Inside the PPW Bike Lane Hearing
This week a lawsuit was filed against the city for the Prospect Park West bike lane, so Community Board 6’s public hearing on the lane last night was bound to be a showdown. And indeed, the John Jay auditorium was full as bike lane supporters and detractors took the mic to reiterate familiar arguments. You…
This week a lawsuit was filed against the city for the Prospect Park West bike lane, so Community Board 6’s public hearing on the lane last night was bound to be a showdown. And indeed, the John Jay auditorium was full as bike lane supporters and detractors took the mic to reiterate familiar arguments. You can read more details here, here and here; we captured some of it on tape for your viewing enjoyment. Above is the president of Seniors for Safety, a group involved with suing the city. Click through to hear from a bike lane supporter and another bicyclist who calls for across-the-board increased safety measures on city streets.
Resorting to curses is a sign of limited intelligence, tybur6 .. and yours is certainly limited!
it really isn’t about you and your whiny, biking hipsters either. I still cannot understand why wide open lanes in the middle of greenery, with curves and roads sloping up and down wouldn’t be far more attractive to all those young, old, experienced, fit, unfit … In all the years I rode along PPW, pre-bike lane, never once did cars cut me off, curse at me, or do anything else to impede my riding. I guess I must have scared them immensely, so they stayed far away from me. It’s really not difficult to go a few blocks out of your way, unless your point is to force your bike riding on every else. As to “basically fully visible from the opposite side of the street,” how could that possibly be unless you are using some sort of new-fangled x-ray goggles.
As to the dirty hipster, it’s wonderful that you can cross a two way bike lane. Still, that does not mean that such a lane should be on what is essentially a ONE-WAY street. Congratulations to you, nonetheless, on having survived this experience 1000 times.
Lastly, NYGuy7, I agree with you that “This has nothing to do with safety.” (your words).It has to do with forcing your world view down the throats of others.
Let’s be honest here. This has nothing to do with safety. Everyone who’s crossed the street there knows you’re never in any danger of being run over by a bike or a car. This is really people just being annoyed that they have to stop and look both ways when they get to the bike lane before crossing to the park side.
“As to the visibility issue, PPW is definitely a more difficult street to cross with a floating parking lane nearly halfway to the middle, one way traffic and parking on most of the roadway and then two way biking suddenly appearing near the eastern edge”
Suddenly appearing? I’ve crossed a two way bike lane probably close to 1000 times this year. It’s a pretty simple process, actually.
morralkan — As ALWAYS…. Who gives a shit how easy it is for you to bike everywhere! And without the aid of bike lanes. Jesus H. Christmas! It’s not about you and you abilities and habits.
The point of bike lanes is to make it an attractive alternative… for old, young, NEW cyclists, fit, unfit, families, etc. And YES going “a few blocks” out of your way is ridiculous when going from point A to point B directly is a clear possibility! Cars are allowed this “luxury”! (And don’t say, share the road… cuz NYCers are totally incapable it seems.)
And what is this… “suddenly appearing” F You. Seriously. These are parked cars… with a large buffer of NO PARKED CARS ALLOWED at every crosswalk. There is no “Sudden Appearance” of the bike lane. It is basically fully visible from the opposite side of the street, never mind in the pedestrian island.
dirty_hipster, perhaps all the bikers should be living on communes someplace where autos are banned, only organic food is sold, and and anyone older than 40 is sent to an early grave. It’s truly amazing how many avid bikers, who are presumably incredibly fit, express horror at having to ride a few blocks out of their way to an exit from the park. In my 60’s, I’m still riding from Crown Heights to Bay Ridge with no problem; I guess I’m more solidly built than the biker whiners around here. Actually, dirty_hipster , it seems as if you would like to put the “old folks” out to pasture already. Why should they, who’ve lived here for decades, need to move?
As to the visibility issue, PPW is definitely a more difficult street to cross with a floating parking lane nearly halfway to the middle, one way traffic and parking on most of the roadway and then two way biking suddenly appearing near the eastern edge. If this is harder for only the oldsters to negotiate, then it is nonetheless a legitimate concern — just as much a concern as the young (?) mothers who aver that they had an extremely difficult time crossing PPW at the traffic lights before the new road configuration. (or were they upset because they could not easily cross in the middle of the block when they did not have the light?)
“The visibility has changed for crossing the street and that has brought a fresh safety issue too. Someone last night made a very valid point that whatever change is in place the community needs to go through a transition phase to adapt. I agree completely – my concern is that the narrow lanes (both travel & floating parking) still leave little room for response to avoid problems even if you are aware of the pedestrian/cycle/traffic flows. ”
what the hell are you talking about?
How is it picking on ‘old people’ if someone is incapable of crossing a clearly marked, bordered, bike lane with so few bikers you could stand there unmolested most of the time? That is PC-ism at its worst.
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Takke it easy. I was joking around. Jeez. It’s Friday, man!
I really disagree with Park Slope Mom’s perspective. AFAIK, all of the DOTs studies prove that reducing the number of lanes reduces traffic speeds, creating a calming effect. This is especially the case on one way streets. People will tell you traffic moves much more slowly on 7th Ave, 6th Ave and 5th Ave than on 8th Ave — which can be like Daytona. Oh, and last I heard local bipeds are smart enough to look both ways before crossing those avenues.
Not to pile on MOM, but everything you’ve said is counter intuitive at best and makes absolutely no sense in the real world. If decreasing the number of car lanes has measurably decreased the travel time on PPW then obviously expanding the number of lanes will only increase travel speed. How exactly is increasing speed and thereby reducing reaction time to the inevitable lousy driver going to reduce accidents?
And I would think that the visibility issue is improved by the current configuration with the bike lane. Now, instead of having to get across four lanes where, even with the cross lights, you had to contend with cars constantly turning right onto PPW, you cross two lanes, a much easier proposition, reach a protected island and have the opportunity to pause and look again before proceeding. Trust me, as someone who walks a geriatric dog to Prospect Park every day crossing PPW is much easier now then it was prior to the bike lane.
If this is the best anti bike lane folks can come up with it’s going to be a short law suit. Maybe when the courts rule against them they can add costs for bringing a frivolous lawsuit.