Comments on: Gehl on Wheels

By: gecko

gecko — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 12:47:42 +0000

At the 11/6 event Jan Gehl described his consultants as raving about the wide streets in New York City and how much can be done with all the space.

By: daniel

daniel — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 21:11:38 +0000

“If you can only get an Olympics, everything will be fine.”

Uh oh!

By: smallfry

smallfry — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 20:23:33 +0000

a narrower configuration would make this type of treatment more replicable. remember, on most streets current vehicular demand means that the width is much harder to repurpose than it was on 9th ave.

By: Tom

Tom — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 19:04:24 +0000

Larry, AFAIK it was done to accommodate street sweepers, not for emergency vehicles. However, that does seem to be one convenient bonus working in favor of the “extra wide” separated bike lane – emergency vehicle access.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 18:10:22 +0000

Hilary, the only reason I can think of is that a narrower path slows down cyclists and makes it safer for pedestrians who are stepping off the curb. Must put that one on the list to ask him tomorrow.

The other day when I went to look at the 9th Ave path, I heard another biker behind me say “Wow, a separated bike lane!” I was trying to be hardcore and blasé about it, but hearing someone else say it out loud made me realize that it’s really quite an impressive public work for our city. Hope it gets longer and connects up with Hudson and Bleecker Streets on the other side of 14th Street.

By: Hilary

Hilary — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 18:02:28 +0000

Why in the world would he want it narrower? Look at the parallel Hudson River path. Except for recreational use on the weekend, aren’t they projecting similar traffic on a parallel route farther inland?

By: Mitch

Mitch — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 17:57:33 +0000

(What do you think of the new bike lane on Ninth Avenue? It’s grossly overdone. You can make the whole thing one third the width.)

That’s because it was made wide enough for emergency vehicles, as reported here.

Which brings up an interesting question: how do they accommodate emergency vehicles (and maintenance equipment, like sweepers and snowplows and pavement patchers) on bikepaths in Copenhagen? Will their approach work in New York?

By: Larry Littlefield

Larry Littlefield — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 17:45:54 +0000

(What do you think of the new bike lane on Ninth Avenue? It’s grossly overdone. You can make the whole thing one third the width.)

That’s because it was made wide enough for emergency vehicles, as reported here.

Which has me thinking. But one all all the avenues and streets, have the bikers hop up on the sidewalk in emergencies, and all the congestion in the world will not harm bicycles, pedestrians, and emergency access. Then let ‘em sit in traffic and fine them ruthlessly if they insist on driving here.

By: Angus Grieve-Smith

Angus Grieve-Smith — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 17:04:12 +0000

He’ll be in New York on November 6 to give a talk at the Jewish Community Center on the Upper West Side.

Maybe he can give them some pointers on sidewalk design; currently in front of there it looks like a design for the Israeli embassy in Beirut. Nothing says “community center” like car bomb barricades!