Bike Lane Wars Abound
The Brooklyn Paper is chock full of stories about bike lane conflict today. First up is more drama surrounding the new lanes on Prospect Park West. As you may recall, DOT’s decision to axe one lane of car traffic to make way for a two-way bike lane was done despite opposition by Marty Markowitz and…
The Brooklyn Paper is chock full of stories about bike lane conflict today. First up is more drama surrounding the new lanes on Prospect Park West. As you may recall, DOT’s decision to axe one lane of car traffic to make way for a two-way bike lane was done despite opposition by Marty Markowitz and many others in the driver camp. Now, it turns out, some pedestrians who are used to only having to look one way before crossing are up in arms. Meanwhile, down in Bay Ridge, Community Board 10 voted earlier this week against two new proposed bike lanes. “The city is bent on taking away driving lanes for cars,” said Allen Bortnick, a member of Community Board 10. “We are not going to be able to live with this comfortably.”
“force more people to use public transportation or alternative modes of transport — umm, like bikes”
Tybur;
Your comments, coupled with 11217’s, captures completely why many folks have difficulty with the green movement. Talk about “forcing” people and talk about how folks who don’t sign up with the green program are moral degenerates: yeah, that’s the way to do it!! Do you know of any business that tries to convince folks to buy their product in such a manner? Why don’t the folks who believe in this movement try to use the power of moral suasion?
Moreover, there is the real world. Whatever the merits of congestion pricing might have been, forcing folks to pay up more so that the wonderfully-run MTA can have more money is not a winning argument.
I have a car and I am an avid cyclist. I do not see the bike lanes as actually enhancing saftey the way they are done in NY because in almost all cases they are not separated from car traffic. Cars stand in the bike lines. Cars open their doors into the bike lanes. Cars turn across the bike lanes. I personallly prefer to cycle on streets without bike lanes or have people forgotten that you don’t actually need a bike lane to legally ride your bike on any street in NYC? As a driver, I see the bike lanes as a nonissue, and generally see cyclists as a nonissue as both a driver and pedestrian. Of course, some bikes blast through red lights or otherwise engage in dangerous behavior but the number of (w)reckless cyclists pales in comparison to the agressive, rude, dangerous drivers in Brooklyn. I have no clue where all of the animosity is coming from. Cycling is good exercise, it is fun, and it is a nice alternative to driving a car for short (or even long) trips. Why drivers find bikers so annoying frankly baffles me. I have been biking in this city for years and had very few problems. Can’t we all just get along?
Lincolnlimestone: I enjoy your posts. We are almost always in agreement.
DIBS — He just said *Europeans* suck. They wouldn’t buy his old fart-filled beanbag chair at his stoop sale.
(Rob — I kid. I kid.)
More from rob on Europe, a place he’s never been to.
11217- that’s right. Largely a generational thing. I wish we could see a poll on the average age of anti-bike curmudgeons vs. the rest.
quote:
I grew up very very middle class and achieved my bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees on full scholarship and have worked extremely hard to get to where I am now professionally. I’ve traveled to over 30 countries.
lol, why was i always under the assumption you were a hairdresser!? tho i guess you could be a hairdresser with a PhD.
and minard is correct. europeans suck.
*rob*
morralkan – you really have no clue about Portland. In March I saw hundreds of commuters leaving the Mount Tabor hood on their way down town in a snow storm. . . . Yes, it’s downhill on the way to work but no one pushes their bike home.
Still fighting?