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.”
11217- it’s all about burning calories from the activities you mention. 🙂
“If my hunch is correct, the bike lanes are not removing cars from the traffic stream”
I thought so too since I use public transpo to get to and from work (thus replacement with a bike would be a push). But, on weekends I use my bike in lieu of car services a lot. Plus, a bike can often be the quickest route between 2 places – doesn’t always have to be about the environment.
evfred —
First, your “hunch” is definitely NOT correct. You have some truths mixed in there, but your overall hunch is way off-base. There’s also the issue of short-term vs. long-term. Transportation changes in a city is not something that has instant effects. But no one can imagine anything more long-term than their morning commute the next day.
Second, the PPW bike lane vs. the park road has been discussed at length before… (a) The road in the park remains open for automobile traffic AND is a ONE-WAY road — this bike lane allows for north-bound biking, (b) I think that is dumb, but that’s not going to change, (c) it seemed CLEAR to me that the bike lane on PPW was a BY-PRODUCT. It would never have happened if there wasn’t a clear need for traffic calming! If the average speed wasn’t 50+ mph, then the bike lane would never have happened.
Do you blame the drivers for driving like assholes in the Indy 500? Do you blame the police for NEVER pulling over a speeding car? Whatever it is, the DOT created a mechanical intervention for the problem — drastically reduced width!
11217: You are a dummy for either completely ignoring or failing to comprehend my point. Nice way to drive home your unctious moralism, though.
You must have some kick ass legs and glutes, lincolnlimestone.
sorry. I misspoke.
Capitol Hill is also responsible for half of Seattle’s 12 steepest street grades: 21% on E. Roy Street between 25th and 26th Avenues E. (eastern slope), 19% on E. Boston Street between Harvard Avenue E. and Broadway E. (western slope) and on E. Ward Street between 25th and 26th Avenues E. (eastern slope), and 18% on E. Highland Drive between 24th and 25th Avenues E. (eastern slope), on E. Lee Street between 24th and 25th Avenues E. (eastern slope), and on E. Roy Street between Melrose and Bellevue Avenues E. (western slope).
But my point is, bikes can and do go over this.
DH, lots of calorie burn btwn the sheets
m4l. you’re funny. and clueless. why can’t they be climbed by a bike? would the bike flip backwards?
Many many bike races go over mountains that have a much steeper gradient than the hills in Seattle.
I do the Mount Washington race every year. 22% gradient at the end. that’s about 50% steeper than anything you’ll find in downtown Seattle.
Tybur;
You mis-characterize me. I both drive and bike. I’ve said above that I think more should be done to accommodate bikes in this city, and that it would be a good thing if more folks took their bikes instead of cars.
What I don’t get, however, is the strindency of some of the biking advocates, and their eagerness to paint these issues in stark moral terms. The opposition may have a different but legitimate POV.
You cite the smoking bans, but they came about after many years of scientific studies and educational campaigns, such that the majority in our democracy saw the need to act. That’s all I’m advocating.