Meet Chadd Roberts: A True Bicyclist of New York City

Chadd in Rockaway Beach, Queens, N.Y. - Courtesy of Chadd Roberts

While studing urban planning in college you have probably came across the book: Bicycle Diaries by David Byrne. It is a collection of Byrne’s thoughts about the urban realm, in cities across the world, from his perspective as a bicyclist- the good, the bad and the ugly.

When we think about bicycling in New York, we often think of Citibike used in the streets of Manhattan for short work and leisure trips. It is rare that we meet people who extensively use this mode of transportation in the city’s outer boroughs.

Who is Chadd Roberts?

With approximately 700 square miles of residential, commercial, industrial, Chadd’s pictures proves that New York City is far from homogoneous and documents the true cosmopolitan characteristic of the city.

Chadd identifies as Afro-Caribbean. He was born and raised on a little autonomous island in the Caribbean called Grenada where he has spent his adolescent years in Grenada Boys’ Secondary School and then T.A. Marry Show Community College.

After leaving Grenada, he became a U.S Navy Corpsman with 6 years of tenure.

Some of his main hobbies includes playing billiard, video games, hiking, swimming at the beach, recreational photography, biking and exploring various waterfronts.

Bicycling for a Living

There is no doubt that the bicycling population appears to increase due to the expansion of the shared economy. We now see cities and other municipalities passing complete street resolutions and installing bicycle infrastructure. Bicyclists like Chadd depends on his bicycle for work and leisure. His pictures provides a bicyclist’s experience not only in Manhattan, but also in the the outer boroughs. Chadd works as a bartender at Japan Village, a bustling new market in Brooklyn’s Industry City. Chadd also works as a courier - using his bicycle - for Postmates and Uber Eats. By using Google Map’s timeline Chadd was able to record his bicycling routes within 24 hour periods. Below, you would see the distances Chadd has taken. In one day, Chadd has bicycled for an amazing 52 miles within 7 1/2 hours traversing throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn. In another trip, Chadd has bicycled between Far Roackaway, Queens, Brooklyn and Midtown, Manhattan for 35 miles and walked another 5 1/2 miles for a total of 4 hours. During his third trip, he has bicycled for 28 miles within a 3 1/2 hour period during the West Indian Day parade on Labor Day 2018.

Urban Art

“I love the independence of being able to pedal and go places by my own effort; seeing life unfold while I’m on the road and experiencing new things every day.”

— Chadd Roberts

Chadd’s journey throughout the streets of New York displays a vibrant public art gallery that expresses the characteristics of everyday people. Graffiti, murals, or some like to call it “Urban Art” is one of the best examples of self-expressionism. As we can see through Chadd’s pictures, many artists take to the streets to glorify their love for Dragon Ball Z, Puerto Rican patriotism, humanity, mysticism, Black pride, or simple warm color palettes to brighten a neighborhood.

When asked, which neighborhood stands out the most, in terms of character, history, architecture, and culture, Chadd replied “ I enjoy bike riding through all the neighborhoods, but so far, mostly for the art and food, I love riding through Bushwick.”

The placement of the above various murals and graffiti art was just as interesting as the art itself. At times, it seems like technological distractions can prevent us from fully engaging with our environment. Much of the art are in conspicuous locations while others were located at high building facades. Some engulfed entire building facades while others were simply on moving trucks as though they were mobile art galleries. Chadd’s Instagram page provides a great collection of all the public art he comes across during his trips. You can see more at: @supersaiyan_aaron

Transportation

In a city where 56% of commuters take public transit, 26% drive, 10% walk. 4.1% work at home, 1.2% bike, and the remaining either carpool or taxi to work, the City of New York has attempted to accommodate safety, mobility and accessibility for all modes of transportation throughout the five boroughs (U.S Census). A lot of steam has been picking up for the loud minority of bicycle riders. Every year, the city is investing time and effort into protecting cyclists. In fact, according to NYC Department of Transportation the city continue to implement 50 lane miles of bicycle facilities a year, including at least ten lane miles of protected bicycle lanes and create or enhance 75 lane miles of bicycle facilities in Priority Bicycle Districts by 2022.

Do you think the city has done a good job promoting the safety and welfare for bicyclists?

Chadd agrees the city is doing a great job to protect cyclists. “I think we can see this by the addition bike lane miles, Vision Zero program (including free helmets, bells and lights), and the city’s collaboration with the Ghost Bikes campaign to raise awareness for bike safety.” Chadd also mentioned, “ ever since the terrorist truck attack that mainly affected cyclists on the West Side highway, the city added bollards, and other protective barriers at vulnerable areas to separate vehicular traffic from bicycle and pedestrian traffic.

What recommendations would you make for the city to improve bicyclist's safety?

Chadd believes its up to cyclists, drivers and pedestrians to stay alert, mindful and aware of other modes of transportation. “I think the city is going in the right direction when it comes to safety we can’t be overly dependent on them for it. As long as people are being vigilant and aware of their surroundings whether as a pedestrian, motorist or the cyclist themselves, they’ll be better off prepared to avoid mishaps.” After all, a little compassion goes a long way.

Check Out More Photos from Chadd’s Cycling Journeys Below!

Instagram

@supersaiyan_aaron

Amazon Played Y'all Part 2

Newark, New Jersey - One of Amazon’s Top Contenders for their New Headquarters - Photo by Michael Moloney on Unsplash

Imagine a game where all the players are asked to show their best cards, and then the dealer selects who would help him take the pot. Would you play?

Cities across the countries showed their best hand and Amazon selected the one that best served their very own interest. Let's face it, Amazon can thrive in any city it chooses to be in, and it had the opportunity to be on the right side of history and make ground breaking news by choosing a city like Detroit, who has been struggling to overcome the blight of the auto industry. Or if East Coast was where it was at, Newark, NJ should have received the bid. Newark has the potential to be an anchor for a major industry and the capacity for growth, as it has the space, with unused or underdeveloped land; and the people, with reputable colleges and universities like Seton Hall and Rutgers Newark Campus.

The tech giant had a chance to be philanthropic; simply because they can afford to. Granted, they don’t have to, but surely one can remember how they managed to not only survive, but grow, back when they weren’t even making a profit. They missed a chance to pay it forward; and once they become too big for their britches, they risk Americans canceling them almost as fast as Black people canceled Kanye.

But if their sights were set on NYC, as it is the greatest city in the world; (Say otherwise to any New Yorker, and see what happens); they had the opportunity to make a great city even better. Because with greatness comes major flaws. NYC is in critical condition when it comes to poverty, lack of affordable housing, and disparaging transportation.

That’s why NYC should not have entered the contest. If Amazon wanted to choose NYC on nothing other than its greatness, it could have been a win-win for both parties. While a company like Amazon setting up a headquarters or even a large satellite location is likely to cause disruption anyway, it’s the granting of incentives that makes this deal so much worse.  

At first glance, sacrificing 1.5B in revenue for a $10 billion return sounds, well, smart. Without even calculating the multiplier effect, surely the benefits will be the gift that keeps on giving.

However, $10 billion, over the course of 20 years, in projected tax revenue is not enough . New Yorkers need solid economic policy to promote social mobility. People of color need real opportunities for advancement. Amazon should not be and would not have been the answer to all of NYC's problems, but it could have created a pathway and set the standard of philanthropic behaviors for large corporations.

What Deal(s) Should Have Been Made?

Commitment to Education

There should be a partnership with CUNY for apprenticeships to include on-the-job training. Many middle-class families cannot afford to have college students taking on post-graduate internships. An apprenticeship would allow for concurrent work and school and create a pathway for a technical trade. All apprenticeships should be combined with free-tuition assistance for participants that do not qualify for the Excelsior scholarship.

Commitment to Diversity

Amazon should not only employ, but commit to having Leadership positions for people of color and minorities. Having diverse people at the table not only grants opportunities to those that need it most, it also ensures that all points of views are considered before decisions are made. No company wants to encounter issues like H&M or Starbucks because of a lack of diversity and inclusion.

Commitment to Economic Development

Long island City is already stressed with high rises and real estate at astronomical prices; especially since the rezoning efforts under the Bloomberg Administration from manufacturing to mixed-use. This deal could have been a great opportunity to bring large companies back into suburbia, and lessen the concentration of high paying jobs being in proximity to Manhattan. Shorter commutes would mean for happier and more productive employees. Other neighborhoods to consider could have been College Point, or Jamaica, Queens; neighborhoods in East or South Brooklyn; or areas in the Bronx.      

NYC did not secure the bag

Ultimately, NYC signed up to lose $1.5B before it was even earned. $1.5 billion dollars in subsidies may very well be peanuts to a company that values at a trillion dollars. But 1.5 billion in lost revenue means the world to a city that lacks affordable housing, struggling transit, and a wide wealth gap.

How could $1.5 billion in tax revenue help NYC now?

Transit

• Circumvent or delay the planned MTA fare hike of 2019 and 2022.

• Expedite the projected $477 million repairs on the L train that will displace residents and small businesses alike.

• Fix the signal problems commuters experience daily, especially during rush hour.

Housing

• Create more affordable housing units for the hard-working New Yorkers that pay more than 40% of their income on rent, or put up with the roommate that forgets to buy toilet paper.

• Programs to assist New Yorkers through home ownership.

• Sustainable pathways to curb homelessness.

Education

• Provide free after-school for all children who attend public schools from kindergarten to 12th grade.

• Increase in pay for teachers.

• Additional funding for school supplies, so parents don’t have to buy tissues and hand sanitizers for classrooms.

Prison Reform

• Release folks held on bail for minutia dollar amounts.

Share your thoughts! How could NYC spend 1.5B?

Amazon Played Y'all Part 1

Long Island City, Queens - “N” Train Heading into Queensboro Plaza’s Station amongst the neighborhood’s new highrises.

All year, we saw major cities across the country acting like kids trying to be picked for a game of dodgeball, to become the hub for Amazon’s new headquarters. Amazon is a powerhouse of a company, it has millions of consumers, hundreds of thousands of employees, and Jeff Bezos’s wealth makes the President seethe at his $156B net worth. (Yes billions)

On its grandiose hunt for a new headquarters, cities laid out the red carpet to attract Amazon’s newest headquarters. It was quite a spectacle as billions of dollars in incentives and subsidies were thrown at the feet of Amazon in an effort to court the company. NYC, unnecessarily, participated in the contest offering short of a blood sample to get the tech giant’s attention. Even Governor Cuomo jokingly suggested changing his name to Amazon Cuomo if that is what it takes to win Amazon’s heart; all while not disclosing how much of the city’s wallet he was willing to open up to the company.

Ultimately, NYC runs the risk of Amazon being the guest that eats all your food, and uses your hairbrush; while your left broke, tired, and with an empty fridge.

J-O-B-S. A single word has the country going wild for Amazon. Employment is usually the main ingredient that brings the depth, the flavor, and adds to the presentation of the plate. Employment, especially jobs with higher wages, means greater tax revenue. Greater tax revenue gives the city more money to play with to allocate towards policies that matter. It also means assumes consumer spending, which in turn means more revenue via things like sales tax.

That all sounds great, so what is wrong with Amazon in NYC? Giving tax breaks to corporations to earn tax revenue on its employees makes you question who the government represents. Re-directing valuable and limited resources to a single company is terrible economic policy that can do more harm than good. Especially for low to middle income constituents, and people of color.

Amazon promises 25,000 jobs, which sounds incredible since low to middle-income New Yorkers need diversity in workplace options with opportunities for a living wage, and social mobility. But how many of those jobs will be given to actual New Yorkers? Especially New Yorkers of color? NYC already is a hub for transplants, and telecommuters across different industries such as finance and fashion. Bringing e-commerce to NYC will definitely add to the sexiness of the city; but not if we have to pay for it and not if we cannot demand a commitment to minorities.

With a name like Amazon moving in, there’s the potential for an influx of people willing to move to NYC too. This can further exacerbate NYC’s housing crisis. Simply, more people require more housing; in which the latter is something NYC just does not have. The city already is in desperate need of creative solutions to combat the umbrella problem of lack of affordable housing, and its spokes of homelessness and gentrification. All which disproportionately affects people of color.

Additionally, the strain on New York City’s transportation system will be overwhelming. Ask any New Yorker their biggest gripe of the city, and the first thing may very well be the MTA”. Between DiBlasio and Cuomo playing divorcees who don’t want to accept responsibility for the failing transit system, adding more people will add to the congestion and frustration of commuting in the city. More people on the same resources will put a stronger strain on the system. Adding more people in Long Island City, will put a greater burden on the G line which may already crack under the pressure of the L line the MTA plans to take down. All while placing a cap on ride-sharing.

They say, you have to spend money to make money, but what’s the price of the livelihood of current constituents? Amazon is a giant, but NYC is the Big Apple; greater negotiations could have been made to ensure New Yorkers actually won something from this deal.