If you head down to Coney Island today or any other day this summer, be careful where you walk. The dangerously deteriorated boardwalk is still nasty, with sagging and teetering boards, protruding bolts, holes in the wood, splintered edges and more. (A small stretch in front of Astroland and Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park was replaced last year and is in great shape.) We wrote this same item last year, and while the boardwalk seems to be slightly less hazardous to your health this year, there are still ample opportunities to break your face or sprain an ankle and get a chance to meet one of the many nice and friendly NYPD officers patrolling the boardwalk as they call EMS to cart you away to the Emergency Room. We haven’t seen any statistics, but it is our understanding that there were a large number of injuries last year and, to judge by the bad condition early in the season, this year probably won’t disappoint. The city has cited the unusual wear and tear caused by the NYPD driving on the boardwalk as well as the fact that sand is directly underneath the boards and contributes to rot. What we don’t understand, however, is how it is cheaper to settle trip and fall injury lawsuits than it is to fix the boardwalk. (Not to mention why it is okay to allow conditions to persist that allow people to become injured.)

The boardwalk is an embarrassment in its current condition and the city can certainly afford to fix it if it wants, but nothing will probably happen until Thor Equities or another developer asks that it be fixed because too many customers walk in bloody and bruised. In fact, if Thor and Taconic Investments and other would-be Coney developers had any civic spirit they would already have chipped in for a boardwalk overhaul rather than looking at Coney Island simply as an investment opportunity to be exploited.

Related Posts:
Coney Island Boardwalk Repair Mystery
Tripping (and Falling) in Coney Island