The strike has come as a result of a stand-off between the city and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181. The union has alleged that the city’s plans for bidding on new contracts for over 1,000 bus routes could result in inexperienced drivers and pose a safety threat to schoolchildren.
Bloomberg has asserted that the union is demanding job protections that the city legally cannot guarantee, and has further made it known that the city’s exorbitant spending on bus contracts—$6,900 per student, or $1.1 billion a year—is unsustainable.

As of press time, neither side was willing to budge, and the thousands of children dependent on those yellow buses are finding their own way to school.

Play Ball?
The devastation of Hurricane Sandy is still actively present in Manhattan, especially in Battery Park City. With Little League season coming this April, the organization Downtown Little League is pushing for a particular repair: new turf ballfields in BPC.

According to DNAinfo, approximately 1,000 Lower Manhattan children have already registered for this upcoming Little League season despite the unusable condition of the fields. While Downtown Little League President Bill Martino has expressed his confidence in there being a full season this year, the required repairs have not yet been made.

Battery Park City Authority, the agency responsible for administering the necessary repairs, has officially issued requests for proposals to replace the destroyed turf. Even though the BPCA is taking all the necessary actions to get the ball rolling, they are not guaranteeing a successful completion by April 1.

This hasn’t satisfied Downtown Little League, and state Sen. Daniel Squadron and Speaker Sheldon Silver have both gotten involved to demand immediate action.

“With Little League season only a few months away, work has not begun to repair the Battery Park City ball fields,” Squadron said in a statement. “Let’s be clear: It is absolutely vital that the BPCA figures out how to get work started on the fields by the beginning of next month—period.”

The senator suggested employing a temporary option to make the fields available for players for this upcoming season and stressed that neighborhood families rely on the fields for their kids’ exercise and open space.

“Downtown Little League has already begun registering families for the 2013 season. It is simply not acceptable to tell the children of Battery Park City and Lower Manhattan that there will be no season this year,” Silver said in a letter to the BPCA.

The Downtown Little League Board of Directors issued a statement on its website that addresses the basic intention of all those involved.

“Our number one priority is the health and safety of our children and we are committed to providing them with a safe environment to play baseball and softball this spring.”

Walls Crumbling Down
A 194-year-old building on Canal Street has finally done what nearby residents and government agencies had feared and partially collapsed. According to DNAinfo, a wall within the building came apart last week, resulting in a metal roll-down gate falling to the sidewalk. It appears that no one was injured and, since this building has been vacant for years, that no one was inside.

New York City agencies have been informing Ponte Equities, the building’s landlord, that certain repairs had to be made to ensure the building’s stability. The Landmarks Preservation Commission decided that the building was in great danger of collapsing in 2010, and Ponte Equities promised to make repairs immediately. Department of Buildings records show that Ponte Equities had received building violations as recently as October of last year.

Compiled by Megan Bungeroth and Jessica Mastronardi

With the new law, private buses like this one would need permits. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

by Adel Manoukian

Governor Cuomo signed the Silver-Squadron bill into law this past Friday, signifying the first-ever permit system for intercity buses.

The law gives the city the power to designate bus stops, as well as require bus companies to provide information about the buses they are using, the number of passengers they expect to carry, and where they will be stored when not in use. Those who do not provide this information can face fines of up to $2,000 in addition to the loss of their permit.

This comes after State Senator Daniel Squadron and Speaker Sheldon Silver proposed the system this past June due to congestion, idling and overall safety concerns many residents in areas like Chinatown had.

Intercity buses are affordable but have been involved in a number of serious and sometimes fatal accidents. The agreement on the bill is part of an effort to bring stricter oversight to the industry and Silver, Squadron, along with Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan and Council Member Margaret Chin applaud Cuomo for signing the bill.

“By creating the first-ever permit system for intercity buses, we’re taking a big step toward protecting communities and passengers alike,” said Senator Squadron in a statement. “Our new system will bring oversight to the growing and important low-cost bus industry, helping to end the wild west atmosphere in Chinatown and around the city while allowing us to identify problems before they become tragedies.”

Commissioner Sadik-Khan agrees.

“Intercity buses are a lifeline for people and business. But intercity bus transportation shouldn’t turn our neighborhood streets into de facto bus depots. This law will help eliminate this legal blind spot and bring order to the free-for-all on our neighborhood streets and sidewalks.”