Bike Lanes: NYC's Holocaust Or Just Hiroshima?

Biking while black? (brooklyn_g_girl's Flickr)

As we noted earlier, a cyclist was killed yesterday in an accident with a car in Gravesend; as it happens, the scene of the accident isn't far from Bay Ridge Parkway, where a proposed bike lane was shot down by local politicians earlier this month. If the initial report about the accident is accurate—that the driver had a green light—there's little a bike lane could have done to save the victim. But the tragic collision serves as another sobering reminder of the dangers of cycling. And it comes as both the Daily News and the Post fan the flames of the cyclist backlash with even more anti-bike lane articles today.

The News focuses its derision on Park Slope, where the DOT is planning improvements to the Prospect Park West bike lane, requested by the local community board. Pulling numbers out of thin air, the tabloid guesstimates that the changes could "cost the city hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars... Are all this effort and money really worth it to create room for bicycles on a 1.8-mile strip of roadway? Before you answer, consider this: A mere stone's throw away, there are beautiful cycling paths provide [sic] unfettered freedom to ride inside Prospect Park." Perhaps it's worth noting that the park is not open 24/7, and that cyclists are required to bike in the direction of traffic in the park, which doesn't help cyclists who want to bike north, against traffic on PPW. On the other hand, SPANDEX HIPSTER BIKE NAZIS ARE KILLING GRANDMA!

Meanwhile, the NY Post assigned three reporters to the intersection of Lafayette and Prince, where two bike lanes cross paths. For five days, they counted cyclists and found—contrary to the tabloid's assertions in previous anti-cyclist diatribes—that the bike lanes actually got a lot of use. But they weren't used the right way, according to the Post, which reports that out of the 7,182 cyclists who pedaled by between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. that week, 1,759 of them, about 24 percent, ran red lights. And 15 percent rode the wrong way or "bolted in and out of the lanes," which, as anyone who bikes along Prince Street knows, is unavoidable, because pedestrians use that bike lane as an extension of the sidewalk (when cars aren't blocking it).

The Post didn't bother counting the numbers of motor vehicle violations, of course. But the article does feature a classic photo of a cyclist talking on a cell phone while looking back over his shoulder at a woman's behind. According to the Post, so far this year, the NYPD has issued 9,427 summonses to cyclists, up 65 percent more than a year ago at this time. And local restaurant owner John Buffa provides the perfect demonizing hate-filled quote to complete the diatribe: "I can't stand them. They think the streets belong to them, and they don't." Cyclists—they're all the same! Why don't they just move back where they came from?

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

By John Del Signore in News on April 25, 2011 5:11 PM

Comments [rss]

Suzanne

What restaurant does this Buffa buffoon own? I'm sure my fellow cyclists would be happy to know what it is so we can patronize bike friendly restaurants instead.

... Oh, I see. It's Buffa's Deli. Well, that was easy.

Edit: Besides, don't most of these Italiano deli owner types drive in from LONG ISLAND or STATEN ISLAND or some other place filled with bike hating, SUV driving homicidal maniacs?

cmdrogogov

the ny post is a worthless rag that most people can agree is not fit to wipe your bum on and would probably give you some horrible venereal disease that causes conservatism, even if it was.

Gwinny

It bothers me that Pat Kiernan mentioned this article on "In the Papers" yesterday... all that does is perpetuate anti-bike sentiment.

IMPOSE

Are all of you commenters immune from irony? The headline pokes fun at the absurdity at which the Daily News and the Post attacks cycling in the city. The author in no way believes that biking is akin to genocide or the use of the atomic bomb: it's satire, people. Feel free to think for 10 minutes before commenting.

Guest

You speak for the author?

IMPOSE

of course not. do you speak for the idiots? the headline is really not that hard to grasp

petercow

Having gotten involved in the PPW bike lane stuff, and so having firsthand knowledge of it, it is incredible to me the bullsh*t that is passed off as news in the 'traditional' media. Thank god for blogs, and it certainly makes we wonder about stuff that I don't have personal knowledge.

Peter
http://inklake.typepad.com

SwampYankee

True, but Gothamist has got a set calling out the News and the Post for "fanning the flames". This "new media" site is at least as guilty as both those papers put together.

cmdrogogov

well, if you don't like it, nobody will miss you posting.

Trustafarian

Other things observed by standing on the corner of Prince and Lafayette for 5 days.

- 85% of women in NYC do not wear underwear and are a size 4 or smaller
- 72% of men are gay, european or both

dept54321

Lol to this.

Emmily_Litella

Well put sauceboy. The thing that has some of us puzzled is why tabloid and non-tabloid media keep fanning the flames of conflict. Its a many faceted issue, but the part that is most bothersome to me is how there is an intention to paint this as us vs. them. We are all residents of this city and though we may not know each other, we have more in common than not. You don't ride a bike but you might know someone that does. If your 13 year old could safely bike to soccer, wouldn't that help relieve you of some chauffeuring duties? We must ask ourselves, whose interest does it serve to have the population divided against itself, whatever the cause. I would like to think that the petty bickering over some minor but highly visible changes in allocation of street space is just a lightning rod for folks need to complain and get worked up over something. However, the evidence in a sheer tallying of facts suggests that something more sinister is going on. How far into the current gasoline spike are sensible solutions like biking to be demonized? We hear so much talk about American's love of freedom. Bicycling as urban transportation brings the freedom of walking to an exponentially higher level. Swiping a magnetic card or maintaining and insuring a car are much lower on the 'freedom' scale. Transportation professionals around the world have seen nothing but positive results from encouraging bicycle urban transport. Yet every New Yorker has an opinion about surface transport because we engage in it for many hours per week. Bike opponents: I'm not saying blindly trust the experts, but they can be trusted to generally know what they are doing. Discussion yes, outright lies and demonizing fellow citizens, no. Can't we all agree to at least that? Ahh I'm preaching to the choir.

sauceboy

Not exactly what I was saying, but I agree.

I was merely saying that part of the problem is that pedestrians treat auto traffic and bike traffic differently, expecting the latter to yield to them while generally actively avoiding the former. The only differentiator I can see here is the risk of violent death. And my modest proposal was that perhaps more pedestrian deaths in the short-term might incent some positive long-term behaviors, like not standing in the fucking bike lane or in the way of oncoming bike traffic. Rather, they've opted for the banning tactic, one which apparently doesn't apply to cabs, buses, and passenger cars.

Trustafarian

"I was merely saying that part of the problem is that pedestrians treat auto traffic and bike traffic differently, expecting the latter to yield to them while generally actively avoiding the former."

I've never thought of it that way, but that make sense.

in soho, where the cars cannot pick up enough speed to be that dangerous, pedestrians will cross in front of cars without a flinch.

Guest

While I agree with you, you're calling for common sense and sanity in the thread where the author compared the issue to either the Holocaust or the bombing of Hiroshima.

Paul

Lemme see if I get this straight; you live in a country that claims it represents "FREEDOM", yet your police are CONSTANTLY hand-cuffing & arresting people for minor, insignificant BICYCLE VIOLATIONS and also autistic CHILDREN merely for throwing temper tantrums.

YOU are one FULL OF SHYT nation, my friends!

dept54321

Yeah, but what are you gonna do.

drew_o

About 4-5 cops were stationed at Prince and Lafayette this afternoon shortly after 2pm. I watched for about 15 minutes while they handed out tickets to cyclists - and cyclists only (I did see many jaywalkers). They easily ticketed a bunch of cyclists going south against traffic in the Lafayette bike lane as well as lots of red light runners traveling west on Prince St.

But the cops had trouble stopping a number of food delivery guys on engine-assisted bicycles running lights on Prince St. The slow-moving cops were no match for the zippy motorized bikes.