Lime Green Bike Lanes: Garish or Gorgeous?
The Department of Transportation is testing colors that would make bike lanes more visible to motorists, and they started with a strip of green in Brooklyn Heights — on Henry Street between Clark and Montague. Folks are already debating this color choice on StreetsBlog, where some are calling it “Gorgeous!” and others are calling it…
The Department of Transportation is testing colors that would make bike lanes more visible to motorists, and they started with a strip of green in Brooklyn Heights — on Henry Street between Clark and Montague. Folks are already debating this color choice on StreetsBlog, where some are calling it “Gorgeous!” and others are calling it “insane lime-neon green.” We’re all for bike safety, but we think that a more muted color could still stand out against the pavement — and might be more appropriate for brownstone-lined blocks. Can somebody call Benjamin Moore and let him know that there’s a demand for street paint in the soft tones of his Historical Colors collection? —KZ
High-Visibility Bike Lanes in Brooklyn [StreetsBlog]
Colorful Lane Could Keep Bikers Safer [Brooklyn Daily Eagle]
Photo by McBrooklyn
Sean’s comments are absurd. As are the previous poster who said bikers can bend the law. As long as bikers blatantly disregard the law they should not even be allowed on streets.
Saw the lanes this morning and was shocked by the color. On my way back down from the dry cleaners on Montague, the color looked much better and picked up the lighter green tree leaves on the block. Not so bad. Yellow would be weird because there’s nothing yellow in the Heights.
A lane divider would be nice too. Like a little bump between the car road and the bike path. I read that Transportation Alternatives suggested the bike lanes be textured in addition to painted.
Lastly, one of the biggest problems with the Henry/Clinton Street bikelanes is delivery people riding the wrong way down the lanes. I’ve been hit by bikes going the opposite direction that cars go on Clinton.
Sean,
You sound like you are probably one of the arrogant bike riders. You don’t need to follow all rules but others should.
Chill out. Bridges paths are not Interstates of the bike world. They are a place for tourists to view our city, people to take a stroll, etc.
You feeling you can yell and brush them says much about your attitude.
I feel for the person (if their is one) that shares your homelife).
10:36 AM:”the reason cars get tickets is because cars KILL people.”
Do you remember this incident?
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9904E0DB143BF933A15752C1A961958260
JL, I completely agree with you. Riding a bike through a red light is absolutely no worse than jaywalking. When done with caution and alertness, it will cause no harm to others. Drivers are just jealous! 😉
It also must be said that there is a particular culture that surrounds riding a bike in NYC. Because it is generally unsafe to be a biker here it has become a breeding ground for a particularly aggressive style of rider. Depending on where you ride, it is often absolutely necessary to be aggressive on your bike, especially in Manhattan, to avoid accidents and put drivers in their place. So its these brave souls that are riding like crazy that get all the attention. You never remember the safe riders because, well, you don’t have a reason to remember them.
I ride to work everyday, up and down Clinton and Henry to the Brooklyn Bridge. For the most part, I don’t have too many problems on these streets. The most common occurrence for me is actually not cars, but pedestrians that jaywalk as I’m riding through a green light! More often than not, I get a dirty look from said jaywalker as if I’m supposed to yield to them. But I’ve come to accept this and consciously look for these people.
Lastly, I’m grateful for these bike lanes, I do believe they make my commute a bit safer and the green is a fantastic color choice. It’s easy on the eyes, it contrasts with the road wonderfully, and doesn’t make the road look like one big caution sign (say if it were yellow);
Bikes occupy a space on the streets that’s somewhere between being pedestrian and automobile. So it’s seems logical that bending the rules makes sense in some way that acknowledges that.
Here’s my manifesto.
Everyone in this city jaywalks. Everyone. So it doesn’t seem like a big deal for me to run a red light on a bike when there is no danger. It seems implicit that when you are the one breaking the law, you cede to the person who is following it: i.e. the pedestrian who is walking with a walk sign.
It seems that most car drivers in this city double park and fail to single lane changes and turns. Cops let this go, which is fine. But I have the right to yell at someone who double parks in the bike lane and smack their car if they put me in danger, just like a I have the right to yell at or brush a pedestrian who sees me coming in the bike lane on the Brooklyn Bridge and doesn’t react.
Bikes should never be on a crowded sidewalk. Though the people doing this tend to be delivery guys and scared newbies. If you’re too scared to ride in the road, you shouldn’t be out there.
There is a hierarchy of safety. In uncertain situations, bikes should cede to pedestrians and cars should cede to bikes. I find that of all motorists, cabbies understand this best. In general, they’re predictable and don’t want to hit you. It’s the suburbanites and buses that are most dangerous. Get out of the way of these people.
Discuss.
Wayyyyyyy fugly. Appreciate the idea, but it’s hideous.
1) I would not paint the lane a solid color. Given the amount of street repairs, potholes, wear and tear, it will soon end up looking ugly, warn out, broken, etc. It would be better to paint these via a colored pattern that is also reflective paint. Patterns: polka dots; dashes, etc. A break in this kind of pattern will be less obvious to the eyes. 2) Absolutely enforce bike traffic regulations – why not get a license? 3) Offer cyclist anger management classes. Sorry, but there is something about the cyclist people that reeks of eco or tour de wherever snobbery. I see it in the City and outside the City. Cars and their drivers are the evil spawn to these people. If you dare to toot your horn to warn them that you are coming up behind them, you get yelled at, get the finger, expletives, etc. More annoying cyclist pet peeves: the weekend bike clusters who all insist on wearing their skin-tight stretchies that do nothing more than show off their less desireable parts. For them, cycling is a religion, and how dare drivers be on the same road. One of the worst out of the City places is Rt 9W heading from NJ into Rockland County. You know eavry one of these bozos and bozettes drives a car – but man, they snarl, ride 2-4 abreast, often OUTSIDE the right side bike lane/shoulder. Over and Out!!
For the record, there is no excuse for a cyclist that hits a pedestrian, even if they are jaywalking–or doing anything else for that matter.
There may be no stated “right of way” rule for this, but it’s only common sense that pedestrians come first.
Again, I and the majority of cyclists are vigilant with this regard. For those that are not, maybe there should be consequences, especially if a collision occurs.