It was discussed at the meeting and repeated by DOT and TA staff that the fine for double-parking was less than that of blocking a bike lane, but the NYC Finance website says that it is $115 either way ( http://www.nyc.gov/html/dof/html/parking/park_tickets_violations.shtml )

DOT did point out that with their design, it will be possible (though perhaps not encouraged) to park in the 3' bike lane buffer zone, leaving the 5'-wide bike lane passable, and traffic in the through-lane will be able to proceed by using the 4'-wide median. So unlike the current configuration, a double-parked car will not block a travel lane.

We need more bikes on the road.

Chandru: I *do* go out of my way to respect the rules, though you're right, there is some bend. On my bike, I slow to near-stop at red lights and stop signs, clearly giving way to cars and peds that have the right of way. It is very rare that I'd be on the sidewalk with peds present. But there are times when I ride up a one-way the wrong way - though in the case I ride very slowly, knowing that people aren't expecting me.

But every time I am cruising along in a bike lane and someone is parked in it, I have to swerve into traffic to avoid them. The result of that is that *I MIGHT DIE*. I take that pretty seriously. For that reason, and because there is little respect for that in places like 5th Ave. in Manhattan, I often just take up a whole car-lane rather than risk it by swerving multiple times on each block.

Part of what makes NYC streets "livable" in my opinion is that the rules are generally lax, there aren't too many strict controls, and people are generally given the respect to make their own decisions in a way that makes sense to them.

Examples: jaywalking, biking (in bike lanes and other places), turning left w/o waiting for a left turn arrow, and yes, double parking.

I lived in California for several years, and one thing that drove me nuts was how strict all the traffic controls were - a special signal for every movement, super long wait times, overbuilt roads, and timid pedestrians. Ever tried to jaywalk in San Francisco? The net result was that I always felt like I was being treated like a child.

The system we have in NYC may be a little crazy sometimes, but at least it's human.

It's an excellent point that, if cyclists don't adhere slavishly to the VC, why should cars? As a regular cyclist myself, I routinely go thru red lights if no traffic obstructs, and have been known to take a detour on the sidewalk if traffic is too bad and there's no peds. I would hate to be ticketed for this. Just think how much slower your travel would be if you stopped at every stopsign and red light.

So I have a relatively benign attitude towards double parkers (or U-turners). If it's someone dropping off their kid or picking up grandma, I'd smile and detour; a humungous SUV with a large unwashed male picking up coffee...well, let's just say I curse inwardly.

Extremists on both sides of the issue just gum up the discussion.

Does anyone know what the law is? I suspect that cars can stop temporarily in bike lanes to pick up and let out passengers, just as cars can double-park temporarily to pick up and let out passengers.

So it would appear there is a group organizing to call for muni-meters on 9th St. with high enough prices to encourage regular turnover, so as to guarantee curb space for drop-offs. Or am I projecting a little too much advanced rational thought?