Possible Perils of the Sands Street Bike Path
The Sands Street bike bath, the slick new route for bicyclists entering or exiting the Manhattan Bridge, only opened this summer, and already there are problems. Last week, Gothamist rreported that the raised portion of the bike bath between Navy and Gold has proven to be irresistible to illegal parkers; in addition, Transportation Alternatives notes…
The Sands Street bike bath, the slick new route for bicyclists entering or exiting the Manhattan Bridge, only opened this summer, and already there are problems. Last week, Gothamist rreported that the raised portion of the bike bath between Navy and Gold has proven to be irresistible to illegal parkers; in addition, Transportation Alternatives notes bicyclists often make dangerous diagonal crossings when dealing with the double crosswalks at Sands and Jay where the bridge path lets out. The project isn’t complete yet, and the DOT told Streetsblog that they are working on both of these issues. GMAP
Double Parkers Gravitate into Sands Street Bike Path [Streetsblog]
New Sands Street Bike Lane Perfect for Cable Guy Parking! [Gothamist]
Photo by Gothamist
ps.
I should also say I am not anti bike. Thinks they are great. Just anti obnoxious sense of entitlement that I see and hear from so many bikers.
bfarwell,
You bring up some good points, but they don’t stand alone.
The economic cycle of our city and country are just a little more complicated than your elementary model of A+B=C.
How long can city, state and the federal government continue to subsidize the pay role and pensions of the labor unions with tax dollars?
Bikers pay tax. What would be your estimate of the percentage of bikers tax dollars contributing to the overall cost of the bike lanes?
The city is not ticketing bikers for fineable infractions. No money for the city there. Less cars is good for all! Less income for the city there. Fewer tickets, fewer traffic agents. Layoffs? Unemployment?
Less crowed subways? Lower revenue for the MTA. Services cut? Layoffs?
Bikers make the demand that cars stay out of their bike lanes… why don’t bikes stay out of car lanes?? Bikers say drivers are lazy and don’t pay attention. Bikers do? Not all bikers are a holes… Are all drivers a holes?
As far as stats, lets pay attention to the Driver bias media and send each other the report on driver/biker related accidents. Keep tabs so to speak from this point on?
And…IMO if you really want to save the world – go buy an electric car (help lower tax dollars needed to keep the auto industry afloat), set up your bike so you can generate the electric need to charge your car (no additional drain on the overtaxed electric grid) Bonus (less of a need for nuclear power plants or fossil fuel run power plans). Drive to work (clean air… your exhales are recycled a bit in the car). Get some tickets (revenue for the city) Let them pile up and get towed. Take a taxi or subway to get your car out (revenue and tax, revenue and tax). Now there are fewer bikes. Less need for bike lanes. City uses union labor to change all the roads back. More jobs, more money, less tax subsidy.
Now I know my economic model is not spot on, but it is closer to reality than yours.
One more thing. I think you might be a poopie face?
“Because they’re parked in my lane. Because a pedestrian steps out into the lane talking on the phone and not paying attention.”
Me,me, me, My,my,my. Why are you so entitled?
Heard near Brooklyn Hospital, police car loudspeaker to two bikers likely coming home from Manhattan:
Police: Stay in the bike lane, stay in the bike lane. Stop at the red light.
(Bikers and police stop. Very few pedestrians cross, then quiet. First biker attempts to go over crosswalk line)
Police: You gotta stop at the red light.
(No more pedestrians. First biker puts feet back on pedals)
Police: Stay until light changes.
(light changes, all head to DeKalb)
and, fwiw, this jagoff could have double-parked next to the existing cars, leaving enough of a space that passing vehicles would have grazed the striped area, but not actually hit the bike lane.
pig: Sorry, where are those statistics from? Did you have to stand up to pull them out?
And I suppose bikers don’t pay taxes, then? And that the decreased traffic doesn’t help keep the cars flowing on the bridges, the subway cars a bit less crowded, your air cleaner, etc. No common good, clearly.
sigh.
As a near-daily rider (in all types of weather, ML, thanks- it’s not that bad, really. If you got out of your taxi you might notice that pedestrians also travel year-round, without a metal and glass bubble to protect them) I can say that I bike sensibly, follow rules, and am nearly involved in a collision at least three or four times a month.
Because some car didn’t signal. Because they’re parked in my lane. Because a pedestrian steps out into the lane talking on the phone and not paying attention. Because nobody ever looks before they pull out/over/through. Or somebody throws a cigarette/hawks a loogie/tosses their drink out the window and nails me. Because they just can’t be bothered to pay attention.
All these bike lanes that are ‘bad’… how so? Did NYC eminent-domain a bunch of townhouses to build them? Did they cut off waterfront access? Did they remove a bunch of sidewalks or subway stops to make new bike lanes?
Oh, right, they took out some parking. Or a lane of traffic. Or caused you to need to look wtf you were going before you stepped into the street which is somehow a new thing for you.
Hold on, let me find the hanky… hunh. must have left it on the bumper of the minivan that was running me off the road the other day.
Yes, there are asshole bikers. And they have probably killed someone, somewhere, at some point. But most bikers are just normal commuters. And we need all the lanes we can get.
Oh yeah,
Has anyone figured out how many tax dollars were spent creating all these new bike lanes?
Just wondering.
Randi,
Bikers may not kill drivers by their selfishness and disregard for the laws and rules of the road… Statistically, most bikers killed by drivers are killed by their own negligence.
Now the driver must live with the fact that they have killed someone. I bet they are real happy about it.
Perhaps they should sue that idiots estate for pain and suffering…
Cars have to live with a$$hol@ bikers. Only fair for bikers…
PS: 😉
g10 – You’re already snagged the award. No need to keep ranting.