CB6 Drafts Bike Lane PPW Resolution
Following last week’s public hearing, last night the CB6 Transportation Committee presented the first draft of a resolution concerning the Prospect Park West bike lane and “related issues.” Included in the draft: “CB6 is not a party and takes no position with respect to [the PPW lawsuit], but further acknowledges that DOT, in its discretion,…
Following last week’s public hearing, last night the CB6 Transportation Committee presented the first draft of a resolution concerning the Prospect Park West bike lane and “related issues.” Included in the draft: “CB6 is not a party and takes no position with respect to [the PPW lawsuit], but further acknowledges that DOT, in its discretion, may deem it prudent to defer modifications… until that legal proceeding is continued.” The modifications recommended included raising and widening the pedestrian safety islands with an “appropriate design for public review,” restoring parking spaces, installing rumble strips near pedestrian crossings, and the continued study of the safety and flow of traffic. The entrances at Garfield Place, 3rd, 11th, 9th and 5th Street (into Litchfield Villa) were asked to be reconfigured. Also, during rush hour, DOT was asked to “further traffic signal adjustments and attention to unloading/loading ‘hot spots.'” Some in the audience stressed that DOT needs to look closely at the relationship with bikers and pedestrians, rather than bikers and motorists. The draft will be considered by the full board on Wednesday, April 13th.
Photo via Complete Street
Before: Dark winter landscape with bare trees.
After: Bright, summer landscape with green trees.
Is there any choice?
bessie, yeah, salmons are the against-the-traffic bikers. most salmons are OK. but from my experience, the most obnoxious bikers are via the salmons. they right down the street like they own it, want you to get of their way and if you dont they like to mouth off.
DH, it aint the fist-fish combat these salmons would have to worry about. first their’s the car vs bike/chain disadvantage. 2nd, they yapping like they dont expect someone to punch or ram them (ie lost element of the surprise). most car drivers who’s willing to throw down have them handy aluminum bats (bats better than chains or u locks).
Are salmon bikers those who ride against traffic? I alway thought of that as more of a defense mechanism to be able to better see what the cars are doing.
The only bikers I’ve ever had trouble with around Prospect Park are the wanna be Tour de France ones. They wear those little tight stretchy pants and have to whiz by everyone in an aggressive manner. They’re just like the aggressive, self-centered drivers that think thy’re the only ones on the road.
Speed bumps on PPW seem like a bad idea. I think there’s enough traffic and lights to make everything pretty slow already.
I love the bike lane. Since I’m scared to ride my bike in car traffic, to get home from the Windsor Terrace end of the park, I used to have to ride my bike on the sidewalk around there.
“and oblivious to fact many folks can whoop their asses”
i’d wager to say most aggressive salmon cyclists are traveling with a big ass chain lock or u lock – which double as nice weapons for hand-to-hand combat.
>so there *are* traffic problems
There *really are* no traffic problems; congestion slows down traffic to a safe pace. Note how much faster traffic was pre-bike-lane. Of course, if you think you should be able to go 50mph on 8th Ave, by all means be anti-bike-lane.
Even double parking is useful to calm traffic.
By the way, I’ve ridden bikes 3 U.S. cities and 2 European cities as part of my daily life. In Boston and Seattle, I never had to “interact” with the motor vehicles around be to navigate traffic.
Almost without fail (and this is during happy go lucky weekend times!), whenever I’ve ridden in Manhattan I have to tap, kick, or push off from taxis and other vehicles that try to squeeze me off the road or cut me off (even in the amazing bike lanes — err… stripes painted on the road). And this is in Manhattan where the cars are actually going somewhat slower than in Brooklyn.
Being tough as nails (i.e., not a defenseless slowflake) isn’t going to save you when someone squeezes into you at 40+ mph.
The level of aggression/contempt that cars have for bicycles is like nowhere else. Boston — folks drive like crazy. But when they come upon a bike, they don’t try to intimidate and run them off the road.
salmon bikers are a trip. I think they’re the ones who are really giving bikers the bad rep. cause these salmons love to think they own the road, swerve while yapping on phone, and oblivious to fact many folks can whoop their asses (ie should STFU when you nearly got ran over cause your dumb ass was going the wrong way and didnt want to pull over but yet you think you can trash talk)
DIBS — I’m not arguing that point (and i agree with you, except for the last bit, though I really want to put a stick in the spokes of the delivery guys that go out of their way to ride the wrong way)
I’m simply reacting to Rob’s notion that the toughest, most fearless bike riders on the streets are (a) even a meaningful comparison to a general transportation issue, and (b) that these “guys NEVER had a problem riding bikes” when in fact they have all sorts of problems.
(btw, the aggressive driving just makes these jerkies more aggressive… it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.)