WE have perfect late October weather lined up for the LIC Halloween festivities this weekend. Cool enough to wear a heavy costume, but far from freezing in case your ghoul-wear tends toward skimpy. Why should I spoil the vibe then with my blabbering? Oh wait, here’s a scary story for the residents of LIC…
//ALERT: In the past month I have received a pair of “Notice of Liability” letters from the New York City Department of Finance. In more common parlance, these are camera-generated speeding tickets where a vehicle is going 10+ mph over the limit in a “school speed zone.” To be more specific, I was going 39mph vs. 25mph limit on Skillman Ave at 27th St. one Saturday morning, and 36mph (Whoa!) in a 25mph at Vernon Blvd and 37th Ave on a Sunday afternoon.
I’m writing this to alert readers to the proliferation of this new revenue-generating-scheme. Which is the only way to describe why the City has put it in place. Unlike traditional speeding tickets “There are no points associated with this Notice,” per the letter, and the fine is only $50 – less than a parking ticket. Thus it makes the infraction less about public safety and more about taking in cash. Fwiw, I haven’t received a speeding ticket in way over a decade and have logged 50,000+ miles in that time. Better yet, per the NYC Administrative Code attached to this legislation, it takes 15 of these infractions inside of a 12-month period1 before the driver is considered a road menace, at which time she/he has their license suspended must complete a safe vehicle operation course. Finally, the 25mph “School Zone” on non-school days/times and quite a distance from any school is nothing short of a money-making trap. Anyway, given the proclivity of car use by many in LIC, I figure I’d share this news and see what response, if any, I get.
//LET’S end on a good note by lauding La Guardia Community College’s being named the top-ranked Nursing School in NYS. Located here in LIC, the college is a great boon to a lot of people that live in other parts of Queens. Kudos!
2023 Best Nursing Schools in New York – we’re #1!
The Yankees, A Soccer Game, A Pizza: Three Migrants Bond In LIC – A love of sports and hometown heroes unites friends who met at a Queens hotel that houses migrants who have arrived in the city in recent months
A Korean Utopia To Go, at Little Banchan Shop – Mm-mm
Teen Busted With Loaded Gun At Long Island City High School – the headline says it all
- I can just see the municipal bean counters incorporating this new revenue stream into their spreadsheets to make the budget balance, and trying to optimize the correct number of infractions to garner the most revenue without incurring the wrath of drivers. This newfangled scheme has the mark of McKinsey all over it, whose google search tagline is “Partnering with clients on new growth journeys. Accelerating towards a more sustainable, inclusive, and growing future that works for all.” [↩]
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