u/Streetfilms

My favorite "unofficial" part of the Broadway segment #SummerStreets!

The Broadway segment was much better from a security/NYPD segment this third go around.

BUT as you probably know they cram all runners/peds/bikes to one side of B'way (unlike on Park) leaving one side completely open. While riding up and back I periodically noticed a peloton of riders jump on or delivery workers, etc go on it with NYPD basically ignoring them and letting them go. So I went over and for 20 blocks, taping THIS for the last dozen. Not one peep.

It was unlike anything I've ever experienced. Zero cars. Zero parked. Zero cross traffic. Nearly zero peds. Look at that! This is roughly from 120th to 112th with a gimbal in my hand until I joined back up on the actual course. NYC can be beautiful.

I covered this very briefly a few years back but this is my first adventure inside of one!

Today I had an assignment to help out with a video package for a group of runners using Summer Streets for training. I had another idea to shoot but had a mechanical issue on my bike so I found myself sans bike for over an hour and so I shot this instead as I was hanging around the viaduct.

I am still amazed this wonderful space has gotten so little publicity since it opened over a month ago. So much so I will be going back tomorrow to interview one of the designers, perhaps some of the people who work and hang out there and what the businesses along it think!

The incredible thing is I probably spoke with about 30 people (most allowed me to put them on camera) and only ONE said they thought 3 events were "about right". Everyone else wanted more from more summer events, both days of the weekends to year round closures (openings!) on different scales.

Just a bit of the video I collected yesterday on Summer Streets. The most incredible thing was that all of this footage was shot prior to 930am, I am sure it was even worse later! I hope they refine these intersections before next Sunday. It was chaos. I was at a few intersections (Canal and Houston) where it took TWO light cycles to clear thru (note: this did assist me in getting lots of interviews for my next video though, LOL!)

Just happened to be sitting in window eating lunch between 13th and 14th and saw NYC DOT crews finishing off the last block of striping so sprinted out and captured it. Why? I do not know. But rode it immediately after and looks fully ready for prime-time. It’s great stuff!

Enjoy! Just a little something I stitched together yesterday. Looking forward to the next 3 weeks in Manhattan. And BTW every single person I stopped to talk to said there needs to be more events that are longer, year round and even interconnected (one person said they wanted "Winter streets"!

I have so much overhead video of 9th Avenue in 2005 when I was helping with the fight for taking back lanes from cars with Checkpeds and the folks from Hells Kitchen. That and car-free Central & Prospect Parks were among the first videos I worked on when I started Streetfilms.

Telling the story of how Jackson Heights got its over policed open street, then taken away, how residents fought to keep it, the 100s of volunteers that help make it the way it is and all of the school streets, traffic calming, 100s of events per year and more make it so fantastic! Here is the link to reserve tickets: https://www.lpac.nyc/upcoming-events/close-encounters

After the big repave #bikenyc has been waiting for the protected lane return and it's here!

Saw them filling in the #FreshKermit on Skillman residential section this weekend.

Also have been seeing giant numbers of deployments of new trees going in along Jackson Heights to Sunnyside following the route from 34th Ave to end of Skillman.