Are you familiar with the gaming system Atari? I am seriously dating myself. For those who don't know, the gaming system came out in the 80s and had some classic games for those old enough to remember. One of the classics was Frogger. Its about this Frog that you have to get to cross the road without getring hit by a car. It is quickly becoming very similiar to the current situation in Allentown. Previously we had to worry about getting held up at gun point or possibly getting stuck in a gang turf war to survive walking the streets in Allentown. Now we have a new threat…vehicles.
There is a 3000lb killer now. It’s called the automobile. An automobile and I'll categorize the illegal scooter or dirt bike as well into automobile, is allowed in Allentown to do whatever it wants. Speed limits, stop signs, traffic light do not apply to the automobile. Its sort of like having a Diplomatic license plate on your vehicle. You pretty much can do whatever and have immunity from all the traffic laws.
This automobile though has caused several problems. To name a few, in the N. 7th St /Liberty St., S. 6th St./Chester St., and most recently N.6th St./Cedar St. All those areas resulted in loss of precious life.
Allentown has been using grant money since 2023 to install speed cushions in five different locations across the city- WFMZ. I know of maybe two locations.
In 2026 the city finally installed some by the Rose Garden and apparently maybe by Union Terrace. Did it take 3 years to install them? They could have prevented a death had it not took so long to install.
Here is my favorite comment, per WMFZ-
"They're fairly inexpensive, so a set is $2,500 so It's an inexpensive way to make the city safer. I'd love to see them in other parts of the city," said Mayor Tuerk. Fairly inexpensive but his focus was promoting Michaela Boyer and other staff who follow him blindly. A $20,000 pay jump would have put 8 more on the streets. Now add up all the favors that Tuerk has done for friends and the promotions and figure out how many traffic safety initiatives could have been implemented.
What happened to all of the free money that was given to Allentown by the DOT? Safe Streets for All (SS4A). Other than a bunch of promises, a data dashboard, and a survey for residents haven’t seen much. Like everything with Tuerk’s Administration the money goes to overhead (salaries, benefits, and flyers) but very little to the actual issues---$384,000 is a lot of money to have so few results.
Okay, maybe if you didnt take stupid liberal trips on climate control you could put out 100 of these. The "City of Speedbumps- cause we never get it right the first time." Seven pedestrian fatalities in 2025 and yet Tuerk's plan states that by 2030 there will be no vehicular fatalities in Allentown, and lots of bike paths.
In what dream world?
I’m starting to think the mayor tells Roca not to enforce the traffic laws. The state police have to come into the city to show APD how to catch people. Sad. Does Chief Roca like being outdone by the neighboring departments? I would hope not.
Here's my math as earlier stated 100 speed bumps x $2500 each is $250,000 or basically the cabinet and mayors staff raises for 2027. Put a speed bump at every stop sign from Front to 12th St./ Hamilton St. To Cedar St. Thats a start. And put them mid block on all the main north and south streets.
If the police wont enforce the traffic laws, then force the people to slow down. Let em wreck their cars if they want to speed over them.
Do something proactive for a change. Everything is reactive and it’s sickening and tired. The mayor uses these incidents to pretend care and cry on his videos while he jogs through the crime scene. It is disgraceful, disrespectful, and disgusting that he is so heartless and fake.
To the families and friends grieving those killed or injured by reckless drivers — your pain is real, and it’s being ignored. No one on council, in the APD, or the mayor’s office seems to care about the people of Allentown. If they did, they’d enforce the laws already on the books instead of waiting for another tragedy to trend. And you can bet they’ll never let this atrocity go to waste — expect the usual “heartfelt” videos from Napoli, Mota, Gerlach, and Tuerk. Too bad everyone knows it’s forced, hollow, and fake...and a cheap attempt to put the focus on themselves.
My heart goes out to the family and friends of anyone who has lost their life or been injured due to reckless driving. No words can ease the pain of such senseless and preventable tragedy. May those affected be comforted, and may the administration do something other than lip service.
39 comments:
Your hateful and disgraceful blog post does at least acknowledge that Mayor Matt rides his bicycle extensively which not only lowers his carbon footprint but helps to make the streets safer and less crowded. When was the last time you rode your bike Abe-Ra-Ham maybe it would make you less of. A douche--nozzle
OK your gay go away.
Carbon footprint? Like the one when he travels the world in an airplane on tax payers dollars. Stfu
I think little Scooter Armstrong is confused about Hermano Tuérk's roll as mayor he is not in charge of traffic enforcement, nice try though has the varnish and paint stripper fumes nuked your little brain?
"Abe", you may have (or not) noticed that I seldom comment here on your blog, I don't approve of your unmoderated comment policy, and some of the resulting comments. However, thank you for this important post about the increasing tragic consequences of the Tuerk/Roca lax enforcement of traffic laws.
Censored or moderated blogs outside of communist countries do not have much of a following Mickey!
Comrade Molovinsky is as dour as they come, he doesn't approve of.much other than Choo Choo trains and grousing about how he was excluded from the Parknership
You lost all credibility when you wouldn't talk about how the Silver Fox fought hard and won against a total SLAPP suit brought against him by the Crimson Ogre Jumbo Martini
Dour and misguided pusillanimous putz and duped dunce wants the blogs to resemble his Pravda puff piece factory, thank god Abe is a first amendment purist!
Ever hear of carbon offsets? Mayor Matt plants trees and donates to NGO's focused on reducing anthropogenic warming he's a part of the solution a few flights on non private planes doesn't make him some type of hypocrite
Molovinsky. Luckily it is not your blog to control. Your blog has been irrelevant for years. The only free speech you care about is your own and you ensure comments on your blog are vanilla. Now wonder so many have stopped following you. Go put back together a WPA wall or climb a tree with the remainder of your life.
Anonymous 5:11 grow up and stop using insults, then learn the power structure of average urban areas. The mayor of any urban area is the police chief's boss. Are you still following, I know it's complicated. The mayor has the discretion to direct the chief of police on his enforcement priorities. Do you know what the word "discretion "means? If not, Google it. Then report back. By the way, what kind of a sniveling coward needs anonymity to insult others? I guess that would you. Get a spine.
This is what happens when you chase criminals in an urban environment. They don't stop and follow traffic laws like normal citizens. So if you want police to chase everyone who commits a traffic infraction then get used to this outcome of people getting hurt and possibly dying. The state police chased this guy into the city and he killed someone by blowing through a stop sign all because he was getting chased by the police. Check your facts.
Looks like all those who got raises in cabinet positions are told to defend their boss here. 😆
Precisely, black and brown bodies are rightfully fearful of the police who recently gunned down another afro Latino brother in Madison WI for the crime of resisting arrest. This poor young man's life has been ruined and an innocent taken because the militarized state police couldn't back down and use reasonable pursuit policies.
Acootyy your trippin'
Name signed Malik
7:34: I haven’t commented previously, but here are the facts:
Kevin Abdiel Santiago, 24, is charged with one count of burglary, 15 counts of receiving stolen property and 15 counts of possession of a firearm prohibited.
This death isn’t because of the police, it’s because of the failure of Kevin Santiago to stop for police as directed.
The solution isn’t to stop chasing criminals, but to aggressively arrest them. I’m willing to bet that Mr Santiago has a lengthy record and was not incarcerated or given lower sentences for what some believe are “lesser” crimes. That needs to stop.
I grieve for the family that lost their daughter, mother, and sister to Kevin Santiago’s actions. But letting the Kevin Santiago’s of the world drive off only means he’s free to menace and kill others at a different time, with a different weapon.
Things won’t get better in the city until the Mayor and Police Chief start taking the enforcement of ALL
crimes seriously. Expect things to get worse, before they get better.
The speed bumps are racist. They are meant to keep a certain demographic with low-riding cars out of predominantly white areas
This is the typical insulting purposeless commentary this blog attracts. The daily readership of a handful of posters, including Abe, offers not one helpful suggestions. Easy to criticize but ask yourself how you could do better.
I have yet to read any reporting on this that indicates there was a police pursuit at the time of the accident. Those of us who live in the near downtown or downtown now routinely see high spped driving, cars speeding through clearly red lights and stop signs. None of these are being chased by the police. They do it because they can.
The white man invented the automobile unleashing vast amounts of death and destruction not only upon his fellow humans but the atmosphere and all flora and fauna. If we come to our collective senses and go back to the land , embrace draft animals for transportation there is still hope one only need to visit Hank and George the canal mules of Easton to see their vast potential.
BLUE BADGER
Abe, if you're happy hosting the harassing comments of a predator like Bill Villa, or the repetitive musings of Mr. Earth Shoes at 9:17Pm&9:15Am, that's fine...There certainly is a need for adult daycare.
Automobiles and canal mules are racist.
When are we going to see stories and real life issues being ignored by the city you call home on your blog ??
I haven’t seen one , yes you write about mis management in parks dept! But you don’t address of everyday life in city ?? I’m always reading ABE articles, pointing out everything that the average people don’t read about anymore. I might not agree with all comments but at least he’s bringing issues to citizens.
Molovinsky, why don’t you tell us where the speed bumps are in predominantly minority neighborhoods? They are only in predominantly white neighborhoods to keep minorities out.
MM doesn't even live in Allentown his palace is in tony Whitehall, he knows nothing of la raza and is whiter than his grannies Gefilte fish. He has no rhythm and cannot dance a rumba or merengue like Hermano Tuérk therefore he is super pessimistic towards the young hip LatinX rising star
Try driving like a nit wit in Bethlehem and see what happens. When you cross the line into Bethlehem, it's a different world... how can a few feet make such a huge difference???
For starters, Bethlehem doesn’t have a piece of shit mayor
Check Mayor Matt's Facebook hater, he does selfless acts such as riding his bicycle around Allentown in extreme heat performing welfare checks on nonagenarians. What types of charitable acts have you committed lately? In a world of human caused climate change Tuerk walks the talk and peddles most places in an act of love towards Gaea, maybe you should give being a climate warrior a try it feels great
I find that a little creepy.
Kinda makes you wonder how he’s accessing people’s personal info, doesn’t it?
10:31PM: Depending on prior conditions, is this a government official coming onto private property without a judicial warrant, to interrogate a citizen with, apparently, no cause other than a demographic profile? Not a lawyer, just askin’.
Today at 7th & Tilghman I was absolutely appalled by the number of cars brazenly speeding through red lights. As I stood there at 11:00 am at least 12 in under 15 minutes. Pedestrians or bicyclists need to exercise extreme caution in downtown Allentown. Someone else called it traffic anarchy and it really truly is!
Hate! The liberal code word for "I disagree with you".
I ride my bike everyday in Allentown (without selfie videos) and I think the Mayor is just another older, rich, white, guilt-ridden male liberal who can't bear to live with himself.
Many flush things down the toilet every day on the regular that mayor matt could ever aspire to become in his life time.
Fact: The Bethlehem Mayor is a pos loser despite the misguided reply comment. The roads are horrible. We have just as many brown and black people. ..the speed bumps were installed in the rich WHITE areas only. Mayor slick Willie would rather raise a transgender flag or give your tax money away to some non profit that will never benefit the community. This douche bag raised a pride disability flag last week, and he is clueless how disability UNfriendly this city is.
The police chief serves at the pleasure of the mayor which makes the mayor the boss of the police chief. A stong mayoral leader would allow the chief and the command staff to establish policing priorities in response to actual calls for service (people complaining about shit and reporting actual criminal activity). Police actually policing correctly (the old "keeping people safe" line) makes the shitems upset because they complain that they are being targeted. They are being targeted not because of their skin tone but because they act like shitems. Because they act like shitems they use skin color as the reasoning behind police enforcement. It's a vicious circle that is perpetuated by virtue signaling frisbee golfing bike lane advocates who are afraid that the shitems will rise up and organize against them politically. So they micromanage policing priorities as a "community advocate" which is total nonsense. If the mayor truly advocated for the community he would allow the police to establish policing priorities. But the shitems scream racism and that super frightens the frisbee golfing bike lane advocates. When the NAACP released the letter a couple of years ago that was the kiss of death to a mayor who prides himself on justice. When you elect a mayor whose greatest accomplishment is that he is 1/8 latino because of his abuela you have elected a virtue signaling identity politician who lacks basic leadership. He's also a thin skinned tyrant but he won the popularity contest so he gets to run the show. That also means that he can travel anywhere in the world and live off of the taxpayer so suck it. He is intellectually superior. But hey, he's all about the social justice. Keep paying your taxes and fees so that he and others can buy the votes of the underwhelming.
You summed up the situation perfectly! Here we have a rich, entitled, older, 88% while male waxing poetic on Facebook about the nostalgia he feels for NYC style bodegas. Is he really fond of these shops or is he trying to strengthen his political brand in Allentown?? Readers can go down to 5th & Tilghman to see what the Mayor is so reminiscent of: A dirty store, plastered with illegal signage (some of it flashing), a littered sidewalk, a product line largely based on lottery tickets, vape, smoke supplies and junk food. As advertised on the storefront they accept public EBT payments and largely exploit the vulnerable poor who wind up paying $4 for an ice cream sandwich or $3 for a 16 oz bottle of soda. Shouldn't he be seeking new or enhanced regulations or safeguards for the consumers who frequent these places or for the residents who have to live near them???
You need to work on your math. He is one quarter of a Cuban immigrant. From what I have investigated, he is a really smart determined and energetic individual who doesn't waste time on trying to sell himself or his ideas to naysayers. He puts a lot of time and effort communicating with residents. Do you have a personal b al experience with him to share or do you just foam at the mouth like Abe?
He is one quarter .... he is a really smart determined and energetic individual who doesn't waste time on trying to sell himself or his ideas to naysayers ...
one quarter, one third, one tenth, none of it matters. Fidel Castro was 100% Cuban and he terrorized his people. Who are Cuban. Determination: A 9 year old can be wholly determined to fly a rocketship to the moon but determination doesn't produce results. Competency does. My beef? The taxes and fees that I and my neighbors pay to see it squandered. Intelligent people sell their ideas to the opposition and inspire them to change. Virtue signaling in an echo chamber is the Temu brand of leadership.
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