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
The snow question brings up a valid point how many bikers are there going to be in February. We never see how many commuters, presumably taxpayers, are delayed, inconvenienced, lose production time, by all these bike lanes. What is the economic cost in lost time? How many bikers vs. how many commuters?
Um, how big is this problem of bikes damaging cars, actually?
And believe me, if the biker hit you hard enough to dent your hood, he or she would not be “riding away.”
“By fuplease on October 21, 2010 7:15 PM
gem10: i was actually thinking of someone to pay me when when an a-hole driver or pedestrian trashes me or my road bike. but insurance is insurance.”
That’s the point – YOU HAVE THAT RECOURSE! – If I hit you on your bike while I am driving I am liable! if I speed off someone will grab my license plate if you are unable to
If I turn into a street and you are riding up the wrong way and you hit me while I am in my car – it’s your fault – and now I have dents on my front hood – so as of now I can get out of my car and ask you for some cash on the spot OR what? nothing else -I guess I can call the cops – but you can ride away on your bike never to be seen again….
it’s only fair and I plan to push it into LEGISLATION
VOTE FOR GEMINI 10
ilb: great news
Correction: sidewalk riders fell to 4%.
Note that in the DOT report I just linked to above, it says that 32% and 41% of cyclists on the PPW bike lane were children on the days they counted (on weekdays and weekends, respectively).
It also notes that the percentage of people biking on the sidewalk has declined from 46% to 6%. So the lane makes things safer for pedestrians on the sidewalk (including seniors).
do: arrest self-absorbed pedestrians salmoning six abreast in middle of park drive in violation of park traffic rules (http://www.prospectpark.org/visit/plan/safety#drives), risking own and cyclists’ lives.
gem10: i was actually thinking of someone to pay me when when an a-hole driver or pedestrian trashes me or my road bike. but insurance is insurance.
“All the noise is coming from a very small group of mostly older people who are out of the loop and are probably voting for Carl Paladino.
They’ll lose that one too.”
lmao I’m voting for the “RENT IS TOO DAMN HIGH” guy too.
“I wonder if people who ride bikes to work realize how they are contributing to the ever-growing problem of smelly people the city now has to contend with?”
@gemini10 funny!