After the salt bags, raise plow signs and wool scarfs hibernate, the cafe awning mechanisms are greased and stoops are swept for impending voyeurs or occasional eater. The coming of spring in New York, and really anywhere seasons have a true environmental impact, is a renewed phase bring new clothes, eating habits, extroverted actives, friends and lovers.
For a home employed rep, that’s no longer involved in the day-to-day requirement to see customers, getting out of the apartment is a sanity survival must. I’ve set up a workstation on the roof deck where engaging business partners via wireless or cellular now comes with a tan. Still this doesn’t involve physical interaction with other humans so I make a point to spend 20-30 minutes as part of the neighborhood at the park, cafe, or on my building front steps.
European consumerists, rent stabilized locals, artists hanging on, and shop workers weave around SOHO and I’ve started to take some shots of my passing guests. A few weeks ago, I spun my head around 3 seconds too late to catch an Olive’s delivery man, take a passenger side cab door head on, and loose.
On Prince, Bloomberg has painted the north side of the street nuclear puke green for a bike lane, and restricted parking to the south side. This has created some unfortunate traffic pains, as now trucks for the local bodegas double park in the middle of the street rather than in the open bike lane, creating a funnel for cars, bikers and some determined pedestrians. Because of this plan, cabbies let out their fair on the passenger side, or in the middle of the bike lane.
Spring was teasing this day, and I was leaning in the doorway of my building, wiping my hands from of the street-meat taco deliciousness when I heard the smack of bikers helmet hit auto aluminum. The passenger popped out instantly to care for the biker and the waitress at the cafe came out with a bag of ice. Smartly the olive’s delivery guys wear helmets and the crash didn’t look to result in any serious injuries.
The cab driver eventually got out, concerned only with the passenger to pay his fair, and to scan the door line for any serious dents. With only a cheap shot jab to the biker, “Watch out asshole!”, the driver returned to position behind the wheel, reestablished the link between his phone and right ear, and barely glanced in the mirror as he drove away to catch the changing light.
There’s a little bit of blame to go around to all involved, driver, passenger and biker, but real fail here is the cab driver. Karma’s been known to come back to those that stiff cabbies, I’m certain, if not 7K61, some driver is getting karmic retribution.
Afterward, I thought, should I have done something more than shoot the aftermath. Did I do enough by documenting the event and effects of the new traffic patterns or should I have forgone photographic interests to help the biker as well. One photographer in China has been taken criticism from his community for taking photos of this biker’s accident by waiting by for it to happen; knowing full well there was a pot hole filled with the day’s rain water.
It’s the cities responsibility for planning, infrastructure and citizen safety (paid for by the citizens taxes); thus if citizens don’t speak up, report or inform in any format about negligence, then how will anything get improved.
In a cab ride last week I got into a Ford Crown Victoria and noticed the windows were covered with the new car listing and the ride was missing that distinct NY cabbie smell. In fact the ride was spankin new. Ricardo got to venting: Apparently the first of October is the last day cabbies can buy and run the Crown Vic in the streets of NYC so he and many of the other cabbies bought up the crown vics in both the defiance of the new law and for the extension of customer comfort. 
Also some of the new hybrids on the road are these