PPW is much better now that it's less of a speedway, and Marty's traffic complaint is overblown, the traffic is consistently low enough to only demand two lanes anyway. This has been a much bigger win for general public safety than simply for bicycle riders.

I personally love the new bike lane- it feels like a much safer way to ride a busy street and that I can now bike north along the park without being one of the assholes who rides their bike on the sidewalk.

It's difficult for me to understand how anyone from the city of Brooklyn can be upset about this. There's the double parking complaint, but really? Send some officers over to that street. Double parking = tickets, tickets = revenue for the city.

From a driver perspective, I'm sorry that you're in the minority and that this has taken away your ability to drive like PPW is the autobahn.

Even the pedestrian/cyclist riff can easily be remedied. Cyclists, pay attention and be courteous when you're approaching an entrance into the park. Pedestrians, realize that there are cyclists who won't do this and look both ways.

Everyone is happy again!

You'd figure if the city knew double parking was a problem they'd send officers and rack up some tickets.

They could possibly pay for the redesign with all the double parking violations they write.

I bike in Brooklyn seven days a week.

I've loved protected lanes like this since they installed the first one on Grand Street.

Yet, as a pedestrian, this bike lane makes me uncomfortable. The lane is narrow and the sight lines are poor. Further, it is a bike expressway -- at least you know the cars are usually going to stop at the red lights. Something just feels very treacherous about this.

That said, my firm belief is that the answer is a combination of tweaking it and waiting around for pedestrians to get more comfortable with the concept -- scrapping a bike lane is always the wrong idea.

Am I alone in this? The 15th street circle looks alot nicer and feels alot calmer since the implementation of the bike lane. Thank you bike lane.

By the way, this is only news because of the millionaires with oogles of free time who live on the street. They're the same people who complain about the plane noise in Park Slope.

New York drivers have an inability or unwillingness to use traffic circle in anyway other than complete dipshits. I notice it riding. I notice it driving.

It really isn't that complicated. Also, one does not exit a traffic circle by cutting across 3 lanes from the inner most lane, cutting off the other 2 lanes.

This was a huge problem on the old Park Circle (Parkside/Coney Island Ave & PPSW) and persists to some degree. I never really had a problem with Bartel Pritchard Square, since it was some much less shitty than Park Circle or Grand Army Plaza.

I agree with you on that Paulie, the circle used to be a real pain. I never understood why the drivers couldn't figure this out, but PPW had 3 lanes and the circle had 3 lanes. When you go into the circle, you stay in your goddamn lane! Instead everybody tries to shift one lane to the left going into the circle which screws things up pretty well.

It's a lot calmer now that you have a 2-lane PPW feeding into the 3-lane circle.

It makes sense to slow the traffic on PPW. I saw a dog once get run down by a fast vehicle. I drive PPW about once a week and at first it was a nuisance, but then once past the Medical center it was easy enough. That's the problem. There's a huge bottleneck by the Medical center and drivers going through the circle from Union Street are often blocked by traffic trying to get to PPW coming from Vanderbilt/Flatbush. There's only one lane available with double parked ambulances & car service vehicles and three lanes are trying to get in. DOT didn't think this through too well. They should have started the bike lane from about President or Carroll Street. Yeah that would be a pain for bike riders, but everyone needs to compromise, something most people (drivers, riders, pedestrians) don't want to do today.

I guess they need to remove that on street parking then.

There is no inalienable right to double park where ever you feel like it. Pull out some spots for emergency drop-off etc. Problem solved.

have to say the separated bike lines terrify my - going up lower first ave probably a day or two after it was repaved, i had to deal with someone going the wrong way, pedestrians, or open car doors on every block.

conceptually i like it, but it seems to increase the likelihood of hitting a ped or getting doored and decrease the fear of the salmon delivery men (or other inept/rude bikers).

of course responsible behavior on the part of others would completely change my feelings, but i have no hope of that.

I agree about the 1st avenue lane but also realize it's not finished. I use it daily from 7th to 25th and I'd say there's only about 5-10 blocks that are usable any given day. DOT workers are out there installing dividers, painting; peds & cyclists & boarders are using it incorrectly; and Con ed, delivery vans, ambulettes and towncars are parking in the bike lane.

I'm not sure when DOT is set to complete but right now it's a bit of a mess. Still, it is calmer. Whenever I can't use the bike lane I push out to the most left-hand lane of traffic and the cars seem to be more organized so this is easy. I've been just taking it slower which is easier given that the cars are going a little slower.

It's not perfect, never will be, but it will get better. Just pay attention and be safe.

Or the dangerous-as-fuck fact of drivers cannot see you when they are turning, so if you're flying through the lane on a green light and someone is turning, even if they creep up past the row of parked cars and look, you're gonna have a collision.

Of course, you can always do the common sense as fuck move of just passing those left turning cars on the right and returning to the lane. It's easy to know they are turning if they are in that lane - they have no other option.

It took me about 2 intersections to figure that one out.

No, you can't, because you're in a segregated bike lane. See it goes, from left to right: sidewalk, bike, parked cars, street. So on a bike you're hidden and also blocked to the street by the parked cars.

I think he was referring to first ave.

where i did just that repeatedly this morning.

On PPW there aren't any turning conflicts.

When is the city going to get serious about reducing the number of personal vehicles congesting the streets? The only way people will give up their cars is if they are hurt in the pocket book. I suggest an additional $10K/year tax to drive in the city. Of course people will try to scam the system and there are people who legitimately need a car...so let them apply for a waiver.

There is already a tax on people who don't live in the city and work there. You can't double tax them. That's unfair. The city was built on cars. Public transportation is great. If you can ride a bike to where you need to go that's great, but people still need to be able to drive into the city to work or do whatever they need to do. Just because the mayor thinks it's such a great idea to try and get rid of car/truck traffic doesn't mean it's the right thing to do. Like SJ said, sometimes it's not convenient or desirable to take public transportation.

And if you let people apply for waivers any old schmuck is going to apply and probably get one and then where will you be? Same spot.

sj - from a biker and commuter's perspective...why are you a driver? I understand owning a car to use on occasion (god knows I'd love to have one to get out of the city during the summer more easily) but if it's such a shitshow to drive to work, DON'T DO IT! Do you need your car for work? If you're driving home through the park or on PPW - and not, say, the BQE, then I'm guessing you live near a train. Honestly, I think drivers have some huge balls complaining about how bikes slow them down when the MTA is about to raise fares AGAIN on non-driving commuters because they won't even consider charging people who drive from the outer boroughs into Manhattan. I was biking on PPW the other day and couldn't stop thinking about how great it is to be able to ride without being afraid some dick is gonna use the bike lane to cut in front of a slower car. In fact, I kept thinking about how they could do that on every street I rode down - just by switching the bike lane and parking lane. Obviously impractical on some of those smaller streets, but you're really complaining about doing it on PPW? Please. Suck it up and take the park - or go down Flatbush and around the park if driving to and from work is so important to you - although I can't imagine why it would be.

Due to the nature of my work, I am required to drive and to take the car home every day.

Also, even as much of a shitshow as my commute is, it's still about 40-45 minutes shorter than taking the subway.

Even if I didn't have the take-home car requirement, biking isn't a realistic option based upon the time and distance factors as well as the equipment I need to carry.

Sorry, a bike commute just isn't possible for everyone.

Stop bitching and ride a bike.