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]
Northsloperenter says, “Forbidding parking (or increasing fees) on 5th will prevent some people from shopping or going to restaurants there which will hurt local businesses (whether or not YOU think people should use cars to shop or go out to eat is not the issue…)”
Besides the fact that the number of pedestrians far outnumber the amount of cars that can and do park on 5th Ave., let’s not outlaw parking. Let’s instead take three spots out of every block for dedicated loading zones. Even if your basic premise – that discouraging driving along 5th Ave. in Park Slope – is right, eliminating a few spots will have a negligible impact on business along what is essentially a neighborhood strip.
So we allow trucks their own spots flush against the sidewalk. They don’t block the flow of traffic or create congestion, and they don’t block bicycles, containing people more prone to stopping and shopping than drivers, from getting by.
CMU,
The two PLG streets I mentioned can hardly be calmed further by bike lanes. They’ve always had little traffic and been about as calm as they can get short of erecting barricades. About the only traffic calming measures needed IMO would be speed humps to slow down the occasional speeder, and DOT has been extremely unhelpful about those.
It’s pretty damn dangerous to walk in NYC too – remember that poor pregnant woman who got pinned against a building by a drunk delivery guy in midtown (cut in half too, that wasn’t in the papers)
Riding taxis isn’t very safe either – two college classmates of mine got killed on the west side highway during my senior year, one girl was ejected through the windshield.
For every tragic bike accident you have – there are several more pedestrian/automobile accidents.
Sounds like most of the bike accidents could be avoided if motorists were more aware of their surroundings.
cmu,
1) Don’t see how you are in a position to know what people do or do not need. Also, don’t see what is wrong with wanting convenience.
2) Don’t see how worsening congestion by adding unneeded bike lanes makes anything better for anyone.
Most people do not “need” a car in the inner areas of Brooklyn like PS, CH, etc. And as one who’s both brought up a kid and lived in a walk up (another thread) it’s not all that hard. People are so wedded to their convenience; if you want it that bad, go live in the suburbs where parking is easy.
We need to totally dis-incentivize cars; that’s the only way things will improve. and adding bike lanes is one good way to calm traffic, whether or not they’re used today.
quote:
Eighty posts and already no one remembers her.
and uh, why exactly are we supposed to? maybe that sounds harsh, sorry.
*rob*
denton,
I walk past her bike almost every day of the week. It is a sad sight.
And maybe that’s why I feel so strongly that bike advocates should STOP encouraging people to bike on the streets of this city. It is not safe.
nsr
“Why is it “absurdly impractical” to have a dedicated loading zone on every commercial block? Wouldn’t that do wonders to improve the flow of traffic of all kinds on 5th Ave., bicycle and car?”
Exactly. Most of Manhattan’s commercial district is set aside for commercial vehicles during business hours.
RIP Elizabeth Padilla, who was killed by the driver of a PC Richards delivery truck that couldn’t be bothered to check before flinging his door open and throwing her into traffic. Yes, on 5th Avenue. Eighty posts and already no one remembers her.
I agree with everything Sparafucile wrote at 2:30 PM[except that I didn’t learn to ride until I was in my mid-twenties].The relatively new bicycle lanes in my neighborhood [PLG], on Lincoln Road and Maple Street, are especially unnecessary since these are sparsely traveled residential Streets, with light car traffic and (at most times of day) virtually NO bicycle usage. These blke lanes are indeed political statements that merely make it difficult for residents to unload and let off passengers. They provide no additional safety to cyclists on these streets, which were extremely safe before the bike lanes.