The following article appears in Sunday’s NY Post:
A group of Brooklyn Hasids, furious that city transportation officials put bike lanes in a school drop-off zone, have defiantly put up their own traffic sign to detour motorists – and have also vowed to block cars with school buses.
The 4-by-8-foot sign along Kent Avenue in Williamsburg directs motorists a block east to Wythe Avenue as an alternate six-block route to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.
The decision to hang the unsanctioned “Detour Route” sign was sparked by the city’s decision in November to eliminate parking along the bustling roadway in favor of new bike lanes heading north and south.
Even though the sign was hung on private land near the Broadway intersection, it isn’t kosher with the Department of Transportation.
“Only the city can establish detours,” said DOT spokesman Scott Gastel, who would not elaborate on any consequences the culprits could face.
Adding to the controversy: The sign notes that buses hired by Hasidic schools will defy traffic rules from 8-10 a.m. and 4-6:30 p.m. weekdays by “angle blocking the road and bike lane for safety” as children leave and enter classes.
“Due to the bike lane and parking problem created by NYC Department of Transportation, we urge all drivers to use Wythe Ave. as your alternate route, so you have no delays when the buses are picking up and dropping off kids,” the sign says.
Hasids say they will also hand out unofficial advisories to drivers along Kent Avenue every day.
The Post reported in September that some South Williamsburg Hasids were trying to block construction of the new lanes because three other neighborhood bike paths were attracting scantily clad female cyclists.
The bike lanes are popular with North Williamsburg hipsters – many who ride in shorts or skirts in warm weather.
Hasid community activist Isaac Abraham said the decision to hang the sign has nothing to do with the battle between the Hasids and hotties, however. He says it’s about protecting kids from bikers who ignore traffic laws.
“They are like birds flying by and dropping manure,” said Abraham, who said his spouse was struck by a cyclist.
Residents also say the bike lanes and lack of parking are causing local businesses to suffer because they’re losing deliveries – even from UPS and FedEx.
Phil DiPaolo, a local activist, said DOT created the mess by promising to create new parking spaces along side streets to make way for the Kent Avenue bike lane and then reneging on the spaces.
However, he believes the Hasids shouldn’t break the law to make a point.
“Bicyclists should have a right to safe passage, but businesses should have ample parking,” he said.
(NY Post)
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11 Responses
who do these politicians think they are? They are supposed to be representing and carrying out the will of the people who elected them.
I am baffled that after all these years they dont correctly spell the word CHASID. They know they could do it but yet these b’haimos spell it HASSID.
this is a lomdishe example of the satmar rov ztvk’l’s outcry of hisgarus beumos – he made it clear, as did our mesorah before him with for 3000 years with the exception of mizrachi, that under no circumstances may yidden rebel against goyim, they cannot demand their so-called ‘rights’ and the like, as chazal say, we are as one sheep among 70 wolves. However, the meforshim point out that by chanukah, this was allowed since it was a ruchniusdige threat – they were trying to stamp out torah – so too here, normally, if it were just parking issues, we wouldn’t be able to rebel, but now that they’re trying to inject tumah into the heilige kehillah of williamsburg, it’s time to stand up and not tolerate pritzus.
Reb yoel would be proud.
Kol Hakovod to these heilige yidden standing up for tznius.
Unreal, These guys think they are in Israel they will burn tires, put up signs, mass demonstrate and the police and government will give in to their demands. Let us see what will happen.
givemeabreak – he meant that ‘hasid’ has a negative connotation, it makes us sound weird to goyim, and the way they pronounce it is nothing like the sephardim.
GMAB,
The point is that they KNOW what the word REALLY is and they know how to spell it too. Why they insist on spelling it the old way I dont know (that not true, I do know but I wont say it here).
Righteous Gentiles care about modesty as well.
bacci – maybe you cant impose them on others, but you sound, and i mean no offense, just like one of them. When it affects us, we need to stand up – if they want to have pritzus in their homes, well, we cant do much about that, but when it comes to things that destroy yiddishe neshomos, we need to take a stand.
And that does not matter what morals you have – a neshoma is a neshoma, and it is damaged by certain things, regardless of what you ‘hold’.
That is why they are protesting the pritzus, not because it’s wrong – trust me, if yidden were trying to impose torah on goyim, we would protest literally everything in american culture, the point is, we dont want to be affected and damaged by their pritzus and tumah – that, we have a right to demand.
oh, and dont even try with the ‘just dont look’ goyishe nonsense, since it doesnt take much knowledge of chazal to know that our whole system of halacha screams against that perspective, i.e., going to a church, now, how ,many of us would seriously worship yushke if we stepped into one? not many, but the damger is so great, that we need to take precautions – lo sasuru is a LAV according to every rishon and acharon in the world,(see mishnah berurah on lo sasuru), and it is one that is very easy to transgress – perhaps easier than avodah zara, so we need to be very, very careful.
Matisyohu28,
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