By Joy Bergmann
Bikers beware: Big Blue will be watching – and ticketing – you in 2016, confirmed Lt. Matthew Bases of the 24th Precinct at its December Community Council meeting.
Increased traffic enforcement, especially bicyclists and motorcyclists, is a priority for the precinct, he said, drawing applause. “The cyclists are totally out of control,” said one local woman.
Police ramped up ticketing this year from 2014 levels, but Capt. Marlon Larin also noted at a previous meeting that they need to increase enforcement of driving laws.
Asked about hoverboards’ increasing presence on city streets and sidewalks, the lieutenant said the devices were illegal in NYC but “We haven’t started to target them. We don’t know how we’re going to go on that.”
The 24th has seen an uptick in bike thefts as well. Lt. Bases invited cyclists to bring their bikes to the precinct station to have them etched, aiding the return of stolen property, if recovered.
City Councilman Mark Levine dropped in to tout three pieces of legislation he’s spearheading:
- Require the City replace all NYPD bulletproof vests when their 5-year warranty expires.
- Make it possible to text message 911 emergency operators as well as send photos and video to 911, “New York is behind on this,” he said.
- Mandate the DOT [Department of Transportation] to do a study on potential traffic congestion alleviation if truck deliveries were not allowed during rush hours.
Debate soon returned to the bike issue with the usual UWS tennis match of opinions on a proposed Amsterdam Avenue bike lane, which Levine supports. “Counterintuitive though it may seem, losing a traffic lane does not cause the roadway to become more congested,” he said.
Robert Josman, council treasurer and frequent bike critic, asked Levine about Brooklyn Councilman Antonio Reynoso’s proposal to legalize what is known as an “Idaho Stop.” This would allow cyclists to treat red lights as stop signs and stop signs as yield signs. “I don’t like that idea,” said Levine.
Biking enthusiasts did get in the last word of the evening. “Bikes are great. They’re quiet and clean,” said one local man. “Think of all the meals delivered. If we didn’t have bikes, half the Upper West Side would starve to death.”
Photo of cyclist and officer (exact location unknown) by istolethetv. Image of Marty McFly on his hoverboard from Back to the Future II.
Great reporting on both lead stories.
Thanks for the update. Not to make light of the importance of increased enforcement, particularly of cyclists, but there should be a law about walking and texting. It is a real nuisance, and can be dangerous when someone is doing it while crossing the street.
Lets not forget the bikers that text, make phone calls and listen to music while riding a bike.
And there are already laws pertaining to cyclists about these activities. Next?
My co-worker was ticketed (not on the UWS) for talking on the phone while cycling through a red light. He got the talking on the phone part dropped because it isn’t against the law. The law only covers motorised vehicles.
Seems to only be a safety tip.
https://www.dot.ny.gov/display/programs/bicycle/safety_laws/safety-tips
There seems to be disagreement if such a law applies to cyclists.
https://gothamist.com/2015/04/15/councilman_treyger_defended_his_don.php
Yes,,,bikes are great and they are quiet and clean. They are also deadly weapons in the hands of those who just don’t care as they ignore all traffic laws.
Phyllis Conley: Another old person who has no perspective on what types of vehicles actually kill people on the Upper West Side.
VLM — I don’t know Phyllis Conley and I would bet that you don’t know Phyllis Conley either. So what gives you the right to call her an “old person” — or anything you consider derogatory? Grow up.
A quick Google search that reveals she’s old. It’s not that hard to use the Internet. And there’s a clear age divide among those who think cars are the best thing since sliced bread and those who would rather see the city’s street space allocated properly and pedestrians kept safe.
Hi VLM,
Don’t agree with your demographic assessment/assumption.
A few things…
Seems that most of the folks who utilize cars/vehicles on the UWS are the 30+ folks who grew up in the suburbs and moved to NYC at some point. In my building for example, the ex-suburban demographic, particularly the more affluent 30-45 group, have high vehicle use including frequent Amazon/Fresh Direct/Google etc delivery, their own cars used to shuttle kids to school or weekend usage etc (they sometimes drive out of the city to bike 🙂 taxis, and most recently heavy Uber use.
On the other hand, older UWS residents, many long-time or native New Yorkers, tend not to use vehicles as much – for example, fewer have cars, fewer use delivery service etc.
Lastly I will add that one of my kids was hit by a “regular person” cyclist who went through a red light. My kids (who I assume are much younger than you) believe most Manhattan cyclists behave really badly. My kids walk/use bus & subway.
So now you are Web-stalking people who don’t agree with you?
The argument that bikes kill less people is not a very strong reason. Increase bike usages a hundred fold and the numbers of people killed or injured will also be increased. Not stopping for lights or pedestrians creates additional chaos and complexity for all users of the street.
As I’ve repeatedly wrote on this blog:
NYPD and DOT statistics have shown that in the past 5 years, cars have caused 97% of pedestrian deaths/injuries, and bikes have contributed to the other 3% (mainly injuries, I might add).
What is the ratio of car miles travelled in the city vs bike miles? There are far more cars so your 97% to 3% isn’t an apples to apples comparison. I’m sure cars are more deadly but would like a better comparison
Your claim ignores reality and facts. It’s very hard to argue against it. Simply put, bikes do not kill people. You can count the number of pedestrian deaths caused by bikes in NYC over the last decade on less than one hand even as biking has skyrocketed. Plus, an increase in biking — which ideally correspond to a decrease in use of a mode of travel that does actually serious injure or kill people — would be a net plus.
I’m not convinced more bikes means less cars in NYC. Most people don’t use their cars for daily commutes and errands. They’d walk, use public transportation or a cab/uber. While you can say it results in fewer cab rides the cabs are still on the road even without passengers so what’s the net savings?
Do we disregard pedestrian concerns and their perception of safety? One of the unintended consequences of bicyclists not stopping for red lights is the high rate of pedestrians feeling unsafe crossing the street. Yes, cars kill people, but letting bicycle riders go thru red lights doesn’t make it any less so.
Phyllis, Couldn’t agree more. Those seem to feel totally exempt from any and all laws or common sense in public areas.
Riiiight because they kill and maim hundreds of people a year in NYC. Let’s focus on these “deadly weapons” and not the cars, because they don’t do any harm or run lights, or speed or careen onto sidewalks while kids are trick or treating or grandmas are walking their grandkids.
I don’t know what sidewalks you are on, but there are plenty of adults riding on the sidewalk on WEA, expecting others to dodge out of their way as they cruise along.
I’ve been ‘swiped’ by a bicyclist as I walked out my front door onto WEA. As a result, I can see one positive from the scaffolding that has been erected.
Exactly. Wish logic would prevail here. SUVs running lights, not yielding to crosswalk pedestrians, are far more likely to maim or kill us than a wayward bike. Everyone must obey the law, but the most utilitarian approach is to put the most resources behind making motorists fearful of summons.
I’m quite certain that in 2016, the vast majority of traffic resources will still be directed towards enforcement of motor vehicle traffic. This effort will simply seek to mitigate the bike lawlessness a bit.
Bikes are great. However, if they drive at top speed the opposite way of a one way street, at night, through a red light, whizzing through throngs of pedestrians passing on a cross-walk — not so much.
I saw a bad accident just two weeks ago; a delivery person was in the bike lane on Columbus Ave/72nd St, ran through the red light, and smashed right into an elderly lady. The screams of pain from her was awful.
I think bicycle/pedestrian accidents are being under-reported by the NYPD.
If the cyclists would just observe the law that prohibits them from riding on sidewalks I’d be a happy camper. I’ve noticed the worst offenders are not even the delivery guys. It’s the Lance wannabes and soccer dads who think West End Ave sidewalks are their space, and that pedestrians have to get out of their way. This is pissing me off big time. And if you remind them of the law, they either look at you blankly or give you the finger.
Just FYI, no one wants to be Lance. Trust me.
Huh? The biggest scofflaws are by far the delivery guys, and second the bike messenger/teenage single speed cyclists. The Lance wannabees rarely ride in the city, other than to/from the Park or the GW Bridge (down riverside.) Remember, while a cyclist can be harmful to pedestrians when riding recklessly, they are a bigger danger to themselves. Hitting a person or a car while on a bike can be very detrimental to the cyclist. The Lance wannbees are generally careful to avoid injury to themselves and their expensive bikes. It is the commercial deliverymen who earn a living on the bicycle and therefore are more apt to risk injury in order to speed up their deliveries to earn more $$.
I agree 100% that the worst bike riders are the delivery guys – they are totally oblivious to what direction a street runs in. However, the Lance Armstrong cyclists are not totally innocent. I live in the low 80s near Riverside and go to the park frequently with my kids. I frequently almost get hit by cyclists flying downhill on Riverside near me, totally ignoring the lights because they have picked up a lot of speed on the hill. Then they give me a dirty look for being in their way even though I am crossing with the light.
What about the delivery guys with their electric powered bicycles zipping at top speed the wrong way on streets all over the UWS?
Not sure if you’re just trying to sound PC but the delivery guys are BY FAR the worst offenders in my experience. I see at least 10 of them every night as I walk home from the 79th St. subway stop breaking traffic rules. Several weeks ago on went through a light and was biking the wrong way on one way street and nearly knocked over an elderly man (did knock his bag of groceries over). I helped this poor guy pick up his scattered groceries – he was really shaken.
As a “Lance wannabe,” I’ve never ridden on the sidewalk, nor have I see other Lance wannbes riding on the sidewalk. If you’re actually biking for exercise and trying to maintain speed it would be the worst place to ride.
I commend the NYPD for deciding to ramp up ticketing of bicyclists breaking rules. However, they should also ramp up the ticketing of pedestrians who flout the laws and make it more dangerous for the cyclists. I bike every day and I can tell you that during every trip I have to point out to pedestrians that they are crossing in front of me when I have the light.
I fully agree, and I don’t drive or ride a bike in the city. Jaywalking through red lights slows down the flow of traffic and ends up costing a fortune in energy costs when you see it across the whole city. The worst are people jaywalking strollers against red lights. Acting stupidly and risking one’s own life is one thing but risking injury or worse to a defenseless child is inexcusable.
Not all jaywalking through red lights slows things down. As long as no vehicle with the right of way is caused to change its trajectory or velocity in any way, jaywalking actually speeds up the city.
Bikers need to yield to pedestrians.
If the NYPD insiists on ticketing cyclists for coasting through red lights, they should also be ticketing jaywalking pedestrians.
They have ticketed jaywalkers on Broadway and 96th street. NYPD is responding equally to citizen complaints about bad bikers which is the right thing to do.
Don’t get me started on the pedestrian jaywalkers at 96 & Broadway! Ticket ’em.
Good grief. How many more locals will die or be injured by out-of-control drivers before the precinct will pivot and adopt a data-appropriate approach with publicly-funded resources?
Ticket honking drivers back into the Stone Age, but please knock it off with the cyclist harassment. You’re ignoring a crisis on your streets, NYPD 24 and 20.
Why just the 24 precinct. The 20 and other precincts have this bike problem too. This should be city wide.
And if hoverboards are illegal, why isn’t the law being enforced? If I run a stop sign or red light and get caught I get a ticket. The law is the law.
Same for electric bikes. I am sick and tired of complaining about them. They are so stealth like you can’t hear them coming!
So can someone please explain to me why certain laws are allowed to be broken?
To be clear I think the focus on bicycles is a disastrous waste of public resources. The 24 has written about 550 speeding tickets this year – that’s less than 2 per day – up to the last CB transportation committee meeting, while ticketing 873 people on bikes. And drivers have killed three people, all victims age 60 or higher, on the upper west side this year. At this point, I’d like to walk a single block in my neighborhood without watching a truck or uber driver speed through a red light.
I’d rather they just ban/tax cars at a much higher rate. Taxis, registered new class taxis (Ubers etc), people that have to have cars for work, and delivery vehicles exempt. All other leisure cars need to pay a congestion tax. Bikes are NOT the problem. Cars are: https://gothamist.com/2012/02/15/heres_why_drivers_get_away_with_mur.php
Please explain how be my disabled wife would be driven?
Like I said, exceptions can be made for people that NEED cars.
Cody,
Can you please work out some of this idea with anon? I would only want to Comment on a suggestion that doesn’t attempt to price out all but the wealthiest or who are in less fortunate circumstances.
I assume by a taxi driver, uber driver, car service driver or you in a zipcar/or a car you pay $280/month to park on the street. I should think that’s enough options for anyone to get around.
Along those lines I think that it would be a good idea for the city to charge $280 a month for a parking pass that lets one park on the street. The revenue could be put towards an affordable housing fund.
$280 a month is absurd. Get a clue — that’s what private indoor garages charge. However $280 a YEAR would be feasible and would earn my support IF they restrict this pass to NYC residents. Other municipalities already do this. We let thousands of cars from NJ and PA squat on our streets. Totally unacceptable.
I am coming out with an invention called a de-Seater (patent pending). Once deployed bike comes to complete stop launching rider for the ride of his life. Money back guarantee for pedestrian satisfaction watching that spandex idiot fly. Will be selling on amazon for 19.99.
parking in my building is 500 a month, 280 would be cheap
Scott, $280 a month is NOT absurd. First, it is below market rate (I pay over $400 /month to park my 10yr old Subaru inside). Second, have you ever paid to park your car in a parking lot on the upper west side for 4 hours? It can easily cost $30 for several hours. That makes $280 /month relatively cheap. Think about it again before you spout off and the revenue goes towards a worthy cause.
If you pay $400/mo to park a 2005 Subaru, all I can say is…sucka! No wonder you want everyone else to pay thru the nose, misery loves company. None of us who park on the street will ever pay anything close to $280 a month, that I can assure you.
They are not really from NJ or PA – many only have their cars fraudulently registered there to avoid NYC automobile insurance rates.
Which, in turn, raises my insurance costs. I am all for a $300 or so annual parking permit restricted to local residents.
Bike Ticketing – reality is NYPD will continue to focus on the safest cyclists running completely empty one way red lights w/ no one on sight, and will completely ignore delivery men going the wrong way while running lights in the dark. Cop told me as much, that if they try to pull over the most unsafe delivery guys they will run, which is a public hazard, so easier to just run up their ticketing numbers on people who will actually obey the police.
Waste of time/resources to appease the people who will complain non-stop no matter what the police do.
What are the laws on skateboarding?
They’re on the street going through red lights, weaving around pedestrians on the sidewalk. They drive dogs nuts and terrify fragile old people. They seem to do it with total impunity.
What is it with all you old people who can’t stand younger people living their lives in a vibrant city environment? Were you always this cranky or does it come with age?
Did your elderly parents raise you to be an entitled young twit or were you born that way?
May the force be with you.
We need to pass strict bike control laws and if you are on the do not fly list you should not be able to bike. The constitution does not mention pedaling a bike as a right.
Insurance, registration and don’t forget excise tax should also be mandated on the spandex mafia.
Agreed. Some riders can be problematic, but on the whole this is a terribly overblown issue. It seems many readers would be far more content in a gated community in Orange County, CA. The desire to control the behavior of others and mold them into their own ideal is very troubling indeed.
Your last sentence described the Democratic party and NYC govt perfectly.
Can we bring up the gated Community to CB7 during there next full meeting? Boundaries could be West 60th to 96th from CPW to Amsterdam ave
No cars or bikes within the gated community between 6am and 10pm. Photo ID to enter.
We will need to build a fence.
Regulate and police the delivery people on bikes and the newest residents here and tourists who think they can ride on the sidewalk often with their kids.
I am a frequent cyclist who makes Idaho Stops all over the UWS. I am not a terrorist on wheels screaming through red-lights, so I hope not to be swept up in this enforcement action. Believe me, I am more fearful of you then you are of me – I’m just as likely to end up hurt if there is a collision. But I stop and proceed through redlights the same way a pedestrian does. I won’t kill anyone – there is not 2,000 lbs of steel behind me, plus I have zero blind spots and a much shorter stopping distance. Cars (and the occasional crazy cyclist) should be the focus. I can only roll my eyes at the responses from Phyllis and her ilk.
Serious question because you sound like a responsible rider and a rational person (except for the touch of ageism in your post). Why is it necessary to make Idaho stops? Why not just stop at red lights and go at green lights just as cars and pedestrians are supposed to do (and admittedly don’t always)? Why do you need your own set of rules?
Mark, you make a lot of sense when you point out that driving rules designed for cars are not suited for bikes. Honestly, how do we get that changed? It would make more sense for bike rules to be designed for bicyclists.
O.K. I give.
There are many ways to get legislation enacted. Petitioning and asking elected officials to sponsor new rules. Requesting changes street use at a community board. Starting locally and expanding city wide by testing and modifying as new information is gained. Bike specific regulations are needed, but will everybody agree to or abide by them?
That’s true. For the year 2014, there were 12 total reported bike-ped crashes with injuries in the Upper West Side. Twelve for the year. I guess stakeholders are saying this can’t be the real number, that some injury-causing crashes aren’t reported.
Just in the month of November 2015, the 20 and 24 precincts together had 35 motorist crashes causing injury or death, and 286 crashes total, involving 320 passenger cars, 102 taxis, 39 trucks, 36 other large vehicles (from a pickup to a firetruck), and just 17 bikes.
I’m going to put some charts together with this data – the enforcement focus is so disconnected from who’s involved in these collisions.
The 24 increased its speeding enforcement in November though, writing 120 tickets for the month, which is great. Either speeding drivers flooded the precinct after Luisa Rosario was killed, or they wrote the bulk of these tickets in three days after she died.
The different stake holders (bicyclists, pedestrians, drivers, etc.) feel the NYPD is doing something wrong from their own perspective. Catching offenders is not an easy task. You cannot get all offenders and many will get away with it. Can we apply enforcement equally on a daily basis? Are we targeting the right types of offenses? Are we too inflexible or not rigid enough? Some additional bike regulations are definitely needed to manage the changing street environment.
That’s silly, nycissues. Legislation is on the books to enforce dangerous driving practices, but NYPD turns a blind eye.
First – safety. I am safer if I can get ahead of traffic, and establish myself in the lane. If I am established (i.e. visible), I am less likely to get hit/cut off etc. This is vitally important at the midtown end of my commute. Back home in the UWS, I’ll admit its more a matter of convenience, but I always give pedestrians the right-away and I certainly don’t drive into oncoming traffic. I don’t necessarily need my own set of rules, but the laws were drafted with the objective of managing cars and mitigating their inherent dangers (which are objectively more dangerous than a cyclist). So I ignore them to a limited and responsible (granted, in my opinion, perhaps not yours) extent… so I guess I wonder why the cars rules apply to me? What harm is their if I have my own rules (e.g. Idaho Stop – which is permitted in Paris, a similarly congested city)? Regardless, dangerous cycling could/should be ticketed.
TL;DR of Mark’s long-winded justification. “I don’t want to wait”
Good explanation. I get it. I wish other cyclists were as thoughtful about how and why they bend the rules, which admittedly were made with cars in mind. Starting with the guy going north in the southbound Columbus Ave. bike lane (which doubles as a pedestrian crossing at corners) who skidded into me last week as I started across at a green light. I think it will take a while until pedestrians, cyclists and drivers learn to coexist in this city, and maybe some safe-biking laws need to be codified. Meanwhile, ticketing the aggressive, the mindless and the inconsiderate bikers may help.
Mark,
Do you see other cyclists making Idaho stops? Honestly I see anyone come to a complete stop so rarely that I thank then for stopping.
Idaho stops are appropriate for rural and suburban environments that have low pedestrian and traffic density. Areas in Manhattan that have those characteristics can be identified and a clear set of street indicators would be needed to inform all users of the street that this condition exists.
A car going through a red light is much more dangerous than a bicycle going through a light. However, in my experience of living on the UWS for many years, bicyclists are much more apt to not pay attention to traffic laws. I know it’s only my experience but I estimate that 50 percent of bicyclists who arrive at a red light, go through it. They may stop but then they go forward through the light. I think the worst offenders are the bicyclists going the wrong way on a one-way street because pedestrians (and drivers) are looking towards the direction from which the bicycles, or cars, should be coming . The absolute worst are the bicycles going through a red light from the wrong direction.
I applaud the NYPD’s plan to increase traffic enforcement of bikes and motorcyclists.
True, bikes don’t kill people. The selfish rotters who ride their bikes without any concern for the safety of others and ignore traffic rules do kill people. Being hit by a bike going over 30 mph can cause serious damage and/or death. Enough is enough. I still advocate for licensing of bicyclists and mandatory insurance. Money talks the loudest.
Just this evening my wife was struck by a cyclist rolling through the red at 108th and Broadway. There was blood eveywhere and she had to be taken by ambulance to the ER to receive staples for a scalp laceration. In the 9 minutes we waited for EMS I counted 8 other riders who rolled or blew through the red WHILE we waited with the NYPD and NYFD folks.
Cyclists … it does NOT matter how observant you think you are. It does NOT matter that you may think the regulations are too strict. These are NY streets nit country lanes. You MUST STOP AND WAIT at the light. There is NO argument you can make that justifies sending someone to the hospital so that you can ride without interruption.
I try to be dispassionate when posting but enough is enough.
Eric, was the cyclist ticketed?
Good wished for your wife’s recovery
Yes.
Tickets shmickets. What I wanna know is who is the hot guy on the bike? perhaps a brother of the chicago shirtless runner?
Brothers from another mother?
Interesting photo choice with the black cop. Im sure if the cop was white there would be all sorts of anti NYPD rhetoric here. But with her pic there is none. Amazing. No talk of harassment or profiling. Wow.
Sorry..not telling on my fellow NYC residents because they are riding a bike or hoverboard.
But I will report asshole drivers since they are the ones with the lethal weapon that poisons the air at the same time!!!
I read through all the comments-
I support enhanced enforcement of bikes, cars, jaywalkers, wild dogs, crazed hover boards etc. Nothing will change. Cars will run lights and stop signs and on occasion hit a pedestrian. Bikes, whether driven by delivery people or upper middle class white guys (like me) will drive against traffic, wear dark clothing and no lights, run lights etc. And they will also take out pedestrians from time to time.
It ain’t gonna change. NYC teeters on the brink of incivility/chaos. The pedesterian (especially old ones like me) must be incredibly vigilant when crossing streets or even walking on the sidewalk. As they say, the city really is a jungle. Just as the homeless crisis (about 70% are mentally ill or substance abusers) won’t be solved or even ameliorated, transportation issues will remain. There is no leader who can wrap all these issues together and philosophically deal with the ‘decay’. Until then, my friends, you are stuck living in a pit. Thankfully my wife and I are only in our apartment three or four months a year so we can deal with it. God knows it has to be a bitch to deal with all this crap 12 months. Good luck.
Denialboy,
Are you sure that you should have to deal with all this crap for even 3 or 4 months a year. Remember life is short and yours is way too valuable to be wasted here.
Don’t you think you would really be happier never having to see this damned city again? Isn’t that what you want?
Go for it. You deserve better!
Thank you Danny for those comments.I appreciate your concern for our well -being.
If we were to permanently flee the city we would never have the opportunity to interact with that homeless mentally ill man that frequents the area around Zabars, or the panhandlers that love to interact with diners along Columbus, or those charming cardboard Hoovervilles scattered throughout the city. Too much to give up.
Just have to put it all in perspective. It’s a whole lot better now than the UWS in the 70s and 80s. It would be nice if more UWS residents had a more realistic view of what’s happening-I guess I don’t think all the project kids are wonderful, that it’s a boon to turn the 90s into homeless central or that any type of aberrant behavior is OK because these kids had a hard time growing up with little prospects for a fulfilling life. Give me a break!
Denialboy,
I HAVE given you a break. But how about giving the “project kids” and “homeless central” a break too. People deserve a handup.
Sorry about those cardboard Hoopvervilles getting in your way. What an inconvenience all this must be for you.
I do get it and am all for the provisioning of institutionalized services and hospital settings, which are gone now; taken away from people like the “Zabar Guy”.
But you understand that the Zabar Guy and all the others did not make that circumstance. You would do better fighting your government officials who closed those facilities, than with the mentally ill person off his meds.
You just don’t get it. Nothing wrong with a hand up; nothing wrong with providing assistance. However, when do you say enough is enough-when do you declare that this minority of the population is ruining life for the majority of the hard working individuals living in the city. Re the homeless, nothing being offered will have any meaningful impact. You can’t force the mentally ill to take their meds-all you do is support the merry-go-round where the Zabar guy is right back on the street-just a matter of time before he stabs a kid or an adult. The answer: put these individuals back in a secure setting where they receive 24X7 assistance, at the same time keeping them isolated. That’s the way it was pre-Geraldo Rivera. Do you think the current farce is more humane. The city has bent over backwards providing assistance to families and children-if you think the billions have really helped just walk by the housing projects along Amsterdam/Columbus after dark. Better yet meet them in the park.It’s not a race issue-it’s a class issue. I remember CCNY before Open Admissions–it really was a first rate college until the late 60s.
Well, if that’s how you feel … buh-bye.
We’ll all miss you.
Fair point, Danny. Unfortunately, it is politically incorrect to argue for the old regime of institutional care, and God knows, the UWS would never be politically incorrect. Ironically, it’s the UWS liberals (I used to be one of them), who pay the price daily for the tens of thousands of homeless/mentally ill roaming the streets.NYC is great-in six week doses, not 12 months.