CB6, Fifth Avenue BID Going After Bike Lane
The Fifth Avenue BID wants to do away with the bike lane that runs from Carroll Street to 24th Street, and Community Board 6 is listening, reports Streets Blog. The BID argues that the bike lane makes it too difficult for trucks to make deliveries to the many businesses that line the avenue and that…
The Fifth Avenue BID wants to do away with the bike lane that runs from Carroll Street to 24th Street, and Community Board 6 is listening, reports Streets Blog. The BID argues that the bike lane makes it too difficult for trucks to make deliveries to the many businesses that line the avenue and that more tickets are getting issued as a result. CB6 District Manager Craig Hammerman has suggested a compromise—downgrading from a full-fledged bike lane to sharrows, lighter-weight markings. “The proposed scenario wouldn’t do anything to help delivery drivers find curbside spots,” writes the blog, “but it would force cyclists to kiss their dedicated space goodbye.” Streets Blog thinks the answer lies in a fledgling program that’s been experimented with along Fifth Avenue that makes metered parking more expensive at peak times.
Fifth Ave BID, CB6 Take Aim at Park Slope Bike Lane [Streets Blog]
exactly park place. put bike lanes on less travelled streets. im sorry but the green bike lanes in prime soho are just laughable. delivery trucks NEED to make deliveries (a lot!) i know this i work here, and there are a gazillion clueless cell phone yapping people walking around not looking anyway, so it’s a stupid idea in this area.
i will say, making the bus ONLY lane in soho on broadway is great. it’s so much easier to cross the street (whether it’s green or red)
*rob*
6th avenue would be the worst alternative for bike lanes
ugh! – that avenue is annoying to get from Flatbush down to 14th street already, add an bike lane and it will take you 40 mins to drive that stretch.
This whole discussion is ridiculous – the bike lanes are just an easy target.
People who don’t bike have no idea how useful even a cursory bike line is in improving safety for bikers pitted against aggressive and indifferent drivers. Let’s not regress any more than we have to as a city. Besides, just look at Bway, 9th ave, etc. in Manhattan – MUCH more congested there, yet everyone gets along fine.
Rob – FYI bicycles are metrosexual relative to motorbikes.
Park Place / speedboy have nailed it. Not the right avenue for a bike lane.
The viability of the commercial strip depends on the ability of trucks to deliver there efficiently.
Is there a separate (higher amount) ticket for parking in a bike lane or is it just the customary double parking ticket??? Most delivery companies have factored double parking tickets into their cost of doing business. The larger ones, like FedEx just negotiate a flat yearly fee to the City to cover all the parking tickets.
I use this lane often and its a pointless battle. Logistically there will always be delivery trucks who need access then add oblivious dble parkers and livery cars and the bike lane along with many others is useless and becomes more of a danger to cyclist.
No amount of enforcement or enlightenment will make non cyclist empathetic. 6th ave is far to narrow, 7th and 5th are far too populated with retail.Although it host more than 4 bike stores, park slope will never be bike friendly,this does not surprise me.
Why not jsut shift the bike lane up to the less commercial and truck-free 6th Avenue? Though that might be too narrow . . .
It was a bad idea to begin with to put the bike lane on a heavily trafficed commercial two way street that’s lousy with pedestrians, delivery trucks, and store/bar parking.
The bike lanes (which are not a bad idea) would be better placed be put on other avenues- with less delivery traffic and fewer crowds of pedestrians crossing mid block during peak hours- like 6th ave, for instance-