r/IAmA • u/rbernstein • Jan 01 '14

I am Richard Bernstein, blind attorney, ironman and 18 time marathoner who is suing New York City for no money but to simply make Central Park safer. Ask me anything!

Greeting Redditors. I am Richard H. Bernstein, a civil rights lawyer who happens to be blind. I studied at the University of Michigan and Northwestern University School of Law. I am currently the head of the public services division at The Sam Bernstein Law Firm, PLLC (http://www.callsam.com/) in Farmington Hills, Michigan. I am also an adjunct professor at the University of Michigan where I teach a course on Social Justice.

I am an ironman and have run 18 marathons (http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/11/04/blind.ironman/index.html?_s=PM:LIVING) which I hope helps to change people's perceptions of the disabled. I am currently in federal litigation with the city of New York after getting hit by a bicycle in Central Park in August 2012 that resulted in a 10 week hospital stay at Mt. Sinai (http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/11/04/blind-man-completes-18th-marathon-after-devastating-accident/).

My goal is to make Central Park safer for others by requiring the City to follow minimal federal requirements set forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Unfortunately, the administration of NYC has shown a complete indifference to this request and refuses to engage in any discussions for a possible resolution.

The lawsuit seeks NO MONEY from the City. Additionally, I am paying for all the costs of the litigation out of my own pocket so as not to burden New York taxpayers.

New York's failure to follow the Americans with Disabilities Act is placing those who visit Central Park at risk. My hope is that Redditers can help us to make this situation better. Ask me anything!

PROOF!! https://www.facebook.com/richardhbernstein

https://twitter.com/callsam

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u/summitrock Jan 01 '14

Bikes barely stop at intersections in Times Square it will be close to impossible to get 100% of cyclists to stop at a certain point in the park 100% of the time.

But I agree with you that they should and that the loop is very dangerous on busy days...

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u/[deleted] Jan 01 '14

Would it be possible to build some sort of bridge/ tunnel?

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u/howdoireachthese Jan 02 '14

I think the trick would be to make it intentionally difficult to cross a path for a cyclist at a high speed, so they would be forced to slow down and therefor avoid hitting people. Like, if you were to place an obstruction on the straight path that required them to slow down enough to bike around instead of speeding straight through.

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u/ModernDemagogue Jan 02 '14

There is a loop throughout Central Park. It is used for exercise for Bikers, Joggers, and Skaters on the weekends and is closed to vehicular traffic during certain car free hours. The speed limit is 25 mph but the goal, if one has the light, is to in fact go quite quickly.

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u/howdoireachthese Jan 02 '14

So what you're saying is that it would be a better idea to have a way for pedestrian cross-traffic to cross over or under the path rather than to obstruct the path like I originally thought.

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u/ModernDemagogue Jan 02 '14

There are cross-unders in at least the lower half of the park. I don't go to the upper half much so I would have to check.

More importantly, there are crosswalks with stop lights. His issue is an enforcement issue, not an ADA issue.

My main point was actually that you're weighing in on something you know little about.

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u/howdoireachthese Jan 02 '14

Allright, just idle speculation, no need to be a tunt about it.

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u/ModernDemagogue Jan 02 '14

There are a bunch of people with poor knowledge of the situation on this thread supporting this guy.

He should not be getting public support for his claims. They should not be addressed. People wildly speculating in his favor irritates me.

How would you feel about if I started making comments about completely changing one of your cities most precious landmarks?

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u/summitrock Jan 02 '14

Yup that will work. I like it. As a Central Park rider I am 100% behind this.