Video: PPW Bike Lane Community Board Rant-A-Thon

"It's open night mic on bike lanes tonight," announced Community Board 6 Chairman Daniel Kummer at the start of last night's public hearing on the infamous Prospect Park West bike lane in Park Slope. (You may have read about it... in the UK's Guardian!) The two-and-a-half hour meeting, held in the muggy auditorium at John Jay High School, drew an overwhelming number of bike lane supporters. Out of an estimated 350 people in attendance, perhaps a dozen spoke against the bike lane through the course of the evening. Here's video of the most spirited bike lane boosters and detractors:

The more affluent and well-connected critics who've orchestrated a lawsuit against the DOT remained in the shadows—instead, Park Slope seniors who oppose the bike lane became the face of the opposition. They make for good optics; after all, what heartless cycling Nazi could dismiss the concerns of poor old Aunt Mae? Well, some could. When one Park Slope woman of a certain age explained that because the bike lane ran both ways, she didn't know which way to look anymore when crossing the street, the crowd hooted, "BOTH WAYS!"

Criticism from the seniors focused on the floating parking lane that separates the bike lane from the street. Some pointed out that when motorists need to park, they choke traffic on PPW down to one lane. Others pointed out that when parking a car full of kids bound for the park, it was difficult to stop the youngsters from bursting out of the car and into oncoming bicyclist traffic. "I believe it is going to be human sacrifice that will bring this bike lane to an end," declared one opponent. Some objected to the loss of bus service because of the bike lane, others to the mean comments on the Internet.

Ultimately, the meeting amounted to a big bike lane pep rally, with one cyclist after another taking the mic to thank the Community Board and the DOT for making Prospect Park West safer. The committee listened attentively to both pro and con arguments, and will now decide whether to approve proposed changes to theoretically improve the bike lane. These include narrowing the buffer between the bike lane and the parking lane in order to widen the traffic lanes, adding rumble strips in bike lanes leading up to intersections, more loading and unloading zones, and aesthetic changes to bring the bike lane "more in line with historic Park Slope." Meanwhile, the critics are taking legal action to get the whole thing erased.

Additional reporting by Krista Ciminera

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on March 11, 2011 10:00 AM

Comments [rss]

Jeff Putterman

How funny is it that the woman who speaks for the ludicrously named Neighbors for Better Bike Lanes is obese? Maybe she eats donuts each day with Norman Steisel!!!

PaulaNYC

I'm having little stickers made of a bike rider with a tire over him to paste on the bumper of my car, like they used to put on fighter planes.

I hope ALL of you get squashed.

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

Guest

Paula, go piss off you little boy.

Jeff Putterman

Wow, Paula. I hope the next time you drive drunk you suffer a fatal accident. Now we are even.

How do you feel now?

soxinthecity

The sense of entitlement mentioned in the two posts above mine really cut to the heart of it. Stop behaving like a bunch of self absorbed savages, no matter what mode of transportation you are using, and life in the city would be much more enjoyable.

pvbklyn

People normally jay walk. They're breaking the law. Cars go through red lights and rarely stop at stop signs and hardly anyone ever yields at a yield sign. Those are all ticketable offenses. Don't get me started on who has right of way at 4 way stop signs because I've yet to encounter one driver who knows. Some cars always take up two spaces on the street. How come I don't hear cries about that? It's not illegal but it's really annoying. Some pedestrians never think they should walk on the right side of a sidewalk. And then there's the dog walkers with two or three dogs. And the side by side strollers along PPW And then there are the people looking at their smart phones as they walk or drive or God forbid ride their freaking bicycles. And let's not forget the coffee drinkers who raise their heads up as they gulp and see the sky or the roof of their cars and not little you. Delivery people balance five pies and try to steer their bikes with one hand. They're making a living, but jeez can't they be careful? . And then there's the small kids on trainer wheeled bikes who can't go in a straight line and the "heroes" in their swank little blue & gold biking outfits going 50 mph around the park roadway in herds. And the Mommas and the Poppas with their broods clogging up sidewalks everywhere and the emergency vehicles double parked. etc. etc. etc. And some people want to draw the line at the PPW bike lane. You're all fucking nuts. . . .It's a dense city. Start learning how to share the facilities like good little citizens and stop sounding like a bunch of shmucks.

ldancer

There is nothing wrong with the bike LANE. The problem is the BIKERS. If the cyclists in this town would simply obey traffic laws, there would be no problems. Stop when the cars stop. Go when the cars go. End of story. I'm a native New Yorker, cycling advocate, walker, mom of a stroller-bound baby, and Brooklynite (not Park Slope, Flatbush, but I've experienced that bike lane a lot). Cyclists here are often entitled jerks. Guys: you need to behave like a vehicle with wheels. Don't expect others to advocate for your interests if you race through crosswalks when pedestrians have the light, scream at people as you practically run them over when THEY have the light, and so on. Stop acting like you own the roads. I hate cars as much as you do, but I'm sick of being endangered by you. I live part-time in another state, in a city where cycling is popular, and there are tons of bike lanes and paths; people there share the road and behave. You could learn a lot.

MorganTsvangirai

Why does Gothamist use vimeo?

smorrebrod

Why does it not?

schmeep

So if you disagree with a public forum, it's a rant-a-thon?

BotanistPrime

If the complaint is that the bike lane is ugly, howzabout taking out the lane of parking? Thats the part that looks the worst and obscures the view of oncoming bikers.

Polite New Yorker

Bike lanes should not be running both ways anywhere where it is adjacent to a street. Bikes must go the way traffic goes and should be treated like cars. If more cyclist had this attitude, there would be much less opposition to bike lanes. Way too may cyclists go the wrong way down one-way streets and ride on the sidewalks.

eflash

that's why two lane bike lanes like this one, and the one on Kent ave, are separated from traffic

jibbly

Yup, the nicest thing about that lane is that you can travel north.

Bernie_Geotz_Squirrel_Luv

Glad you were there, john. Someone also posted a reminder at bike forums.
They brought out the big guns, cute kids. As much as I respect old people, cute kids protesting trumps olds and their caretaker Visiting nurse service aides.

RabbiLaFunque

"what heartless cycling Nazi could dismiss the concerns of poor old Aunt Mae"
"Park Slope woman of a certain age "
Mr Signore, that's the sort of ageist and sexist claptrap that has rightfully given Bike Freaks the reputation of being the arrogant, entitled, self-centered little shits many of them no doubt are. I hope to live long enough (about 110) to see these little shits in their twilight years wheezing miserably in their wheelchair lanes gasping for oxygen as a result of puffing on Williamsburg branded Camels and free trade organic pestide laced non filters, and pissing themselves from decades of slogging back Pabst blue Ribbons. Karma is a bitch, you pathetic mindless transplants.

glen_glenn

whine whine whine whine whine

sleepswitheyesopen

" arrogant, entitled, self-centered little shits"

And your complaint is different how? I though Rabbis were supposed to be thoughtful...