JEERS to taxi drivers who have been caught blocking a City of Plattsburgh street as they chat with each other. At least three times in
recent weeks, a taxi has been spotted blocking the right lane of Brinkerhoff Street at the corner of Helen Street. The driver parks right in the lane, rolls down his passenger window, leans over and chats with another taxi that is parked, legally, in a parking space along the one-way street. These visits have sometimes lasted 15 minutes or more. In the meantime, cars coming out of Helen Street cannot see up Brinkerhoff to assess the traffic before making a right-hand turn. And drivers trying to turn from Brinkerhoff onto Helen Street have to go around the taxi blocking the road to make the turn. One of our readers was so irritated with this lack of driver courtesy — after her third time witnessing the situation — that she took pictures to document it. A professional taxi driver surely should know better. If co-workers want to visit during down time, that is fine, but they should pull both taxis into parking spaces and take it from there. Every street needs to be kept clear for moving traffic, but because Brinkerhoff is a main link to downtown and also a street heavily dominated by a student population, it is especially necessary. An unattentive driver could easily rams the stopped taxi. Or someone trying to pull out of Helen Street could get swiped by a car circumventing the impediment. We hope both the taxi company and City Police will make sure this car-to-car chatting takes place in a safer and more suitable location.
CHEERS to the many homeowners who go above and beyond in their Halloween decorating. It used to be that Christmas was the only holiday where people decked out the exterior of their homes. But more and more in recent years, Halloween decorations have been springing up around the North Country. Sometimes it is just the traditional carved pumpkins, Indian corn and hay bales. Others go all out with creepy characters, blow-up decorations and sound and light effects. It may seem early to some of us, but already many people are out stringing cobwebs and positioning skeletons. We appreciate the expense and effort that goes into dressing up homes for this holiday. Kids everywhere — and the young at heart — love to see the spooky decorations go up. Thanks for giving us this seasonal treat. If you have a display you are especially proud of, you can share the location with our readers by posting something on the Press-Republican Facebook page.
— If you have a Cheers and Jeers suggestion that you want the Editorial Board to consider, email it to Editor Lois Clermont at letters@pressrepublican.com.
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