​#FREEBERRYST
The Current Situation
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In 2025, Berry St. Bike Boulevard continues to be operated during snow storms and heat waves - even when - the DOT suspends the program city wide.
Metal barricades obstruct sidewalks, curb-cuts, cross-walks and prevent cars from accessing residential spaces and businesses.
Most people use the sidewalk becuase e-vehicles fly over 25 mph in both directions.
There is no enforcement of DOT Open Street Rules and the Horticulture Society has been documented preventing cars from access to the "shared" street.
Accidents on Berry St. due to the DOT's negligence and designs are under-reported.
The design of the Bike Boulevard excluded the input of neighbors which included disabled and senior residents. Therefore, a lawsuit was filed in federal court for ADA (American with Disabilities Act) violations against the city of New York/DOT including their partners North Brooklyn Parks Alliance. Not surprisingly, the DOT partners are being represented by Transpiration Alternatives in court.
You can read more about the lawsuit here: NYC Access for All
Why Doesn't This Work?
-Violates the American with Disabilities Act which protects seniors and the disabled.
-Car shares and Access-A-Ride have refused to pick up passengers in front of their buildings or drop them off.
-Delays emergency response.
-Burden to residents accessing their home. Residents continue to be harassed and even assaulted by Open Street users.
-Mismanaged non-ADA compliant barricades stay up past operating hours. Condemning residents to live in barricaded neighborhood 24/7.
-Conflicts with sanitation schedule.
-Diverts traffic to all the narrow one way streets. Cars and trucks must circle around requiring more fossil fuels be burned
-Created a series of intersections being blocked by trucks, delivering to mostly restaurants and bars, refusing to move barricades.
-Is not utilized by more than 2% of community; Majority of the time it's empty and not used for the purpose it exists.
-Creates unsafe conditions with bikes, revels, mopeds, e-bikes blowing through stop signs and going both directions.
-Barricades never secured during severe weather (heat waves, hurricanes, snow storms, freezing weather, etc.
-Open Streets is treated like a "destination" which brings partying and crowds outside peoples homes on the weekends and at nights.
-Berry St. is an emergency route.
-Data does not support the claim that Berry St. needs traffic calming infrastructure or was unsafe especially compared to other streets in the district.
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This is What
Astroturfing Community
Looks Like
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According to Mayor Adams, who manufactured the position of a "Public Realm Officer," he is investing $375 million dollars of tax payer money to open spaces like "open streets."
Adams appointed Ya-Ting Lui, former director of transit advocacy for Transportation Alternatives, to the role of Public Realm Officer."
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Transportation Alternatives owned by billionaire Mark Gorton is now, along with Silicon Valley third party apps (uber, lyft, grubhub, etc.) in full control over what defines "safety" and how our streets are used and designed.
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When appointing board members to community board 1, Borough President Antonio Reynoso, CM Lincoln Restler and CM Jennifer Gutierrez openly give preference to affiliates, activists and lobbyists that are tethered to Mark Gorton's network Open Plans, Transportation Alternatives, Riders Alliance, etc. and the council members award discretionary funding to their organizations. They are displacing public representation with private interests and lobbyists.
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