Prospect Park West Bike Lane Back in the News!
The inevitable backlash to last week’s report from the DOT that the Prospect Park West bike lane is a big success has finally arrived. That there video above from CBS2 shows Borough Prez Marty Markowitz disputing the DOT’s claims; Streetsblog fires back: “Marty seems to have either lost the ability to distinguish truth from fiction,…
The inevitable backlash to last week’s report from the DOT that the Prospect Park West bike lane is a big success has finally arrived. That there video above from CBS2 shows Borough Prez Marty Markowitz disputing the DOT’s claims; Streetsblog fires back: “Marty seems to have either lost the ability to distinguish truth from fiction, or his stubbornness is just all-consuming and he’s ceased to care about his public credibility.” Gothamist, meanwhile, has a quote from Markowitz in which the BP says that “we need an outside study—not one conducted by the DOT but perhaps by the NYPD—to get an impartial analysis of the Prospect Park West reconfiguration.” And, last but not least, the Brooklyn Paper is quick to print claims about how a conspiracy theory not imagined by Markowitz may be afoot: “One day after the Department of Transportation announced last week that the lane has improved safety for drivers and cyclists, two members of the city’s old guard — former Sanitation Commissioner Norman Steisel and former Transportation boss Iris Weinshall — struck back, claiming that the agency fudged numbers to make the lane appear more successful than it is.”
Markowitz on PPW Data: It’s a Vast Biking Conspiracy [Streetsblog]
Markowitz Says Activist Cyclists Distorted PPW Study [Gothamist]
Former Officials Slam City for Lying on Prospect Park West [BK Paper]
i agree DIBS, and the reality is that for survival’s sake you have to yeild to cars because they will hit you. my point is about legality- if we are talking about following the law is has to be across the board and it seems like part of the problem is everyone A not really knowing what the laws are and B finger pointing.
welcome to the state of our union.
The irony is that Marty was bestowed his 3rd term because he supported Bloomberg, who somehow got to get a 3rd term as well. Poor Marty- now he has to suffer under Bloomberg’s agenda, which includes bike lanes.
“Really, if you are not totally drunk it takes a lot to get hit by a car. ”
This kid must have been totally loaded:
http://online.wsj.com/article/APa2840a0a2fe940f18808e8832d8ad00b.html
NYGuy…you still misss the point. Iknow cars go through intersections. Most people can avoid them. But when cars are STOPPED at an intersection, you don’t really expect a bike coming through in between them. Once the car traffic is stopped, people get careless (IT’S NOT THE PED’s FAULT) and don’t expect a bike to be coming through.
Understand now?????
Philadelphia addresses the bike lanes and the ability for cars to turn differently. The lane is only designated by a dotted line at the point just before the intersection where a car may need to make a turn onto that perpendicular street. The bikes yield.
I think that is the proper option. Of course Philadelphia has fewer fanatical bike riders than NYC and, in particular, Brooklyn, have.
southbrooklyn — nice try, but information like that doesn’t change that fact that it is now INTOLERABLE that it take an extra 37 seconds to drive the length of PPW.
You would get just as far if you tried to convince these awesome drivers that turning right from the INNER lane of the Bartel Pritchard traffic circle is dangerous and illegal and wrong. They’d somehow blame bicycles for almost T-boning my car from the left side.
“Really sick of cyclist entitlement and whining!”
Really sick of seeing those white bikes and hearing stories of bikers killed by asshole drivers!
Isn’t it obvious? Cars go blowing through red lights every. single. day. In fact the city has cameras set up at specific intersections taking pictures because it’s a huge problem.
pig three….here it is:
…no person shall drive a vehicle on or across a
designated bicycle lane in such manner as to interfere with the safety and
passage of persons operating bicycles thereon.
Here is the whole thing…..
4-12
(o) Use of roadways.
(1) Pedestrians, horses, bicycles and limited use vehicles prohibited. In
order to provide for the maximum safe use of the expressways, drives, highways,
interstate routes, bridges and thruways set forth in §4-07 subdivision (i) of these
rules and to preserve life and limb thereon, the use of such highways by
pedestrians, riders of horses and operators of limited use vehicles and bicycles is
prohibited, unless signs permit such use.
(2) Flat tires. No operator shall stop on the improved or paved roadway of any
of the arteries set forth in §4-07 subdivision (i) of these rules, for the purpose of
removing or replacing a flat tire. No person shall remove or replace a flat tire
unless the vehicle is completely off the improved or paved roadway so that no
part of the vehicle or person is exposed to passing vehicles.
(p) Bicycles
(1) Bicycle riders to use bicycle lanes. Whenever a usable path or lane for
bicycles has been provided, bicycle riders shall use such path or lane only except
under any of the following situations:
(i) When preparing for a turn at an intersection or into a private road or
driveway.
(ii) When reasonably necessary to avoid conditions (including but not
limited to, fixed or moving objects, motor vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians,
pushcarts, animals, surface hazards) that make it unsafe to continue
within such bicycle path or lane.
(2) Driving on or across bicycle lanes prohibited. No person shall drive a
vehicle on or across a designated bicycle lane, except when it is reasonable and
necessary:
(i) to enter or leave a driveway; or
(ii) to enter or leave a legal curbside parking space; or
Section 4-12
53
(iii) to cross an intersection; or
(iv) to make a turn within an intersection; or
(v) to comply with the direction of any law enforcement officer or other
person authorized to enforce this rule; or
(vi) to avoid an obstacle which leaves fewer than ten feet available for
the free movement of vehicular traffic.
Notwithstanding any other rule, no person shall drive a vehicle on or across a
designated bicycle lane in such manner as to interfere with the safety and
passage of persons operating bicycles thereon.