Comments on: Imagine CIA – The Survey

By: bklynartiste

bklynartiste — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 16:26:58 +0000

I only have to walk ONE block to CTown… and I HATE it. It prevents me from going there sometimes just thinking about the hassle of manuevering around all those grease pits, cars, and blatant parking on what should be a public sidewalk!

By: Ditmiss

Ditmiss — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 15:40:13 +0000

I took the survey and said I think planting trees and enforcing traffic and parking would be a great start, along with a median strip. Maybe if it looks nicer and traffic is safer, people will actually want to walk along CIA which would attract more businesses etc… I’m still loving the new planting down at the circle. Don’t see why that couldn’t extend up CIA, other than, well $$$.

By: William

William — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 02:05:24 +0000

I am sorry for getting all huffy Brenda.

By: Brenda from Flatbush

Brenda from Flatbush — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 23:01:56 +0000

Harrumph, lest I be obliquely accused of “negative B.S.,” let it be known that I have taken the survey and shared my deathless thoughts in all good faith. I want it to be like the commercial now, instant gratification: “Windows 7 was my idea!”

By: Rugby

Rugby — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 20:09:25 +0000

The survey is very short. Better to complete it with your comments and hope for improvement than to lose hope altogether.

By: william

william — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:56:05 +0000

I agree that i would like to see something actually happen, and that means that i am going to participate in every way I can to make that happen.

Brenda, I think the purpose of the survey is to get people who actually live here (us) to start talking about what we would like to see in our neighborhood. I think that no effort or thought has been made in quite a long time and that’s why Church and CIA have a “who gives a crap” appearance. The solution to making our neighborhood a better place for all of us is not to declare trying to start a discussion or make some sort of effort for a neighborhood with “no realistic prospects of change” useless. If you think both of these places are fine the way that they are, than you should fill out the survey with that view. I think you will be in the minority. I for one am willing to do whatever I can to see my neighborhood be a more successful, happier, healthier place. Pratt and Paula Crespo want to help it, let’s let them.

And this isn’t just about Church and CIA. A healthy, happy, successful Church and CIA will do nothing but good for Cortelyou, Flatbush, and Kensington that surround it.

It’s up to us to make it happen. I don’t want to see any more negative B.S. on here.

By: bklynartiste

bklynartiste — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:59:05 +0000

PS I did do the survey. And I like the way the questions seem to appear they’re going to address problems like car parking, traffic violations, more trees, etc. Let’s hope we actually see these changes.

By: bklynartiste

bklynartiste — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:50:10 +0000

Good points Brenda. I, too, wonder how this survey is going to address some “real change” issues. It’s true that the businesses THEMSELVES need to have a vested interest in promoting the change on their street. Brenda is right: many of them don’t see a need for cleaner streets, trees, better mobility for cars, bikes, or even people, and therefore, any “imposed” changes (unless enforced through fines and such), will be minimal and not truly deal with the problems to make a noticeable difference. For all we know, the business owners are going to complain that they can’t triple park, that there are pesky cyclists, or that things are “just fine the way it is”.

If Paula Crespo or someone from the Pratt Center for Community Development could outline what exactly this survey is going to do and the actions it will spearhead, it may make us all feel like there’s going to be a pro-active stance in REAL changes.

By: Brenda from Flatbush

Brenda from Flatbush — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:24:36 +0000

We rolled out a similar effort last year around the Church Avenue BID and the eventual end result was: some vague offer to help the strip’s underwhelming merchants with improved SIGNAGE. As if that were the real problem–a better sign for the ratty bodega or the Chinese take-out dive. I confess to being somewhat cynical about these surveys; they raise the illusory hope of being able to wave a magic wand over an area that has no realistic prospects of change whatsoever. Often, that is because they are “working” just fine for the people who could actually change them (irresponsible business owners, contractors and day laborers doing their thing, neglectful traffic cops, perhaps even paid-off inspectors, and loyal patrons of the commercial strip whose esthetics are cheerfully non-offended by its glaring shortcomings). If the area’s most immediate stakeholders don’t feel a need for, say, trees…it is doubtful they will get any, because it takes a lot of on-the-ground lobbying to get trees and other amenities. I suspect that, to many CIA businesses, a street tree would be just a lost sidewalk parking space…

By: carissa

carissa — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 14:34:39 +0000

thanks for posting this- the survey took about 4 minutes.