New Bike Lanes on Smith and Hoyt
Good news for BoCoCa bikers, as this spring will bring extended bike lanes to and from the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges. Bicycle lanes on Smith and Hoyt street will be added, with the Smith street lane going from Bergen to 9th Street, and the Hoyt Street lane going from Bergen to 3rd Street. Nine parking…
Good news for BoCoCa bikers, as this spring will bring extended bike lanes to and from the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges. Bicycle lanes on Smith and Hoyt street will be added, with the Smith street lane going from Bergen to 9th Street, and the Hoyt Street lane going from Bergen to 3rd Street. Nine parking spots will be lost on Hoyt between Bergen and Wyckoff. Worth the trade?
Smith and Hoyt Streets Bicycle Lane Extensions [New York City DOT]
And no, Stargazer, it’s not a sudden need. This has been a need for decades, but is only now finally taking root… need transforming into action. And no, it wasn’t an issue in 1931 because there were FAR fewer cars… there was also a huge network of streetcars that was abandoned for buses around WWII.
Brooklyn’s density has increased and there has been a crazy increase in traffic over the last 40+ years. Not to mention an increase is crazy drivers (though it’s probably proportional).
Sparafucile — You’re right on one level. You and I don’t *need* a bike lane. We feel comfortable riding our bikes with traffic.
However, bike lanes do TWO things. They (1) make biking more accessible to folks that are little more wary than you and I, and (2) the road striping raises the awareness of drivers. No, it doesn’t remove the drivers from the bike lane or prevent them from squishing someone… but the stripes say, “Hey, there may be bikes around here.” A lot like “Caution, Children” signs or whatever.
By Petebklyn on April 6, 2010 12:14 PM
1st, Nonco, don’t call it Bococa …
Can I get an amen?
That name (which I refuse to use even in a passing reference) is the epitome of lameness.
CG is NOT CH, and BH is neither. Did that make sense? Anyway, its dumber than DUMBO.
1st, Nonco, don’t call it Bococa …not going to win you any friends and makes you sound like dork trying to be hip.
and probably is annoying for the residents on the block….
if really used frequently(bikelane), I would understand but does not seem likely at this location.
Great post, Minard (youth brigades).
I live a few hundred feet (just around the corner) from the lost spots. It’s already a biatch finding a spot. I can’t believe BSD is parking there on a regular basis. I’ve spent 90 minutes circling the nabe.
BUT…that was back a few years. I finally realized that the amount of time/gas spent looking for a spot, and the hassle of moving from one side to the other 4 times per week, was just not worth it. So I broke down and got a spot in an outdoor lot. Ironically, the year after I started parking off-street, my block switched from alternate side 4 days per week to 1. Figures.
Anyway, not a biker, but happy they are pushing for alternative transportation. My car is merely an escape pod, not something that we use daily.
By Gross on April 6, 2010 11:31 AM
“Public space should be divided equally, cars do not have a divine right of more space, why should pedestrians and cyclists not get their fair share of public space.”
Instead of dividing public space, how about sharing it? At what point in the 150 years or so since bicycles were invented did someone decide that they can’t operate in the same right of way as other vehicles, but need their own segregated space?
I probably should no better than to respon to all these bike lane threads, but I’ve been bicycling in Brooklyn for a quarter century now without ever feeling a need or desire for dedicated bike lanes.
“Not buying it, parking is valuable, and 9 spaces is 9 spaces. We are in the year 2010, NOW all of a sudden they need bike lanes !!!”
Stop being a cheapo and pay for a garage.
Not buying it, parking is valuable, and 9 spaces is 9 spaces. We are in the year 2010, NOW all of a sudden they need bike lanes !!!
Please, just ride in the street like every other block.
ETSON — that EXACTLY my point! I chose Ditmas Park because I enjoy my car! If I am attached to my car, why would I choose a neighborhood like Boerum Hill or North Park Slope and then BITCH that there’s no parking!! OF COURSE there’s no parking! Do you own a car in the East Village and then moan about there not being any *free* on street parking? Or have any reaction at all of they removed a 1 or 2 whole parking spots per block?