Overcoming Heedlessness

An out-of-the-box message to new district attorneys

By Bette Dewing

For the record, what I wrote in the recent New York Times’ “Spokes” column (“I strongly fear there are too many bicycles in New York”) left out the next sentence after that: “I mean those who break every law in the books.”

And very much do I fear the increasing number of “private wheels” and walkers that are crowding these finite streets and sidewalks. By far, the safest way to travel is public transit and that has been cut back more and more. Read more

BAD BICYCLING? FINE BUSINESSES

By Dan Rivoli

Business owners in the city may get hit with the fines their deliverymen receive.

In an attempt to curb bad bicycling behavior, a group of East Side elected officials want to pass a law that would shift the burden over to the city’s companies that employ bicyclists who ignore traffic laws. Read more

BUS/BIKE LANE GETS SUPPORT

Manhattan’s elected officials are pushing for a transportation plan that includes protected bicycle lanes with bus rapid transit.

Currently, the Department of Transportation is planning to bring “select bus service,” as bus rapid transit is known, to First and Second avenues. The transit strategy speeds up bus trips during rush hour by allowing riders to pay before boarding, restricting buses to dedicated lanes and giving buses traffic signal priority.

But elected officials from lower Manhattan to East Harlem signed a letter earlier this month in support of placing separated lanes for buses and bicycles on First and Second avenues.

“We urge you to take the project further,” the letter to Transportation Commissioner Jannette Sadik-Khan states. “True [Bus Rapid Transit] can be faster and more reliable than traditional bus service.”

Elsewhere, Transportation Alternatives and Upper Green Side, an environmental group, started the East River Greenway Initiative, a campaign dedicated to turning the waterfront area into an esplanade that rivals the West Side’s Hudson River Greenway. The group is also pushing for a complete waterfront bicycle lane, which has a gap from East 37th to 63rd streets.

“The East Side has this derelict, ignored green way,” said Michael Auerbach, president of Upper Green Side. “The East Side deserves a great park and waterfront access. Having a greenway and an off-road bicycle lane will give people the motivation to cycle.”

Updates and information on the waterfront initiative can be found at eastrivergreenway.wordpress.com

STUDY: BIKE LANES BLOCKED

City bicyclists have long complained about their painted sections of street. Bike lanes offer no protection from double parkers, pedestrians and motorists who drive through them, forcing bicyclists to veer into moving traffic.

But the bike lanes on the Upper East Side are especially problematic, according to a new study by Hunter College. The observations by Hunter students found that two Upper East Side bike lane routes had the highest number of obstructions.

On a Tuesday morning between 8 and 10 a.m., there were 29 obstructions on the East 90th Street lane, between Fifth and Third avenues.

The bike lane on First Avenue between East 90th and 96th streets had nine obstructions on a Friday evening, from 5 to 6 p.m.

Cars contributed to 30 percent of bike lane blockage, according to the study. Small trucks and taxis make up 17 and 14 percent, respectively.

Wiley Norvell, communications director for Transportation Alternatives, said the report confirms what bicyclists throughout the city see first hand.

“Our bike lane network is, in many cases, rendered dangerous or unusable,” Norvell said. “There’s some hope around the corner. We encourage the city to expand the number of protected bike lanes.”

Changing Lanes

The pedestrian-cyclist-driver saga is familiar to anyone living in Manhattan today. Pedestrians loathe bicyclists who break traffic laws. At public transportation meetings, some residents have called for bicyclists to get licenses, like drivers. Bicyclists, meanwhile, say they just want a safe place to ride, away from motorists, who in turn often see bikers as a nuisance.

But this decades-old story may be about to change, as the city may install protected bicycle lanes on First and Second avenues. Unlike the painted lanes drawn on asphalt, protected lanes are strictly for bicyclists. Read more

SUPPORT FOR BIKE LANES

Community Board 8 is looking for new protected bike lanes amid a push to crack down on bicyclists who break traffic rules.

On Oct. 21, the board, by a vote of 38-1 in favor of the project, called for the Department of Transportation to create a plan for a “class 1” lane, which is separated from traffic by a barrier, usually by parked cars.

These lanes will likely run on First and Second avenues where there are dangerous intersections, such as the 59th Street Bridge exit.

“It’s definitely long overdue,” said Wiley Norvell of Transportation Alternatives, a bicycle and pedestrian advocacy group. “To bike down First and Second avenues, you have to be well insured or deeply religious. These are two very dangerous streets.”

A reoccurring pedestrian complaint is that bicyclists illegally ride on the sidewalks. Protected bike lanes, Norvell said, would “virtually eliminate” sidewalk cycling.

EAST SIDE’S GREEN POL

Dan Garodnick was one of four Council members who got a perfect grade on the New York League of Conservation Voters’ environmental scorecard.

The league reviewed 13 bills from the 2008 to 2009 legislative session that have been introduced and ranked Council members on their vote or support through sponsorship.

Evaluated bills included congestion pricing, legislation that mandates room for bicycle storage and one that requires large buildings to undergo energy audits every 10 years.

A Garodnick-authored bill to establish a New York City Energy Code was also considered by the league.