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 am not sure why anyone (myself included) even tries to engage rob or DIBS. they stroll around here with carte blanche, perfect in their views and never wrong about anything, and have the majority of the PLUSA fanboy base to back them up.
DIBS, “both sides should be heard” is an argument usually used by a side that can’t put together a coherent argument because it has lost on the evidence. For example, creationists. “Teach the controversy!”
Exactly, rob. At least the cars don’t go zooming down the street the wrong way and barrelling through the red lights in between other cars.”
How naive you are.
So, DIBS, are you saying you don’t believe the DOT’s numbers on reduction in speeding along PPW? Or are you saying you don’t think that’s important? Or what?
yawn…..same discussion….same meanies.
I think Clyde was used as a speed bump as a kid. The moronic attempt at snark can only be explained by multiple head injuries. Now he thinks he’s a basketball star.
stonergut — The point you raise about the Broadway plaza projects actually supports the PPW findings — the DOT had a pet project there, but actually reported numbers that fell far short of the expectations for traffic movement. Obviously the agency is willing to report the numbers.
Of course, DOT stayed with the plaza format because they recorded other benefits for pedestrians from the change (and also because the traffic movement wasn’t any worse than before, at least on Broadway itself).
I am also with you on the left hand turns into Ft. Greene, but I like that they have limited the left turns into Prospect Heights.
think bike lanes is a nice distraction for politicians – so they dont have to discuss / deal with the bigger more pressing issues.
I want to propose a compromise- SPEED BUMPS!!! that would really piss off drivers is they removed the bike lane but put in 2 huge ass speed bumps per block for the entire length of the park. then maybe drivers will STFU and realize it could be worse than bike lanes.