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INSIDE: DOUBLE THE COUPONS TO SAVE YOU CASH Yo u r NeighborhoodYo u r Neighborhood — Yo u r — News Yo u r ® News® BrooklynPaper.com • (718) 260–2500 • Brooklyn, NY • ©2011 BROOKLYN HEIGHTS–DOWNTOWN EDITION AWP/10 pages • Vol. 34, No. 1 • January 7–13, 2011 • FREE INCLUDING DUMBO CRACKDOWN Cops to issue tickets for rogue two-wheelers By Thomas Tracy The Brooklyn Paper Call it a bikelash! They see you rollin’ MEAN The NYPD has been ordered to begin a borough-wide crack- City rules state that bicycle Streets down that will hit renegade riders riders must follow the same ve- The battle for Brooklyn’s byways for often-overlooked “vehicular hicle rules as car drivers. So File photo Callan by Tom offenses” like failing to obey with the NYPD about to launch and more people are turning in traffic signals and signs, breaking a crackdown, it behooves us all their Subarus for Schwinns. In to refresh our understanding of the speed limit, tailgating, and 2009, the bicycle advocacy group even failure to signal before the law. So, for the record, cy- clists can be ticketed for: Transportation Alternatives es- turning. timated that more than 236,000 Several police sources said on • Failure to yield to pedes- people bicycle across the five bor- F trians -ING MESS Tuesday that the strict enforce- oughs — 28 percent more than ment of safety and vehicle traffic • Changing lanes without signaling the year before. Repairs to elevated tracks will be painful laws — which apply the same to At the same time, the city cars as they do to cycles — will • Riding outside a bike lane (where one exists) has continued its Bicycle Mas- By Gary Buiso the Coney Island-bound route. $275 million and will conclude, begin in a matter of weeks, and ter Plan, which calls for 200 miles • Speeding The Brooklyn Paper The ongoing work along the mercifully, in 2012. that bicyclists caught breaking of new bike lanes across town those rules will be issued a mov- File photo by Bess Adler • Tailgating Beginning next week, a sub- so-called Culver Viaduct will Transit spokeswoman Deir- in the next three years. Once ing violation. way ride to and from some parts also force the Queens-bound F to dre Parker said renovations are Bad bicyclists beware! • Turning without signaling that’s completed, the Depart- of Brownstone Brooklyn will be skip the Fort Hamilton Parkway a necessary evil. Two-wheelers were stunned to hear that they had risen on the ment of Transportation plans to a real F–ing pain. and 15th Street-Prospect Park “The Culver Viaduct was con- stations through May 2011, ac- structed in 1933 and we really list of police priorities. the city and cyclists. — is treated with an even hand add about 50 miles of bike lane Long-anticipated station clo- cording to an advisory posted need to do these repairs, and re- “They should focus on drivers, “Mayor Bloom berg will have by police. each year until 2030, when it is sures and diversions to accommo- on the Metropolitan Transpor- place steel and concrete,” she because frankly drivers have as much luck getting the NYPD “Cyclists need to obey the law, anticipated that the bike network date the rehabilitation of the crum- tation Authority website . said. “We apologize for the in- more potential to cause harm to enforce these violations as he just like any other street user,” will be finished. bling Smith-Ninth Street station To access those stations, strap- convenience, but this is work that than cyclists do,” said Lacey did getting the Sanitation Depart- said Caroline Samponaro, a It also comes as some Park finally begin Jan. 10, with Queens- hangers will be forced to travel really needs to be done.” Tauber, a Williamsburg resident ment to shovel this past snow- spokes woman for Transportation Slopers are lashing out against bound trains skipping that stop past their stop and then double In the short term — this week- and rider. storm,” said Herzfeld. Alternatives. “But the NYPD the city’s bicycle lane program, entirely until May 2011. back using the F or G trains, end, Jan. 7–10 — there will be Cycling activist Baruch Herz- Officially, of course, bicycle needs to prioritize enforcing the most recently with protests on For service to and from the sta- which will stop on the express no F service between Jay Street feld predicted that the enforce- advocate groups have begrudg- dan gerous behavior of all street Prospect Park West, where the tion, riders can use the G train, tracks at Church Avenue and and Stillwell Avenue. The train ment policy itself will be “danger- ingly endorsed the increased users, whether they be cyclists bike lane remains a lightning rod, which will stop at a temporary Seventh Avenue stations. will be replaced by free shut- ous” and “inefficient” and could enforcement — as long as or drivers.” with opponents complaining that platform on the elevated portion of The entire project will cost tle buses. further strain relations between every driver, in car or on bike The crackdown comes as more See BIKES on page 8 City: ‘Shoot the Freak’ demolition premature By Alex Rush ing a permit to do so. “We’re dealing with a com- til all eight businesses are legally The Brooklyn Paper The Italian-based outfit is now pany that doesn’t play by the evicted. The pending court case Coney Island’s amusement op- facing a token $5,000 fine for rules,” said Berlingieri, who brought by all eight businesses has erators improperly demolished the demolition, which is con- has become the public face of slowed down that process. Indeed, the “Shoot the Freak” booth on sidered premature until a legal the eight Boardwalk businesses, Ruby’s, a Depression-era watering the Boardwalk late last year , the challenge to Shoot the Freak’s including the taverns Ruby’s and hole, is still open for occasional city said. eviction is heard next week, ac- Cha Cha’s, that were evicted in business, including warming up The Department of Buildings cording to city spokeswoman Jen- November. “We shouldn’t be the Polar Bears after Saturday’s last week cited Central Amuse- nifer Gilbert. ousted like this.” New Year’s Day dip. ment International, the theme As such, Shoot the Freak owner Central Amusement has a Central Amusement issued a park operators, for demolishing Anthony Berlingieri was ready to 10-year-lease to fulfill the city’s statement saying that the com- the beloved paintball attraction pull out a paintball gun and start vision of a revitalized Coney Is- pany will “fully cooperate with Photo by Paul Martinka on Dec. 22 without first obtain- firing (that’s a metaphor). land, but can’t move forward un- the investigation.” The Shoot the Freak game in Coney Island was wrongly demolished, according to the city. Church standoff ‘Cape’ caper Police show Statues shill for new NBC series up in force in By Andy Campbell lumbus at Borough Hall; Gen. Edward The Brooklyn Paper Fowler on Fulton Street in Fort Greene; Dyker Heights Holy advertising scheme, Brook- and George Washington at the foot of lyn! the Williamsburg Bridge, started wear- ing the superhero garb on Wednesday NBC draped four Brooklyn monu- By Thomas Tracy in an attempt to garner ratings for the The Brooklyn Paper ments — ones dedicated to actual leg- series, which begins on Sunday. An 18-year-old thief sparked a tense ends, like late 1800s Rep. James Samuel The idea is for the series to bask two-hour standoff with police when Thomas Stranahan — with black capes in the reflected glow of our borough’s he launched a New Year’s Day raid on in a week-long promotion for its upcom- genuine heroes. But locals weren’t buy- the borough’s only Coptic Orthodox Community Newspaper Group / Andy Campbell ing TV show called, “The Cape.” ing it. Church — hours after a Coptic church Christopher Columbus at Bo- The statues, including Stranahan in “It’s a fricking cape — what does bombing in Egypt put the NYPD on rough Hall on Wednesday. Grand Army Plaza, Christopher Co- See CAPES on page 8 a terror alert. Michael Agivi, a former congregant of the Coptic Orthodox Church of St. George in Dyker Heights, picked the not yet opened at 18 Commerce St. Photo by Paul Martinka near Columbia Street — is set to re- wrong day to break into the sacred Cops prepare to enter the Coptic Orthodox Church of St. George ground at the corner of 11th Avenue during a Jan. 1 standoff with a thief hiding inside the Dyker place the grocery store-sized party and 67th Street: Hours before his 11 STRIP POKER hall, Hello Brooklyn, where Sun- Heights house of worship. am break-in, terrorists bombed a Cop- day night crowds once spilled onto tic Church in Egypt , killing 21 con- Will new ‘burlesque’ club be legit? sidewalks and management was last gregants. “[The Egyptian terrorist attack] then smashing a back bathroom win- year arrested for selling booze with- That explains why a mini-army of happened,” said Father Luke Awad. dow. By Natalie O’Neill comedy club,” but neighbors suspect out a license. cops, including officers in a helicopter, “So the police had an idea that some- After receiving the robbery tip, The Brooklyn Paper it will morph into yet another rowdy a team of armored cops sporting au- thing could happen here.” cops converged and cordoned off The new operators of a notorious watering hole that will keep them up Neighbors are already lining up tomatic weapons and a K-9 unit, con- Police believe that Agivi had en- the area, entering the church with Red Hook bar want to transform the at all hours.

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