Politics Trump Sanity in Bedford Bike Lane Battle
If you’re looking for a sign of the Hasidic community’s political clout in this town, look no further than the removal of 14 blocks of bike lanes on Bedford Avenue in South Williamsburg yesterday. As reported on both Gothamist and StreetsBlog, DOT was out sandblasting off the white lines that used to protect bikers on…
If you’re looking for a sign of the Hasidic community’s political clout in this town, look no further than the removal of 14 blocks of bike lanes on Bedford Avenue in South Williamsburg yesterday. As reported on both Gothamist and StreetsBlog, DOT was out sandblasting off the white lines that used to protect bikers on this central thoroughfare through North Brooklyn. As you may recall, the matter first reared its head last summer when some members of the local Hasidic community protested the bike lane on the grounds that some of the bicyclists who frequented it were too scantily clad; another argument floated against the bike lane had to do with “the large number of schools, stores and religious institutions.” StreetsBlog notes that the Mayor reportedly cut several deals with the leaders of the Hasidic community to gain their support. Circumstantially it looks like this was one of them.
City To Remove 14 Blocks Of Bike Lanes On Bedford Ave. [Gothamist]
DOT Sandblasts 14 Blocks of Bike Lane [StreetsBlog]
Photo by Elizabeth Press
On the Hasidim and dogs (a Jew posting here) – was in a hardware store with my dog (a VICIOUS pug), a badly-wigged lady comes in with her brood, and sticks the stroller next to my dog – who leans over to sniff the kid.
The lady yells at me to get the dog (who was there first!) out of her kids face. I reply (calmly) – “the dog is very child-friendly.” She yells back, “God gave him teeth for a reason.” I reply back (bitchily, natch), “And god gave you body hair for a reason as well. Not to mention brains, which you refuse to use.”
Bitchy gay: 1 – badly-wigged Hasidim lady: 0 (the shape of her mouth b/c somebody had the gall to talk back to her). She huffed out of the hardware store 🙂
Relation to bike lanes – nil, but I am a driver, and the bikes do not follow car rules, though they want to be treated as car drivers – own lane, etc.
Hasidim?…Nearly killed ’em! Can’t wait for the first biking death on Bedford due to lane removals. That street is freakin crazy.
I don’t ride a bike. Not since I moved here years ago. So i have no dog in this hunt. But everytime these topics come up, so many of you people get irrational and sound like complete fucktards. what the hell is your problem? Why do you give a shit about bike lanes if you don’t ride a bike? Whuuuuaaaaaaaaah is all i hear. Yeah, some bikers are doooshes. But so are YOU, car drivers and pedestrians.
PS-The number of bicyles using these lanes hardly justify the cost and inconvenience for eveyone else.
The lanes on KEnt are barely used except on weekends when the weather is nice.
Has anyone seen the new protected lane where Kent runs into the BQE?
I vote for a Bikini Ride Protest once it gets a little warm of course. Guys in thong speedos and girls in teeny weeny bikinis, I don’t care if you are a size 0 or a size 3x, will ride with pride on our bikes across those fourteen blocks en mass!
I agree 100% with CrownHeightsLady
Bikers should DEF have a surtax put upon them – they should have to register their bikes etc now that the city has created all these wonderful lanes for them to ride to work on! – and get ticketed when they break the rules etc etc
it’s insane to me that the city spends so much money on creating bike lanes but can’t seem to fix potholes in the streets
Posted by: gemini10 at December 2, 2009 12:35 PM
Yes potholes, widening/flood-proofing of the Belt Parkway, new Subway lines, etc. These should all be priorities. There are millions more people/taxpayers in this city than when I was growing up. Long-term infrastructure should be what everyone is up in arms about.
Oh GEM – we know how anti bike you are!! shush!! 😉
nothing will be done until the mayor himself gets knocked down by a kamakazee cyclist.
I agree 100% with CrownHeightsLady
Bikers should DEF have a surtax put upon them – they should have to register their bikes etc now that the city has created all these wonderful lanes for them to ride to work on! – and get ticketed when they break the rules etc etc
it’s insane to me that the city spends so much money on creating bike lanes but can’t seem to fix potholes in the streets
Kent Ave. is now a disgusting mess.
It was really nice until the recent remake.
The trucks have a terrible time making the turns now and I have seen at least two cars parked on Kent or on a corner of an intersection with Kent that have been plastered by a turning 18 wheeler.
The bike nazis, Bloomberg and Sadik Khan hate cars. Except for their own personal limos.