I heard it on NPR this morning and I just got the email from Rachel Goodman, City Councilmember Brad Lander’s press representative,with news that the Bike Lane survey has been released and the findings are positive for supporters of the new traffic configuration and two-way bike lane on Prospect Park West.
The survey will be presented at a public meeting of the Community Board 6 Transportation Committee on Thursday, December 16th at 6:30pm at New York Methodist Hospital Auditorium, 506, 6th Street in Park Slope. Copies will also be available at the City Council’s hearing on Cycling in New York City on Thursday, December 9th, at 250 Broadway, 10am.
The 13-question survey was collected online and in-person October 15 – 30, 2010. According to Lander’s press release: “It was not a randomly-sampled public opinion poll, nor was it intended as a referendum on the project. While it was used as an organizing tool for active supporters and opponents of the project, responses reached far beyond organized advocacy networks.”
Here are the stats on the survey itself. It was completed by 3,150 Brooklyn residents (828 living on Prospect Park West or the blocks immediately adjacent to the street; 1,137 elsewhere in Park Slope; 1,185 elsewhere in Brooklyn ).
According to Lander, “The responses show deep interest in the project, with over 2,000 respondents answering open-ended questions (in addition to the multiple-choice questions), and over 1,000 respondents voluntarily providing contact information.”
And here are the actual results:
Among the 3,150 respondents overall, there is broad support for the project:
* 54% (1,522 respondents) wish to keep the configuration as-is
* 24% (688 respondents) wish to keep the configuration, with some changes
* 22% (633 respondents) wish to go back to the previous configuration
Among all respondents living in Park Slope (2,210 respondents):
* 49% (888 respondents) wish to keep the configuration as-is
* 22% (408 respondents) wish to keep the configuration, with some changes
* 29% (530 respondents) wish to go back to the previous configuration
Among the 272 respondents living on PPW, there is a roughly even split between those wishing to keep the bike lanes and those wishing to go back to the previous configuration:
* 31% (85 respondents) wish to keep the configuration as-is
* 18% (50 respondents) wish to keep the configuration, with some changes
* 50% (137 respondents) wish to go back to the previous configuration
Detailed findings from the survey (including methodology) are available at http://www.bradlander.com/ppwsurvey
Just for full transparency I was a vote “with changes”.
My main concerns for the future include 1)impact of the narrower lanes on the ability of emergency vehicles to use PPW safely and quickly and 2) pedestrian safety. We’ll get used to the increased honking, parking headaches and fender benders.
In terms of the numbers and “agenda” I only concerned myself with the survey of people who lived on PPW or adjoining streets and I stand by my interpretation of those results – 85 liked it as is, 137 wanted it returned to prior configuration and 50 would like changes. That’s as far as I took it to arrive at my 62% of majority looking for a return to the previous configuration.
I certainly didn’t and don’t think that the results of a survey would necessarily change anything – clearly it is a done deal – but I did appreciate the opportunity to see what my neighbors felt about it. I see the survey primarily as a public relations act more than a tool of policy.
I’m impressed with your ability to frame the results in a way that suits your agenda, but the simple fact is that the number of people who like the bike lanes, with or without some changes (1,522 respondents), far exceeds the number of people who want PPW to go back to the way it was (688). Even your own neighbors on PPW would be just as happy keeping the bike lane, with or without some changes (135 respondents), as want to see it removed altogether (137 respondents).
We can both interpret the results any way we want, but if you had hoped that its results would help to bring about the demise of the bike lane, you were very mistaken.
Looking at the numbers from the report above – 85 who liked it as is. 137 who wanted it returned to the previous configuration, and 50 who liked it but with changes. I don’t see 85 as evenly split with 137.
62% of PPW participants were against the configuration using the numbers cited above (and that is not even including those who wanted change to the configuration) VS. 54% in support of the new configuration in the full tally of votes at the top of the story — in some reports being referred to as a “resounding majority” — yikes. 62% outright against is not nearly evenly spit in my opinion.
I can assure you I wasn’t expecting any “monolithic” opposition – …in today’s world??? I’m just saying that the numbers show a majority of my neighbors wanting to return the pattern to the previous configuration or keeping it with changes.
Seems to me that the people who live on PPW were nearly evenly split on this issue. Hardly the monolithic opposition I’m sure Lisa and the other opponents were likely expecting.
should say above —
“The majority of those who participated in the survey who live on PPW or adjoining streets did NOT support the bike lanes/road way as currently configured.”
My apologies but looking at the survey “most people” who support the bike lanes would not include the people who are most familiar and involved in the situation – those of us who live on PPW. The majority of those who participated in the survey who live on PPW or adjoining streets as they are currently configured.
We cross the street on a regular basis, we park on a regular basis, we ride bikes on a regular basis, and we hear/see the accidents and honking on a regular basis. The bike lane access is definitely a plus, but not a plus without concern about the need to watch for pedestrians and parking cars — similar to the risks of riding in the lanes in the park only with less visibility. Not big upside.
One problem is that PPW is a dual purpose road – major thoroughfare and local street — can you imagine putting the identical parking and bike lane system on CPW or 5th avenue in Manhattan??
I know this is getting tiresome but for us who have to deal with the significant downsides of the plan on a regular basis it is frustrating.
Can this please be the end of this made-up controversy? The bike lanes are good for the neighborhood and most people support them.