And I love it.

I got on at Third Street and biked all the way up to 15th Street (Bartel Pritchard Square). As I pedaled I tried to find a reason not to like the bike lane.

I couldn’t find one.

1. It gives bikers a place to ride in both directions.

2. It calms the traffic on Prospect Park West.

Two lanes of traffic rather than three has definitely made PPW less of a free-way-like speed zone. I thought about the new parking lane and wondered if it was less safe to park on Prospect Park West without the curb. I’ve heard complaints along those lines. There may be something to that but parkers will adjust and it doesn’t seem like a good reason to derail the path.

As far as I could tell, the bikers seemed to stick to their lanes and to bike carefully. As a biker, I will admit that it is easy to forget to observe traffic lights but there are plenty of signs.

For bikers it is important to ride slowly and responsibly. It is, after all, an urban bike lane and bikers need to be very aware of pedestrians and parked cars. If a biker wants a fast ride, the path inside the park is the way to go. But to get from one end of Prospect Park West to another, if you are willing to ride with care and respect for other traffic elements, the bike lane is an excellent option.

The fact that the DOT sees biking as an important element of traffic is a good sign. Bikes are good for the city and the health and well-being of its citizens. The safer it is to use a bike in this city the more people will ride them. I believe cities should be less auto-centric and more encouraging of pedestrians and bikers.

Bike lanes area a win win for the city and its people.