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| Hackensack officials have asked residents, including those on Euclid Avenue, above, to move their cars so plows can clear streets of snow "from curb-to-curb." Cars will be ticketed and towed, if parking is prohibited when streets are "snow covered," the city says. |
By VICTOR E. SASSON
Editor
In The Record newsroom, the local editors' contempt for bus riders knows no bounds.
For decades, coverage of snow removal routinely ignored blockaded bus stops, and long lines of NJ Transit riders snaking through Manhattan's midtown bus terminal became a laugh line at news meetings.
In the months and years after Staff Writer Karen Rouse was assigned the transportation beat, she couldn't find time to report on NJ Transit's creaking local buses, patronized mostly by minorities who can't afford to buy cars.
Catching up
Now -- five days after the problem was reported on TV news -- The Record's front page catches up to dangerous snow mounds blocking riders' access to bus stops along Route 4 in Hackensack and Route 3 in Clifton.
Where was Dan Sforza, head of the local-news assignment desk, hiding out in a bathroom stall with one of the New York tabloids?
Where was Editor Marty Gottlieb, editing another one of those interminable Page 1 stories about the "bromance" between Governor Christie and some other GOP moron?
Where were Rouse and Road Warrior John Cichowski?
Christie love fest
Meanwhile, Gottlieb sent Staff Writer Melissa Hayes to Chicago to cover Christie's fund-raising trip as head of the Republican Governors Association (A-3).
Hayes, one of the governor's biggest boosters, uses a well-worn media device to blunt criticism of Christie -- putting the harsh assessment in the mouth of a Democrat:
"Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, a Democrat who made the trip to Chicago, described Christie as a 'political bully,' questioning how he couldn't know what some of his closest aides were doing" when they closed Fort Lee access lanes to the George Washington Bridge, Hayes reports.
Millions have been wondering the same thing, and readers wonder why The Record's reporters and editorial writers have been so blind to Christie's many faults since he took office in 2o10.
Coming clean
Three days ago, former Record staffer Tom Moran, now a member of The Star-Ledger's editorial board, said the paper's endorsement of Christie during the fall election campaign is "regrettable."
Moran said:
"Yes, we knew Christie was a bully. But we didn’t know his crew was crazy enough to put people’s lives at risk in Fort Lee as a means to pressure the mayor. We didn’t know he would use Hurricane Sandy aid as a political slush fund. And we certainly didn’t know that Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer was sitting on a credible charge of extortion by Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno."
Just awful
Some of the worst headlines I've seen appeared today in The Record's Sports section:
Pitcher perfect
Japanese righty basks in pinstriped spotlight
How did you find this out? Did you get a phone call?
ReplyDeleteI signed up for e-mails from the city. Look at the official Web site.
DeleteWith another winter storm predicted to hit the area early Thursday morning, the City Manager and the City Council are asking for residents’ cooperation to make snow removal from city streets manageable.
ReplyDeleteResidents are asked to move their cars from the streets if possible. Homeowners with driveways are asked to allow their tenants or neighbors to use their driveways until the plows have had a chance to clear the roads. If plows are able to clear the roads from curb to curb, there will be more room for emergency vehicles to pass and for parking after the storm passes.
If snow accumulates as forecast a snow emergency will be declared.
The city police department will be attempting to enforce the no parking laws on snow streets. The snow streets are marked with signs that say no parking when road is snow covered. Cars parked illegally can be ticketed.
The city does not want to ticket cars of residents so please, wherever possible move your car from a designated snow street until the street can be plowed.
The city, like most other municipalities in the region, is dealing with limited supplies of road salt. Snow streets and hilly streets will be salted first as will snow emergency streets.
In the case of a severe storm, a snow emergency may be declared and during that emergency non- essential travel by car in the city will be prohibited.
The city’s employees will be working as diligently as possible to remove the snow from our streets. We ask your patience and cooperation to get us through this latest winter storm.
It does not say cars will be ticketed.
My e-mail says. "Ticketed and towed.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope you are correct.
ReplyDeleteAbout what exactly?
Delete