Closing Bell: PPW Protest, After the Fact
The blogs have brought in lots of news of the PPW bike lane showdown this morning. Streetsblog was at the pro-rally, where hundreds of people gathered to defend the traffic-calmed street. About 70 or so opponents gathered close by, although there wasn’t much dramatic confrontation. Gothamist quotes an anti-bike lane spokesperson: “Why do they think…
The blogs have brought in lots of news of the PPW bike lane showdown this morning. Streetsblog was at the pro-rally, where hundreds of people gathered to defend the traffic-calmed street. About 70 or so opponents gathered close by, although there wasn’t much dramatic confrontation. Gothamist quotes an anti-bike lane spokesperson: “Why do they think they can mutilate this extremely beautiful boulevard? It is useful maybe to a handful of bikers.” This was met with booing, and the counter-argument that bike lane access is about “The sustainability of New York. This is about reducing our dependence on oil!” Sounds intense. Did any readers attend?
Hundreds Rally in Support of PPW Bike Lane [Streetsblog]
Protests Pit Seniors Against Cyclists [Gothamist]
Photo by Ben Fried / Streetsblog.org
What’s up with all these *pedestrians* who are constantly coming *this close* to getting nailed by *cyclists*? I mean, it’s not like, as a *cyclist* I’m welded to my bike. I actually am a *pedestrian* most of the time and I’m not constantly coming *this close* to getting nailed. In fact, I can’t think of more than a few times in 25 years in NYC.
My conclusion? These *pedestrians* are actually *meanderthals* (see http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=meanderthal) who endangered the cyclist. Or they’re just making stuff up because they hate bikes.
Actually, maybe you should be hit. If we’re kicking an punching cyclists, can we beat the shit out of pedestrians that break the rules?
snowman2 —
I wonder where you wait to cross the street? Do you wait patiently on the sidewalk… or do you edge into the travel lane and cross whenever you damn well please?
I’m not saying you should be hit, but don’t get all holier than thou.
And, hey, everyone above whining about bikers breaking traffic laws…. I would LOVE for you to get the police to enforce ANY traffic laws. That would be amazing!!! Any traffic laws. Cars, bikes, pedestrians… tickets flying left and right… and maybe start with the cops themselves obeying a few. If you can do that, I’d vote for you for any public office.
Yes, invisible!
do: keep the bike lanes but make it legal to kick them off their bike or punch them in the teeth when they run red lights; they can then retain their rights to yell at anyone/anything in the bike lane.
And when they are going in the wrong direction too!
If you object to requiring street riding bikers to be licensed and insured then you want it both ways. As a pedestrian, I have had too many close calls with red runners and wrong wayers.
There has to be limits and when they put a bike lane down Hoyt St where there is barely room for one car, the limit was exceeded.
Well Jaguar, Park Slope has some of the best public elementary schools in the city, the largest food co-op in the country (making more money psf than Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s combined) and the largest intact collection of brownstones in the USA. Once all 3 phases of the historic district come to pass, it will be the largest historic district in the city.
Besides that, it often receives accolades for some of the highest recycle rates in the city and has won multiple awards for being the best neighborhood in the city (NYMAG) and one of the best in the country (American Planning Association).
What else do you want us to work on for you?
I shudder to think of the social change these Park Slope “activists” could induce if they spent their time on something that actually mattered.
Oh come on Arkady, you know what I said was true. It’s not about geriatrics hitting gays in the street, but the younger generation is MUCH more open about gays and gay issues than older people.
This graph shows you quite clearly:
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2010/08/the_the_perfect_symbol_for_ame.html
Fuplease – I have no clue! but I did write a suggestion to DMV and I suspect I have to email my local council woman and whine to her and then take it up a notch to my local congressman/woman and then senator and maybe make a youtube video etc etc
🙂
Gem10: exactly. But how exactly do you plan to push this into legislation? Not trying to undermine, just wondering. Might this be linked to your endorsement of the rent is 2 damn high party?