Page 7 - Gridlock Sam News Today

No, it’s not Halloween, but on Friday you will see children in costumes on the streets of Borough Park and Williamsburg celebrating the Jewish holiday of Purim. You may also see some adults dancing festively in the streets. Advice for drivers: avoid 13th Ave. in Borough Park as well as Bedford and Lee Aves. in Williamsburg.

There will be 22 hours of subway service starting Monday, Feb. 22. Hours will be extended by two hours starting tomorrow. The system will now be closed only between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m.

There’s good news and bad news. First the good; the MTA has tabled fare hikes on subways, buses and rail. The bad news: the MTA Board just voted to hike bridge and tunnel tolls by 7%. Now, I agree we need the money.

Happy Lunar New Year Friday! Expect more traffic in Manhattan’s Chinatown all week long. While no parades are planned, there will be a celebration at Chatham Square on Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., so anticipate a slowdown at the convergence of Park Row, Bowery, and E. Broadway

Big news for pedestrians (aren’t we all?) and bike riders! Mayor de Blasio announced Thursday that dedicated bike lanes are coming to the Brooklyn and Queensboro Bridges, freeing up the existing paths for pedestrians.

I warned in my last column that activity levels around vaccine sites will vary; sure enough, many had to close temporarily this week for lack of shots. Happily, they have now reopened. Gov. Cuomo says the state knows how much vaccine it can expect for the next three weeks, so hopefully conditions will stabilize.

Flushing, your busway has arrived! The year-long pilot, debuting 6 a.m. on Tuesday, covers the northbound lanes of Main St. from Sanford Ave. to Northern Blvd. and Kissena Blvd. from Sanford to Main.