...and the way some of them drive (and worse park) is enough to drive any driver nuts.
But after yesterday, you definitely want one around to duck behind in case of an oncoming car, taxi, even bus, or a street gun fight, even a meteorite.
I watched an SUV speed up to I don't know...40mph? and crunch like an accordian from bumber to dash while barely shaking the truck.

I was westbound on 33rd street waiting for the light with one car waiting in front of me. To my right a garbage truck in the parking lane with about 3/4 of space for a car to squeeze thru, maybe a mini cooper could eek by and lose some mirrors.
Anyway I hear a noise that make me look in my rear and side mirrors. I see an SUV accelerating, navigating the empty space, you know, the area that pisses people off waiting for a light as your actually cutting them at some point up ahead.
Well up ahead is me and a garbage truck and thru my mirrors I see no brake lights (you can actually see the sides of the brake lights even though I'm in front of and given the angle) and actually accelerating.

So Im thinking,a) is this guy drunk? b) running away because he robbed a bank? c)leaving scene of accident d) running away fearing for life from something.

He has three options...1) stop 2)try to squeeze between me and garbash truck smashing into me 3) smash into garbage truck.

It's amazing how time slows down and you think so many things.
I immediately dismiss (d), someone fearing for their life would have still eventually hit the breaks. I dismiss (c) as for the same reason

He chooses option 3.5, the far right side of the garbage truck like the sidewalk was on the menu and he changed his mind.
It was like watching a crash test in slow motion, airbag still in his face trying to back out of the truck. Now Im thinking bank robbery?, coming to jack my car next?
People start rushing the car as he finally backed away and dislodged from the truck, and cameras everywhere snapping away.
That point I think he realized he's cooked.
I left at the green light, had no desire to be boxed in by police cars as this lunatic was gonna be arrested.

But thank you garbage truck. I think you saved some lives yesterday

Wow.

was this on park and 34th? heard on the news an SVU mowed down a pedestrian and crashed after

33rd street westbound and two car lengths from 5th ave. (between 5th and madison)

this was the crash after

Well to be fair to the lunatic in the SUV, pedestrians on Park Ave and the 20s/30s are total Aholes. Rivaled maybe by the ones on 6th ave in the low 20s.

Truth, no actually that is part of my route. Out the tunnel westbound on 37th street,turn south on lex to 35th, west on 35th to Park ave,southbound to 33rd. 33rd westbound to 5th ave.
It's the speediest route to 5th.

Never, 33rd st is a great route.
You always want to take the first block of a no crossthru avenue block (park ave on that particular intersection)

gotta tell you, the trash truck drivers, especially the private ones, are hazard in all cases but the one truthskr was in. I always yield no matter how much faster i am. this will be a disaster for Yorkville

While we are on (kind of) the subject, would it really hurt the fuel truck drivers so much to use a cone to block off the street they are about to hold up, then go get the cone. Yes, they migth have to walk a little rather than wait there the whole time, but all of those cars can have the 10-15 minutes of their lives.