I have little to say about the completely moronic Marcia Kramer “news” report on the terrorist threat posed by the 1st and 2nd Avenue bike lanes that hasn’t already been said. I can only add a single observation, which you probably already noticed if you saw Kramer’s idiotic story. During a stand-up, what does Marcia Kramer say at the precise moment viewers see her standing on a nearly empty 1st Avenue, with only a single taxi cab in the background?
“There’s no place for the cars to go!”
Reminds me of this piece of Marcia Kramer insanity (via BikeSnob):
And this visual illustration of the traffic congestion wrought by pedestrian islands in Boro Park:
I’m not sure if Marcia Kramer understands that television is a visual medium.
Happy July 4th
I’ll be on vacation from July 2 to July 10 and will be taking a break from blogging. Have a great Fourth of July celebration and thanks for your support.
Sound Familiar?
A reader from Toronto sends in a familiar-sounding story:
The lanes were installed last July at a cost of $65,000 amid fury from some Rosedale and Moore Park residents.
They said losing a fifth lane in the road’s centre, which changed from northbound to southbound depending on the time of day, would prolong their commutes, and that bike lanes already exist a block away on parallel Sherbourne St.
A city report released last week said that, since the lanes were installed, car travel time on Jarvis has increased by about two minutes in the morning rush hour and three to five minutes after work. The number of bikes on Jarvis during the busiest 8 hours of the day soared from an average of 290 to 890.
Tim Costigam, president of the Moore Park Resident’s Association, was delighted by Thursday’s vote.
“We are strong advocates for better bike lanes in the city, in the right location,” Costigam said, adding that, based on his observations during daily commutes up and down Jarvis, the city’s estimates on commuting delay and bike traffic are “hard to believe.”
A group that says it is for bike lanes, but is actually against it. A plea to use a pre-existing bike lane one block away. The only difference is that travel times on Prospect Park West have remained the same, but all the rest is there. NIMBYism is an international phenomenon.
Stoptional
Did you know that New York City has an Idaho stop law, at least for automobiles? Pausing at the intersection of Baltic Street and Gregory Place on my way home and watching the traffic for a few short minutes, I saw perhaps one car come to a complete stop. Oftentimes cars barrel through this stop sign at full speed, hoping to make the light before it changes up ahead at 5th Avenue. It’s a scene that’s replicated at thousands of intersections across the city, sometimes with deadly consequences, but hopefully, someone will ask these drivers to sign a “Drive Smart Pledge.”
Marty’s Own Medicine
The Brooklyn Paper reports that Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz has reached a settlement with plaintiffs in a lawsuit over the noise generated by his concert series at Asser Levy Park. Does anyone else see the irony in Marty’s comments?
“Their selfish actions could eliminate concerts from Coney Island forever,” Markowitz said in a written statement.
Markowitz has found a new site for his shows. Last month, he begrudgingly agreed to move the concerts out of Asser Levy and into a W. 21st Street lot about a mile away — a deal that foreshadowed the future settlement.
“All of this hard work was necessary because [of] a spiteful minority,” Markowitz said.
NBBL to Kids & Parents: Go Ride in Traffic*
I know Streetsblog and the amazing Dmitry Gudkov already have this picture covered, but it’s too good to escape my attention.
In March, I wrote this about the Prospect Park West lawsuit: “Nominally, the target of NBBL’s Article 78 lawsuit is the Department of Transportation, but it might as well be neighborhood itself.” Well, add Adam (pictured in the seat on his mother Cynthia’s bike above) to the list of people who stand to lose if Jim Walden, Louise Hainline, Iris Weinshall, and Norman Steisel are successful. This is what we are fighting for, and what the cynically named Neighbors for Better Bike Lanes and Seniors for Safety are suing to remove.
*Hello, Jim Walden! Even though no one in NBBL has actually said this, Louise Hainline’s so called “compromise” — one-way, class II bike lanes on PPW and 8th Avenue which is really no compromise at all — would mean parents would have to ride alongside traffic with nothing separating them and their children from cars other than paint. Is that what she really wants?
Bicycle Habitat & Recycle-A-Bicycle Trade-In Event
This Sunday, June 26, Bicycle Habitat is holding a trade-in event at their 5th Avenue location. Bring in an old bike to donate to Recycle-A-Bicycle and get a voucher good for $50 off a new bike, $100 off a road bike (any bike that retails for $1,200 or more), or 20% off any accessory. RAB is a great organization and that old bike that’s been collecting dust in your basement can really help someone out.
Bikes will be accepted by Recycle-A-Bicycle, an awesome local non-profit organization that works with NYC youth to teach bike repair and maintenance, as well as encourage environmental stewardship such as upcycling and carbon-neutral transit. With locations in the East Village and DUMBO, Recycle-A-Bicycle works on hundreds of bike every year – and raises up some skilled mechanics. (In fact, we’ve hired some of the folks who have come up through their program.)
Drop-off times are from 11 AM to 3 PM. Bicycle Habitat is located at 476 5th Avenue between 10th and 11th Street. I’m bringing an old bike in, so I’ll see you there!
Breaking News: City Council Member Does Job Well!
The Jim Walden/NBBL FOIL request on Brad Lander has revealed the council member’s nefarious strategy of using civility, openness, honest debate, and data to lobby for a project that has the overwhelming support of his constituents. Kate Hinds of WNYC’s Transportation Nation describes Lander’s Machiavellian means:
…an initial read of hundreds of pages of email correspondence between Lander and others, including members of Brooklyn’s Community Board 6 and various bike advocates, provides a glimpse into Lander’s strategy to advocate for the lane: facilitate public displays of support for the lane, make the case that Prospect Park West is now safer for everyone, and keep hammering home the message that both the data — and the majority of Park Slope residents — support the lane.
The only shocking thing to come out of these emails is how calm and rational Brad was able to remain in the face of what must have been a barrage of emails from all sides on an issue that is, it must be stated, still just a small part of what the people of his district elected him to do. As I’ve written before, Brad deserves our praise for his sanity, rational manner, and willingness to tread where even cycling enthusiast Chuck Schumer dare not: into the strangely acrimonious, third-rail world of bike lanes, pedestrian islands, and safe streets. The city needs more leaders like Brad Lander.
It’s worth noting that NBBL’s ostensible reason for this FOIL was to prove that the DOT used the word “trial” in describing the bike lane. This is essential to establishing NBBL’s claim that they did not miss the four-month deadline for filing their complaint and is the only hope they have of not having their case dismissed before a judge considers the merits. Walden said as much in this Kate Hinds report from the court house yesterday:
When asked why he had FOILed Lander’s emails, Walden said: “We believe clearly, given his own public statements, that the DOT told him in no uncertain terms it was a trial program, it was a trial bike lane. The city is now claiming that it was never a trial. It’s the great bait-and-switch from the City of New York….So we certainly hope the documents — I can’t say they’ll put the lie to the city’s position, because it’s already clear that it’s based on lies, but it will further buttress the notion that the city’s playing games in the litigation.”
I’d argue that the only bait-and-switch and game playing here is coming from Jim Walden. His office has had about two days to review the documents; it is crystal clear that if the word “trial” appeared in even a PS to an email from a DOT staffer to Lander or any other person involved in the traffic calming project, Walden would be handing out hardhats and jackhammers to the NBBLers right now.
Shorter post: Walden said he wanted Brad Lander’s emails to prove that the bike lane was a trial, but instead they have been released to the media and prove that an elected official had contact with local residents, neighborhood activists, community board members, and volunteers.
How shocking.
Quote for the Day
Take the bike lanes. Though nowadays they’re everyone’s punching bag, the lanes are proving a boon to public safety, and not just for bicyclists. Injuries to pedestrians are down by almost half on streets with protected lanes like Grand and Allen Streets and Ninth Avenue; perhaps because putting busy streets on a “road diet” dissuades drivers from jousting and other aggressive maneuvers that lead to collisions. And by helping double the number of New Yorkers who ride bikes, the lanes are saving additional lives by enabling increased physical activity that is key to health. – Charles Komanoff, Downtown Express, 6/22/11
“It’s very safe there.”
If you want more evidence of what Neighbors for Better Bike Lanes, Iris Weinshall, and Jim Walden are trying to sue out of existence, meet Beckett, age 5.
Brooklyn Spoke 