Closing Bell: New Bike Lane and Parking Cuts on Dekalb
We were pleased as punch to notice the new bike lane addition on Dekalb Avenue. There has been one for a while between Cumberland and Ashland–the new addition now extends the lane from Cumberland well up into Fort Greene. (Anyone know exactly how far it goes?) While this is great news, we got an email…
We were pleased as punch to notice the new bike lane addition on Dekalb Avenue. There has been one for a while between Cumberland and Ashland–the new addition now extends the lane from Cumberland well up into Fort Greene. (Anyone know exactly how far it goes?) While this is great news, we got an email from a resident of Dekalb describing a perhaps unintended consequence of a simultaneous elimination of parking on the north side of Dekalb between Hall and Adelphi streets.
This parking restriction, (“No Standing 7 am – 10 am 4 pm – 7 pm”) may not have resulted in the desired outcome: Traffic on these tree lined brownstone blocks of DeKalb Ave. has speeded up to what appears to be 50 MPH, traveling in three unimpeded lanes. Cars drive in the newly painted bike lane at high speed until they encounter a bicyclist and merge back in. The new B38 Limited bus also barrels up the far right hand lane of DeKalb Ave. at a substantially increased speed. While the intent MAY have been lane reduction and traffic calming, this has had just the opposite effect. There appears to be MORE automobile traffic on Dekalb, moving much faster using all three lanes. Cars in the bus lane – just 10 feet from my front door – are traveling at what seems to be 50 miles an hour or more. During rush hour, it’s like living on the Belt Parkway.
Have others noticed this as well?
Amen, 8:28. I received a ticket a couple of weeks ago for rolling at about 2 mph onto a sidewalk at a gas station on Atlantic and Bedford because didn’t want to be killed on Atlantic as I looked around for the nearby post office. At about the same time, a few blocks away, a kid was killed by a speeding teenage driver while crossing the street holding the hand of a crossing guard. Also, 20 yards away from where I was stopped were a few cars parked in the Bedford bike lane with no tickets on their windshields.
Eh, the cops are too busy ticketing people on bikes to care about ticketing people in cars. There’s been a crazy rash of people I know getting ticketed for various bike offenses. One cop even told my friend that it’s because there’s been an increase in bike-related accidents. So clearly, we should go after the bikers in that case. The ones who, I don’t know, might get KILLED if they’re in an accident.
I mean, we all agree that riding on the sidewalk is rude, but seriously, $100 ticket because you hopped on your bike between your front door and the street?
One of my friends recently got TAKEN TO JAIL because he was riding on the sidewalk and a cop stopped him, and when he checked his ID, he had an old summons for some other minor bike offense. Yessiree, that’s what cops in the city should be spending their time on. Taking bike riders to jail. Forget the maniacal speeding cars who could actually kill someone, driving in the bike lane.
All comments so far are right on, especially 6:17.
Why paint up the streets like a Christmas tree without explanations or instructions about what the street graffiti means? I keep my car out of the bus and bicycle lanes, duhhhh, but nobody else does. More to the point, what’s the penalty if you don’t keep your car out of the bus/bicycle lanes?
What the poster is experiencing is what occurs on Bedford Ave. regularly with the Bike Lane and bad, selfish drivers who either feel too privileged or hurried to use the other TWO available lanes. What is occurring on DeKalb is very distressing, however it does not surprise me.
I must say for the first time, I witnessed cop, in an unmarked vehicle pull over a driver on Bedford Ave. last week as they pulled one of those maneuvers. They must have been traveling well over 45mph in the bike lane as they sped by me. The cop let them merge in front of their unmarked car and then they pulled them over.
Hope the ticket was a whopper.
6:51, the bus is running (way too fast) in the bus lane, not the bike lane.
I agree, one lane for car traffic is not enough and creates traffic and encourages cars to drive in the bike lane.
I don’t know why the bus would be doing it as the bus stops are on the right side of the street.
Somebody will be killed dining al fresco at one of those restaurants along Dekalb.
You know what would be the perfect compliment to a great new bike lane?
Traffic enforcement by the cops.
You know what helps reduce speeding? Speeding tickets. How many consecutive rush hours of speeding tickets would it take for people to get the picture?
I’m going to go with 2.
This has been extensively covered in on the Fort Greene/Clinton Hill/Bed-Stuy forum at Brooklynian.com .
I agree – bike lanes should be protected and not theoretical – as on 9th Avenue in Chelsea. Otherwise they are just an invitation for cars to take shortcuts.