Comments on: Moses to LaGuardia: Bikes Have No Place on the Street

By: christine

christine — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:35:35 +0000

Highwayman, this is deep! .

What is really needed is "protected car lanes". Protected from the wild savagery of buses and bikes ..

Now that the car is an endangered animal , we need to protect it ...
History shows that the protected species always get way less space than the unprotected ones...

we have to start acting like the unprotected species.. it's all in our heads

Imagine the congestion pricing debate if the proposal had been:
Gold ezpass lanes to get there faster . The W&B team ( Weiner and Brodsky ) would be clamoring for one or two on every crossing.

By: The Highwayman

The Highwayman — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:47:26 +0000

I propose the 9th Avenue protected bike lane be renamed "Robert Moses Keep-The-Cars-Safe-From-Bikers Protected Bike Lane."

What ever happened to the 58 miles of bike lane? Obviously, the plan was not quite executed.

On behalf of Robert Moses, I endorse this animation: http://homepage.mac.com/trorb/OpenPlanningProj/iMovieTheater196.html

But, when do we get to see congestion pricing animated?

By: Larry Littlefield

Larry Littlefield — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 02:34:04 +0000

I'm glad to see this post, because I believe history is important. The fact is, the automobile pushed pedestrians, bicycles, streetcars, and street vendors off the street. The pre-automobile era, when all had access to the street, could be called Era 1.

Robert Moses was the top planning expert during the later phase of the time when this was happening. His response was to try to accomodate all those displaced elsewhere, as this article indicates. He also built lots of small parklets everywhere in the city. And LaGuardia built buildings for the street vendors.

Let's call the era when other places were provided for those pushed off the street Era 2.

Beginning in the 1960s and at an accelerated pace during the fiscal crisis, those other places deteriorated, leaving children (among others) without access to the street OR recreational facilities elsewhere. Era 3.

Era 4? A partial recovery, but faster in areas where the people are willing and able to donate money to the government -- Central Park, Prospect Park.

Era 5?

By: ddartley

ddartley — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:00:21 +0000

I love how children are "a hazard to motorists."

One remaining problem is that the overwhelming majority of "parents and others interested in the welfare of the youth of the city," STILL believe that there is a need to keep children off public streets.

People in the livable streets movement MUST keep hammering away at getting the idea out there that streets are safer when they're more crowded with humanity, compelling motorists to proceed with great caution. Presently, NYC streets are so almost there (teeming with pedestrians) but just not quite.