I wasn’t at the bike lane hearing last night at the auditorium at John Jay High School (alas I have been busy with the classes that I’m taking) but I read all about it in the Brooklyn Paper and it sounds like it was quite a mash-up of disagreeing points of view.
So what else is new, this is Park Slope.
Y’know, some people REALLY hate the bike lane. Yet, others think it’s a visionary thing. I tend to agree with those who believe biking, walking and public transportation beats cars in a city hands down. But that’s just me, a native New Yorker who never really relied on a car in her life.
That’s me.
At last night’s hearing, bike lane enthusiasts wore florescent stickers and according to the Brooklyn Paper they outnumbered nay-sayers.
“The lane encourages us to use our bikes more often and our cars less often,” Alan Esner told the Brooklyn Paper. “We get better air quality and exercise.”
The group calling itself Neighbors for Better Bike Lanes says that the lane is dangerous to pedestrians, drivers and other living things. They’re so mad, they’re suing the city for installing the lane in the first place. They’re also charging that the DOT faked data in support of the bike lane.
Like a a any good Park Slope hearing I hear there was plenty of booing, hissing, clapping and shouting. It was Park Slope, after all.
The whole thing is boiling into a huge political broth. It will be very interesting to see what happens next. In the mean time, pick a side and start arguing!
I agree wholeheartedly with you Sara – it is the configuration of the bike lanes not the existence of the bike lanes. There were safety concerns for cyclists, pedestrians & vehicles before this installation and after the fact, there are still safety concerns that exist for cyclists (slightly different versions of safety issues than before – but thankfully not having to be in the direct path of moving vehicles anymore), pedestrians, and vehicles alike.
I still believe that with more time at the table we can improve the situation for everyone.
I am all for a bike lane for all the various reasons the environmentalists and the pro-bike people are for it. HOWEVER, this bike lane has been structured and placed in such a way that it makes it dangerous to pedestrians and bikers alike if they want to cross prospect park west. It is VERY difficult to see bikers and pedestrians crossing the street (as a car driver) because the bike lane is adjacent to the sidewalk and parked cars are adjacent to the flow of traffic. I have never seen a bike lane structured this way.
If the city had placed it differently, I think it would be less of a controversial thing. As it is, it should be changed. I think it is a given to say both sides just want people to be safe!
Apparently, hardly anyone hates the bike lane. Only 11 people signed up to speak against it. Eleven people. That probably won’t make it into their lawsuit brief.