City slows down West Side Highway
BY GABE HERMAN
A large stretch of the West Side
Highway is getting a lower
speed limit as part of an effort
to improve traffi c safety under the Vision
Zero program, offi cials announced
on Oct. 10.
Starting Oct. 12, the speed limit will
drop from 35 mph to 30 mph from Battery
Place up to 59th Street — an area
that has had 10 traffi c deaths since
2013.
Other changes include extending
walk times for pedestrians at several
crosswalks; adding curb extensions at
intersections to keep cars from turning
too close to sidewalks; adding rightturn
traffi c signals for cars; and installing
speed cameras. Most changes will
be implemented in the coming weeks
and done overnight to minimize traffi c
disruptions.
“With the growth of Hudson River
Park and the Greenway, the country’s
busiest bike path and … great gathering
places like Chelsea Piers, it is quite
clear that the old ‘West Side Highway’
is now more boulevard than highway
— and this new speed limit refl ects that
evolution,” said Department of Transportation
Commissioner Polly Trottenberg.
A 2017 effort by local elected offi -
cials and community boards asked the
state’s DOT to study the road’s safety
from Lower Manhattan to Midtown.
The new traffi c changes from state
and city agencies are a response to that
study that found that conditions could
be made safer, according to a rep for
State Senator Brad Hoylman.
“I am thrilled that New York State
is responding to our calls for safety enhancements
by making crucial changes
to the street design and by working with
New York City to reduce the speed limit
on the West Side Highway,” Hoylman
said. “These enhancements will protect
New Yorkers from harm and create a
safer West Side Highway for pedestrians,
bicyclists and motorists.”
In lowering the speed limit, the state
DOT cited a nationwide study which
found that reduced speeds in cities can
signifi cantly lower pedestrian deaths
and injuries. The state agency has asked
the NYPD to increase enforcement of
traffi c violations along the road.
“The reduction of speed of the West
Side Highway by 5 mph to 30 mph may
not seem like a lot,” said Congressman
Jerrold Nadler, “but it cuts the chances
of pedestrians dying from being hit by
a vehicle in half.“
John Lennon Bus rolls through Chelsea
BY GABE HERMAN
The John Lennon Educational
Tour Bus is in the midst of a
month-long residency in the city,
giving students and community groups
throughout the boroughs a chance to
record in the nonprofi t’s studio and
promote activist causes.
The nonprofi t, in its 22nd year, offers
a state-of-the-art mobile facility and
free workshops on using digital media
equipment. Three on-board engineers
help students through the process of
creating and recording original songs,
music videos, documentaries and other
video productions.
This is the sixth annual “Come Together
NYC” residency for the bus.
This year’s theme is “Imagine a City
with No Gun Violence,” highlighting
that there have been over 1.1 million
gun deaths in the U.S. since John Lennon
was killed in 1980. Lennon would
have turned 79 on Oct. 9.
At a Sept. 16 event at City Hall,
elected offi cials, Bronx-born musician
Prince Royce and over 200 city
students joined Yoko Ono Lennon to
launch the month-long NYC residency
for the bus.
“John would be very proud to know
that this project encourages young people
everywhere to embrace their creativity,
Students from Chelsea’s LAB School and Hudson High School on the
Lennon Bus on Oct. 2.
and share their ideas for ending
gun violence,” said Ono Lennon. “I am
so happy to be celebrating the Lennon
Bus’ 22nd year.”
The Bus’ NYC stay has included an
Oct. 2 stop at Chelsea’s Lab School
for Collaborative Studies and Hudson
High School, both at 333 West 17 St.
Students from the Hudson and LAB
schools created an original music video
for a song called “Words Speak More
COURTESY JOHN LENNON EDUCATIONAL TOUR BUS
Than Bullets.”
Speaker Corey Johnson, who represents
Chelsea, said in a statement about
the nonprofi t bus, “John Lennon’s genius
and commitment to peace is an
inspiration to me and billions of people
around the globe, and I am so proud to
welcome the John Lennon Educational
Tour Bus this year.
Footwear
frenzy hits
this Soho
shoe store
PHOTO BY TEQUILA MINSKY
A police officer stands guard
outside the Totokaelo store in
Soho on Oct. 10.
BY TEQUILA MINSKY
Hundreds of people seeking
the hottest new Nike sneakers
overwhelmed a Soho
store on Thursday to the point that
cops had to be called to disburse
the crowd.
The footwear frenzy took place
at 11 a.m. on Oct. 10, when offi cers
were called to Totokaelo, located at
61 Crosby St., to respond to an apparent
ruckus that broke out inside
the store.
Scores of people lined up at the
store to get their hands on the new
Nike X Sacai Blazer shoe. Listed
at $140, online scalpers have been
known to sell the sneakers for as
much as $385.
About 60 to 80 customers were
inside the store when the cops came
in to clear it out, according to one
Strategic Response offi cer at the
scene. Another 200 people outside
the shop were sent away.
By 11:20 a.m., police had blocked
entry into the store, and by noon,
the shop was cleared and closed.
Schneps Media October 17, 2019 3