Ross Sandler, Center for New York City Law Director
Past engineering geniuses built the great subways and railroads of New York City. On May 23, 2017 Governor Andrew Cuomo issued a call for new geniuses: the MTA Genius Transit Challenge with a prize of $1 million for the best genius ideas that will improve public transit. The three categories for genius input are modern signals to move trains faster through the tunnels, methods to buy new subway cars and fix the old ones faster, and an underground communication system worthy of the 21st century. I would add one additional category for genius thinking: financial resources for public transit. (read more…)
Council Member Ben Kallos. Image Credit: William Alatriste for the City Council.
Ten bills will be aired for public opinion to place restrictions on and revamp the processes of the Board of Standards and Appeals. On December 6, 2016, Council Member Ben Kallos introduced five new bills regarding the oversight and operations of the Board of Standards and Appeals at the City Council’s stated meeting. The Board of Standards and Appeals, which was originally created to be an independent board tasked with granting “relief” from the zoning code, is empowered by the Zoning Resolution and primarily reviews and decides applications for variances and special permits. (read more…)
Former Commissioner William J. Bratton
On Friday October 7, 2016, the Center for New York City Law at New York Law School hosted the 137th CityLaw Breakfast. The event speaker was Former Commissioner of the NYPD, William J. Bratton. The event was specially sponsored by Tonio Burgos and Associates. (read more…)
Ross Sandler
November 15, 2015 marked the 75th anniversary of the opening of the Queens Midtown Tunnel. The tunnel is an indispensable link between Manhattan and Queens, the Long Island Expressway, and JFK and LaGuardia airports. Its four lanes carry 80,000 vehicles a day. Few drivers in these 80,000 vehicles, however, were likely among those breaking open champagne bottles in celebration. Drivers are more concerned with getting in the tunnel, creeping through the tunnel, and getting out at the other end, at a toll of $8 per trip.
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Ross Sandler
On Thursday, March 20, 2014, a lively audience filled the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College to discuss Mayor John V. Lindsay. The occasion was the publishing of Summer in the City, John Lindsay, New York and the American Dream, edited by Hunter College Professor Joseph P. Viteritti. The audience came to hear two star-studded panels, the first moderated by Sam Roberts of the New York Times with Richard Ravitch, Lilliam Barrios-Paoli and Vincent Cannato. The second moderated by Errol Louis of NY1 and featuring former close Lindsay aides, Sid Davidoff, Ronnie Eldridge, Peter Goldmark and Jay Kriegel. The audience was not disappointed. (read more…)
Ross Sandler
More and more tort cases involve bike riders. Three recent cases demonstrate that injured bike riders may have difficulty in court.
CityLaw reported a case, 19 CityLaw 100 (2013), involving a bike rider in Fort Washington Park who encountered Sanitation workers cleaning graffiti. The workers had coned off the area, and the biker, to avoid the cones, rode onto the grass where he fell and broke several teeth. The Appellate Division dismissed his claim against the City. The actions by the Sanitation workers were part of a discretionary governmental function and were, therefore, immune from liability. This is an established judicial precedent for traffic applied to a bike rider. (read more…)
