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Brooklyn Bridge Fixes Causing BK-Bound Taxi Protest?
By
Ben Yakas
Published Oct 17, 2010
Modified Oct 17, 2010
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Oct 17, 2010
Modified Oct 17, 2010
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Have you been having trouble getting a taxi from Manhattan to Brooklyn recently? The Post has, and if the Post has a problem, them everyone must be having a problem. They set their crack team of hack scientists to canvass lower Manhattan, and found that nearly half the cabbies refused to take them over the bridge, which is currently undergoing infuriatingly extensive renovations. We're not that surprised, but hell, we have trouble getting cabbies to take us to the right destinations in Brooklyn anytime; once, we hailed a cab in Williamsburg to take us to the south end of Brooklyn Heights, and were dropped off in Prospect Heights.
But the Taxi and Limousine Commission says you can always call 311 and complain. Some would have you believe that 311 is the swiss army knife for solving such minor city problems; why, if you left your stuff in the back of a cab, they could help you retrieve it successfully, Mayor Bloomberg boasted on Late Show with David Letterman last week. The Daily News wasn't so impressed when its reporters tried it out; they left six backpacks in cabs, and were unable to locate any of them. But that's just because they weren't important enough: "The mayor said if you lose something like luggage - something of some value - GPS gives us another way to find your item, [and backpacks left by reporters are items] they would not conduct a search for," said Bloomberg spokesman Marc La Vorgna. But hey, 311 is still the best tool for complaining about pizzerias not giving you free tap water with your slice.
Tagged
311
brooklyn bridge
cab
construction
gps
mayor bloomberg
taxi
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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