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.”
This is all very amusing, but let me add that most traffic in Hanoi is motorbikes which far outnumber bicycles. Approx. 10 years ago it was mostly bicycles and 10 years from now it will be mostly cars (and gridlock I’m sure).
The funny thing is that they could really use bike lanes in Hanoi to protect the bikers from the crazy scooter drivers.
Orestes,
I appreciate your comment even though I don’t necessarily agree with it all. It’s nice to hear a well thought out response instead of the drivel about taking meds from others.
We aren’t going to agree I don’t think because certain behaviors which are now proving destructive to the world and its people are not defensible any longer, in my opinion. It’s a free country, but a little moral aptitude on the part of a lot of our countrymen would go a long way. I don’t claim to be the moral standard, but I see nothing wrong with trying to do my part to make the world a better place instead of constantly making excuses. You want to be 300lbs because you don’t have the will to stop eating? Fine, but you’re taking up valuable resources and are destroying the planet (and your own health) at twice the rate of others. It’s time to stop making excuses and start doing some things to change the model. That’s just my opinion.
As for your space sentiment, we live in NYC where space is at a premium so I think the comparison to some places in Europe is valid. If I wanted to leave the U.S. I would. I don’t need your permission. I’m well aware of the problems in Western Europe, but we’re talking about biking here, and how it applies to the evolution of our cities.
Just went for a little walk. Almost got run down by a car running a stop sign on Wythe.
I also observed a person on a bike stopping at a red light on Bedford and N7th.
It’s like bizzaro world outside today!! Must be a full moon tonight!!
Montrose — What Boulder and Portland did was a HUGE campaign… still ongoing. They have bike safety education in schools for *both* safety and to promote the use of bikes. They are “Green” cities that actually take that seriously. They both have moderate climates (like NYC). Yes, Boulder actually has odd weather that you wouldn’t expect being in Colorado.
However, the key to the whole thing was a population that understood (or at least bought into) the economics and environmental aspects of increasing the use of bicycles as a standard thing. When you have a population that is *open* to an alternative, it can actually happen.
What about NYC? (See above commentors!!) Obviously things like PPW bike lane will ruin everyone’s life…
Having lived in Argentina for a year, here’s my take….
Argentines for the most part are very good looking and therefore look like snobs. But, they’re really nice. Except for the rich ones. But rich people in all countries are snobs…
I don’t mind rich snobs. I only mind snobs when they aren’t rich, but think they are going to be. The worst!!
Also… and remember I own a car, but I enjoy my bike (for commuting and pleasure)…
Drivers out there — when there’s a bike in the road — Have you ever had the thought, “Oh, the road is for this bike too… it’s not unreasonable that I may have to wait a little for him the same way I have to wait for a car in front of me!”
OR is your normal reaction to squeeze the bike against the parked cars and navigate around instead of waiting 30 secs for a more open part of the road?!
11217: I don’t know how much time you have spent in any western European or Scandinavian country, but I think you have woefully romanticized Euorpean cultures. The difference between Americans and Europeans regarding space, I would argue, is we do not have the same concerns because we have an almost unlimited amount of space. European countries are all very small compared to the US and they have developed almost about as far as they are able. In the UK (hardly a bastion of environmentalism and altruism), for example, they have debated whether to shrink the greenbelts to build more housing. Space is a limited commodity in Europe, so their concern about it is merely consequential. If you had spent a significant amount of time living and acculturating in a European society you might have a much more sanguine view of their values.
Furthermore, NYC is not like Amsterdam, geographically or culturally. I love Amsterdam, but I would not like NYC to give up its flavor to be a copy of Amsterdam. I find the continual references to how superior certain European cities are to be meritless. You are trying to compare apples and oranges. NY has its own character; respect it or live somewhere else.
Also, I think your judgments about others are condescending and self-serving. Of course, the environmental damage caused by your trips to Argentina is less problematic than an American driving in a car because your use has more value. That is as self-serving as it gets: everything I do is ok because I’m a good and moral person; those other Americans who behave in a manner with which I disagree are selfish slobs.
I’d rather have an STD than bedbugs. believe it or not, I never caught an STD in a foreign country…only here in the good ole USA.
bfarwell, if you choose to read anything into my choice of words describing bikers, I can’t stop you. I never said messengers or food delivery people had less worth than other bikers. However, the city did not put bike lanes on half the streets to be kind to them, or make their lives easier. The fact of the matter is that a vast majority of commuting bikers are young, white people. No harm or foul, just an observation.
My question, which no one answered, was to ask what the bike riding cities of Boulder and Portland, etc did to make them such bike riding havens, and what are they doing that we are not? Also, if we are to be a larger bike riding populace, how do we attract more people from other demographics? Low cost bikes, tax credits? Vigorous ad campaign?