A NEW DAY
A NEW YEAR
NOTHING NEW

Observe New Scotland Ave
from South Manning Blvd
to the Thruway bridge.

Evidence of speeding, reckless
traffic:

* the fire hydrant at corner
   of Buckingham hit and
   nearly uprooted

*  tire tracks on the lawn of
    Bethany Church and the
    curb island.. also several
    places further West

* the memorial wreath on
   the tree near corner of Euclid 

* stop signs recently installed on
   Buckingham Dr  are being
   run.. the resultant traffic
   back ups, at afternoon rush
   only add to air pollution and
   make it difficult for residents
   to enter or leave their drive
   way.

* other neighborhood stop
   signs are routinely being
   run

* speeding vehicles, including
   snow plows continue

Red Light cameras will do
nothing to stop this -

A proclamation by Mayor
and/or Common Council
that "all traffic laws will
be strictly enforced" and
directing the APD to do
so, will do the job.... and
bring more revenue to
city the treasury- as well
as contribute of the Mayor's
goal of making our neighborhoods
safer and more walkable

Enactment of a 25 mph
speed limit in city residential
neighborhoods, as was done
in communist NYC, would
help

LITTER AND GRAFITTI 
PARKING CARS ON FRONT
LAWNS

*  on the newly installed traffic
   signal box at Harding/New Scotland

* litter/parked cars on lawn
  group home  730 NS Ave

*  observe other similar
   happenings along NS Ave
   and tributary streets.

DYING STREET TREES

* broken limbs/branches
   fallen here and there

* most trees bear scars
  of collisions with speeding
  out of control vehicles

* excessive dumping of
   road salt, and improper
   snow plowing are factors
   in the demise of street trees
   and  dooms replacement
   trees to an early death

* pedestrians are more at
   risk from reckless, speeding
   vehicles, as trees are taken
   down, not replaced or
   replaced with flimsy twigs
   which offer no protection
   to pedestrians

* one of the 2 replacement trees
   planted by the City opposite
   Collins at NS Ave has been
   vandalized by punks under
   cover of darkness. The upper
   half has been broken off.

SNOW PLOWING HAS
GOTTEN WORSE INSTEAD
OF IMPROVING 

* as usual I shovelled my
   walks and driveway early
    and did my best to protect
   our young street tree from
   the tsunami of road salt
   sludge caused by speeding
   snow plows  hitting the
   snow/sludge build up that
   is left to accumulate in the
   curb lane

*  to no avail- around midnight
    the speeding snow plow struck
    leaving behind a wave of heavy
    salt/sludge over the street trees
    and sidewalk, filling in driveways

* I summoned a DGS supervisor
   who appeared with another DGS
   worker in a pick up with plow.

   As we were surveying the mess
   one of the culprits passed by in
   a big yellow  plow  truck.

   He was a gypsy hired to supplement
   DGS staff  with snow plowing.

   The driver of the pick up said
    "we are not all bad". I concurred.

    There are many fine DGS  and
     other City workers, such as those
     in the water department, who
     recently addressed a problem
     we were having.

    I offered to teach a course in
    snow plowing 101 ala former
    Mayor Whalen who had it right
    using slow moving, tandem plows
    which began clearing the streets
    as soon as the snow began to fall.

 But that was decades ago.

And homeowners here
face the specter of reassessment
and higher property taxes in
2015 and surrender of local
single family zoning to HUD?

Notice the 4 sale signs
sprouting up on neighborhood
lawns?

Good bye city property tax base
when present homeowners flee!

There much more to lament
but this is enough for now.

Happy 2015 all. Be sure to
pay your recently arrived
city property tax bills by
January 31.

Neighborhood residents who
want to be active in your
neighborhood association
and get things done - look
around your street- send me
your observations- I may
decide to print those that
are brief and to the point.

In any case, I am out there
walking the hood and will
post my observations from
time to time.

I challenge you to do the
same.

"See something-say something
post something"

You are all part of the 
neighborhood watch. 
Carry your cell phone
with you at all times. 

Observe what occurs on
your street during the day
and after dark.

Read this website for
numerous posts regarding
the poor condition of
Buckingham Pond Park
and needed actions.

                     Joe Sullivan