By COLlive staff
Residents of the Crown Heights neighborhood are expressing anger over a construction project which will close off parts of a major street during the holiday of Purim.
The holiday is usually a very busy day, during which residents visit friends and neighbors to deliver Shalach Manos, as well as to gather for the festive meal in the afternoon, which leads to major traffic backups throughout the neighborhood.
This year, Purim falls on a Friday, which makes the hours available for visiting before Shabbos even shorter, and will likely lead to traffic congestion in the neighborhood, residents said.
Adding to this, a large scale street construction project, which is currently being done on President Street near Kingston Avenue, has blocked off a large portion of the street.
Yaacov Behrman, Director of the Jewish Future Alliance, told COLlive.com he informed the City’s Department of Design and Construction, which oversees the project, and the contractor about a year ago of the impending holiday, asking them to suspend work during that day. However the schedule of work includes construction during Purim, he said.
“In December 2024, we provided the DDC and contractor with a list of important holidays, including Purim, emphasizing the high pedestrian and vehicle traffic,” Behrman said. “Despite acknowledging this and confirming Purim on their calendar, a schedule released last Friday still includes construction on the holiday.”
Behrman said he has sent multiple requests to cancel, however “the DDC and contractor refuse to cancel construction on Purim, posing a direct safety risk to the community.”
“The contractor’s continued disregard for community concerns raises serious questions as they move into Kingston Avenue,” Behrman said. “We have lost all trust in their ability to be sensitive to the community’s needs and respectful of future holidays.”
What else is new? The probably decide next to put another 500 by city bike racks along the smallest streets of crown Heights leaving fewer and fewer and fewer precious parking. Lots parking spaces for the residence. Clearly, they do whatever they want.
It is very important that we increase the bike usage in the community and decrease car dependency
Ah yes. Let’s make mommies with babies and small kids and multiple shopping bags reduce their dependence on cars because a bike is supposed to be a solution
Ah yes. Let’s make mommies with babies and small kids and multiple shopping bags reduce their dependence on cars because a bike is supposed to be a solution
Do they make bikes that can carry eight kids together with their luggage?
How do you want the elderly to get around?
Try putting the boxes of food for a week on a bike.
There are many reasons that people use cars. It’s not up to you to decide what i should do with my life.
As an avid biker I don’t need the bike infrastructure they’re putting up. It’s a waste of money time and space.
I happen to agree with you on this one. If everyone starts riding bikes or walking, then we wouldn’t be having this issue. It makes absolutely no sense to just increase parking spots, and also, by adding more lanes for cars, it just adds to the problem.
This is the exact reason why NYC created community boards to oversee such projects in their community.
Brooklyn Community Board 9 is responsible for this
Community Board 9 is doing more damage then good (Shelters, Bike lanes, citibikes). Thank you Rabbi Behrman for calling them out
BH, we are not experiencing war.
Yes we are
The shelters are sakonos nefoshos mamesh.
The policies are destroying our lives.
This is asymmetric warfare.
Avdus mitzrayim began with too much taxes.
Every construction project in CH gets overseen by Community Board 9.
Last time there was unannounced “No parking for a movie” Lubavitchers cars got towed on Kingston and on Crown St. CB9 leaders said that it was a “misunderstanding” this is happening way to often. Lubavitchers are needed in Community Board 9 that can fix up and use common sense and when by initial meetings of wild projects like shelters to vote no
It starts with voting “No” on CitiBikes…
It’s vital that we increase the bike infrastructure in the city and in Crown Heights specifically to become less car dependent
Again. Who exactly do you envision using bikes that is currently using a car? Moms with kids and strollers? Bochurim who are already walking? The bikes are being used by people who would otherwise walk, not car drivers. And anyone with a shred of common sense would know that it was a ridiculous idea to begin with to expect less dependence on cars from a community raising as many young kids as we do. If you want more bikes move to Europe and leave the rest of us alone.
Cost of car ownership is easily $1k a month.
I know plenty of bochurim using citibikes daily to get to workplaces that they would NOT be otherwise walking.
Try walking to Ocean Pkwy, Williamsburg on a daily basis.
Many of the Citibike stations are not even taking up parking spaces, they’re on the sidewalk.
Families are not the only people living in town.
Simple!
if mothers of many children can’t have bikes, that makes sense. But many people just drive cars because they can lug more. You can literally buy a bike with extra storage, or just buy a rack for the back of your bike. This would reduce the amount of drivers that don’t necessarily need to drive, and make it easier for those with other passengers.
Vital to who? Your own ego?
We are perfectly fine using cars.
We should not allow them to do this!
Where is the leadership? This would never happen in Williamsburg
Will be blocked?
And when they finish on that block, they are moving to Kingston between President and Eastern Parkway – and that will include construction over Pesach.
This project has nothing to do with community board 9 and is not overseen by community board 9. Total nonsense.
Every major city infrastructure project has their plans discussed or at least informed to the heads of the local community board in that specific neighborhood district. The community board has the ability to voice their opinions/concerns etc. Before anyone in CH knew about this project, 100% the heads of the local community board (in this case, CB9) were informed. They can either say this neighborhood has a lot of Jews, let’s consult with the Jewish community leaders if this will interfere with any events/holidays or they can say project looks good. Remember 2 years ago when Kingston Avenue was ripped… Read more »
They step all over us, but then we’re told by voting we’ll solve all the problems… Blah blah
Vote with your head not the pockets of some community leaders
The residents of the block should simply park all their cars on the block on that day … it will take them longer to move them and not be able to do actual work… give them a taste of their own medicine .
are YOU ready to have your car towed?
Many times the street is open while they work.
They could continue working as long as the street remains open.
I saw an article/post about BoroPark experiencing the same issue…. Purim Road Repairs.
They’re fuming too. Not sure the outcome (yet) there.
I’m going to attempt to be respectful here.
There seems to be a pattern for ONLY specific neighborhoods. Causing issues difficulties inconveniences davka on holiday days. Especially those that we all use our cars this day running in delivering double parking for a few minutes. Yup a nasty pattern that needs to be dealt with in the strongest ways possible.
Happy Purim y’all be safe.
…… was publicized today. That through storms of pressure (letters emails phone calls etc) and political powers the construction and or repairs have been canceled for this week and be done next week after Purim. Hopefully this will be done in CH too……
I would just like to point out as respectfully as i can that there are many people who are on this platform who are actually doing useful things for the rebbe and Lubavitch such as Purim events etc… for this to be out in our faces is wasting our precious time and you should be more considerate next time, Thanks.
I hear your concern, but not every article is meant for everyone. If something isn’t relevant to you, you can simply move on. Additionally, just because someone is involved in something different doesn’t mean they aren’t doing valuable work in their own way. Everyone contributes in their own unique capacity.
What a shliach you must be that you don’t care about your own people. The Rebbe was first and foremost the Rebbe of crown heights and cared deeply about this community. And, if you care so much about wasting time, maybe don’t surf the web so much.
Why does it seem like the same broken record I’ve heard a thousand times.
Why do we always wake up a day or 2 before and realize we have a problem?
This should have been settled a month ago. I don’t know who’s in charge but whoever is, let’s stop sleeping on the job.
Just as a reminder, pesach is in a month and shavuos is 49 days after that.
We have good working volunteers in our community and let’s Start planning ahead.
Did you need to read Yaacov’s statement? He wrote that he confirmed in December that there would be no construction. However, the city announced it late Friday, and he immediately reminded them that they are refusing to budge.
Can we please have the name of the contractor so we can give them the appropriate “feedback”?
Dear New York, you voted for this.
That street is been opened almost yearly or every 2
Isn’t Eric adams our friend? Or do we need to give him gelt ?
This would never happen anywhere else, somehow the only frum community that has bikes on the streets is crown heights.
Someone needs to do something here.
Every Jew in New York needs to register as and vote Republican!! The 1970’s are long gone. Wake up and become a Republican. We need a Republican Mayor, Governor and even Republican City Council representatives.
We have mental ill people walking our streets .
Children of public schools walking around looking dangerous .
Waking up to rats rocking freely on the street .
And I live in a prime location here in Brooklyn avenue .
If not for 770 I would never live in this ugly toxic city .
Ty
There is another perspective. Make lemonade from the lemons. WALK. Forget driving on purim. Yes, lots of kids, packages, etc. Make whatever you want to happen, happen, by walking. Just give the people you can within your walking distance, what you can carry.