city. Hell, if you subtract the sunk cost of a monthly garage and have just one passenger to split the price of gas, (or maybe you park for free with one of those [often illegal] placards), it might even be cheaper to drive to work than to take the subway. I can only conclude that they want us to drive into the central business district.

Next month is Bike Month NYC and May 16 is "Bike to Work Day." That's stupid. I bike to work everyday, why not give me and all the other cyclists (and transit riders) a break? Let's make May 16 "Take a Car to Work Day." I propose that the vast majority of non-driving New Yorkers either drive, carpool, or take a cab to work that day. Driving is the best option. The more single occupant personal automobiles the better (extra credit for luxury SUVs), but taking a cab is good too. I'm sure there's more than enough cabs to take millions of people into the city at rush hour. This is what NYC needs to transport our citizens, revitalize our health, and jumpstart our economy, right? Every man for himself.