Comments on: Ex-DOT Bike Director Speaks

By: Damek. » Blog Archive » Could Bloomberg Be Getting The Green Hint?

Damek. » Blog Archive » Could Bloomberg Be Getting The Green Hint? — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 18:26:09 +0000

[...] Add to that signs that the Bloomberg Administration may finally be exerting some initiative over the DOT and that Deputy Mayor Daniel Doctoroff is pushing for action on bike lanes… [...]

By: Glenn

Glenn — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 12:51:13 +0000

Don't go using the A-word in my neighborhood. I'm just a concerned citizen like everyone else...nope, nothing to see here folks, just a plain ordinary citizen fulfilling his civic duty.

By: ianqui

ianqui — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 16:15:39 +0000

Heh. Glenn is always the optimist! That's good, and that's why he's become the outspoken activist while I've continued to hide behind the anonymity of the internet.

By: Glenn

Glenn — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 16:10:03 +0000

I see a lot of good news in this article and in a few other articles lately. It is pretty obvious that Doctoroff is pushing the DOT to move ahead on bike lanes and in some recent cases, they are installing them even over the objections of the Community Board, like in Fort Greene and Queens.

I'm all in favor of community board involvement and support for a wide range of issues, but the DOT has treated bike lanes as an optional piece of traffic safety infrastructure and angry citizens have used these forums to rail against the bad apples. But should be not allow subways and buses because some people push and shove? Should we limit walking because some pedestrians jaywalk in dangerous situations? And don't get me started on automobiles!

This situation will change when they find that of the 200 deaths, almost none were where there were bike lanes. Then Bike Lanes become not just optional, but a necessary piece of traffic infrastructure.

I think this year will be looked back on as the year the tide turned on bike lanes...

By: ianqui

ianqui — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 15:59:41 +0000

This is so depressing. This weekend I biked up the east side of Manhattan for the first time, and it was really a disappointing experience. The east side bike path is in terrible shape, and then it just quits for 20 blocks around 40th St (as you all know). If only 1st and 2nd Aves had a bike lane, having to go around the UN wouldn't be so bad. Then, even if you stick it out and get back on the bike path at 62nd, you can only go to 80th before a giant, looming staircase deters you from continuing. I am told that people on the east side don't want bike lanes because they think bikers are a hazard to pedestrians. How could that possibly be? Maybe people bike on the sidewalks there (I don't know, because I don't bike around there much), but bike lanes would alleviate that problem, not exacerbate it. The only other way that cyclists could be a hazard to pedestrians is if they're walking in the middle of the street, so if that's the case, I would say that the cyclists are in the right on that issue! Can someone please tell me some good information about livable streets development in NYC? I'm so sick of hearing the bad news.