Candidate To Represent Roosevelt Island And UES In NYC Council District 5 Billy Freeland Helps Clean Up And Shovel Snow Blocking Bike Lane Next To Queensboro Bridge Across From Roosevelt Island Tram This Morning

Billy Freeland is a candidate to represent Roosevelt Island and the Upper East Side in NYC Council District 5, seeking to succeed current City Council Member Ben Kallos who is term limited from running again. Mr Kallos is running to succeed Gale Brewer as Manhattan Borough President.

This morning, Mr Freeland was out shoveling snow in the Second Avenue bike lane by the Queensboro Bridge across from the Roosevelt Island Tram. According to the Twitterverse:

This morning a neighbor reported that the Second Avenue bike lane & “pork chop,” located at one of NYC’s most dangerous corridors (near the Queensboro Bridge) was completely obstructed with snow.@PatrickForNYC and I grabbed our shovels & did the work *our City* should be doing. pic.twitter.com/Dz65NB1N6r

— Billy Freeland (@BillyFreelandNY) February 3, 2021

It was extremely gratifying to see cyclists—many of whom deliver our meals—use the bike lane once we finished shoveling it. Thanks @pchowla for notifying me.

But: we must demand more of our City. We plow streets for cars. We must plow bike lanes & sidewalks for people. #bikeNYC pic.twitter.com/elEAGi6rpw

— Billy Freeland (@BillyFreelandNY) February 3, 2021

For those wondering, yes we *could* buy plows for bike lanes! But the City bureaucracy is so messed up that we can’t, even when @kallos and @KeithPowersNYC step up to offer to pay for it.

Read more here from @GershKuntzman @StreetsblogNYC: https://t.co/7bA5z3mBgn

— Billy Freeland (@BillyFreelandNY) February 3, 2021

Learn more about Mr Freeland at his campaign website.

Mr Freeland's opponents in the June 22 Democratic Party Primary are: 

• Julie Menin,
• Rebecca Lamorte,
• Kim Moscaritolo 
• Tricia Shimamura and 
• Christopher Sosa

UPDATE 8:10 PM:

Thanks — just to clarify, I did this as part of UES Mutual Aid. Patrick Bobilin and others got it off the ground, and it’s doing great work helping neighbors and keeping streets clean. I hope people will follow uesmutualaid on Instagram and get involved if they’d like!

— Billy Freeland (@BillyFreelandNY) February 4, 2021