DOT Greens a New Bike Lane on 9th Street

This is the route I drive to go to work, and I agree completely with the commenter who said the problem is the lights. In my opinion, it’s less their timing, and more the crappy block design. Because 9th Street hits Hamilton in a “T” intersection (as opposed to a through street), cars and trucks coming down Hamilton don’t stop where they legally should (at the light), but they go past it in such a way that they block 9th Street. This creates gridlock on 9th Street so that cars that are trying to make a right hand turn from 9th Street are blocked by cars and trucks on Hamilton and can’t make the turn.

This is why they’re routing cars left down Court Street. Having on 3 separate occasions spent half an hour to go the one lousy block on 9th between Court and Hamilton, I eventually figured out that this is what I should do. It’s not a matter of especially high volume going down 9th, it’s a matter of terrible design making it impossible for more than 2 cars to make the turn from 9th onto Hamilton per green light.

And I totally support the bike lane. When you’re driving on city streets, you should expect to share lanes with pedestrians and bikers, regardless of the size of the road. Marking off the bike lane is good–it gives bikes an official space, and it also slows down traffic more generally.

Really, it’s just the official highways that you should drive on like highways. You should not be in “highway driving mode” on Hamilton. Because Hamilton Avenue is not, in fact, a highway.

denton- no- it wasn’t- and certainly far less so than cmu’s smug,know-it-all statement. Even he says “Admittedly, I was not here when my son was pre-toddler, but I stand by my statements.” Well, the majority of people carting around pre-toddlers ARE women. (I did say “most”) That’s a fact and it isn’t sexist.

Man-bashing? That’s your issue, not mine cmu. If you two can show me the numbers proving at least 1/2 of infant and toddler caregivers are men, I’ll retract. And I do mean in NYC.

Yes- I understand a “little thing” like rent. That doesn’t solve the problem of big box stores being accessible, now does it? But thanks for the input, unhelpful as it was.

Hi denton,
I meant either – although scooters are more practical for city riding (and really easy to ride).

It just surprises me that scooters/motorbikes are very popular in every major congested city outside of the US but not within.

“chicken, it’s probably because it aint cool – ie you aint going green with the motor plus he aint rolling in a sexy ride. practical? yeah, that aint a top priority for folks here”

Posted by: more4less at July 24, 2009 1:46 PM

“Cool” is what you make it (plus some bikes are pretty cool). In the meantime, I can beat any alternative transport point to point within central London – I outmaneuvre cars and I outdistance cycles. Yes, it does have an engine but I get 100mpg so there’s probably more noxious fumes coming out of my mouth than my bike’s exhaust.

“I think a bicycle is a little more manuverable in NYC traffic.”

Posted by: dirty_hipster at July 24, 2009 4:18 PM

Not if you’re carrying a weeks worth of groceries uphill!

cmu, thanks for your lecture on how we should all live our lives. I think we’re all better off for being told what you think we should do.