Comments on: Eyes on the Street: Fresh Paint on Prince

By: Bollard Baby

Bollard Baby — Mon, 19 May 2008 13:04:42 +0000

Bollards can be smooth, fat rounded things -- nothing to "catch" your foot or your bike on. They can work like jersey barriers to deflect you back into the lane. I imagine they could even be rubber so you could be nudged like a cushion. And the spaces in between are safety hatches, if for some reason you have to escape the bike lane for the street. I don't see why you (Juno et al) are so hung up on them.

By: Fendergal

Fendergal — Mon, 19 May 2008 12:06:01 +0000

Any physically separated bike lane that's narrower than a car lane, to me, would be a very dangerous place. Especially on a street with narrow sidewalks like Prince. It'd be filled with pedestrians faster than you can say "on your left."

By: Michael1

Michael1 — Mon, 19 May 2008 08:29:35 +0000

Actually, I've ridden in Manhattan traffic and it's not half bad. I feel that the cars are paying attention to bikes more. Cabs don't give a damn to a car, let alone a bike.

By: rich

rich — Mon, 19 May 2008 00:05:38 +0000

This is the greatest thing any one could have come up with. I have rode NY streets, no respect. Watch out cabbies we're taking over.

By: michael1

michael1 — Sun, 18 May 2008 21:24:33 +0000

Juno, you think that wouldn't happen on a raised curb? Besides, bollards are already in place on 9th Avenue bike lanes in the buffer zone, though they're extremely thin. It's to prevent cars from parking on the buffer zone. Here, however, we're dealing with moving traffic. A car car go right through those flexible bollards, which is why I say cast iron. Besides I think the chances of conflict are slimmer between peds and wrong-way bikes than that of cars, and even if I did hit a bike or ped, it's 10x better than hitting a car. I'm still with Mark Walker.

By: Ed

Ed — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:31:42 +0000

Dang I accidentally stepped in the wet paint trying to lock up in front of the Apple Store. Now there's a footprint in the bike lane. Sorry :-\

By: juno, your case worker

juno, your case worker — Fri, 16 May 2008 13:33:39 +0000

bollards next to a bike lane? please devote an extra five neurons to that idea. picture yourself biking in such a lane at a decent pace, next to bollards. you go to pass another bicyclist, or to swerve around a pedestrian who has stepped into the lane or a wrong-way bicyclist, and now you catch your pedal on a bollard and have a nasty wipe-out, right into the traffic next to you.

By: Hilary

Hilary — Fri, 16 May 2008 13:24:17 +0000

No we don't want jersey barriers or anything that creates visual blight or "chutes". Pedestrians want to be able to use all of the street when it's possible. Making it completely inaccessible to them other than at crosswalks is tantamount to creating a highway. The barriers must be porous (like bollards) or low enough to step over easily. The special surfaces used on shoulders to alert drivers that they're off the lane might even work (though I've never known if the sound was audible outside the car.)

By: Lucas

Lucas — Fri, 16 May 2008 04:00:47 +0000

I agree with Marty. Why not put in a foot high + foot wide concrete curb to prevent cars from parking + getting in rider's way?

By: Marty Barfowitz

Marty Barfowitz — Fri, 16 May 2008 02:50:18 +0000

Come on, "New" DOT. These lanes are a joke and you guys know it. This is nothing more than a day-glo double-parking zone. There's no reason why we can't test out an inexpensively constructed separated bike path on Prince Street. Anthony Weiner is going to be mayor soon. Do you really want to see your legacy be scraped away by snow plows between now and then? Now's your chance. Build some freakin' infrastructure that's going to stand the test of time and be hard to get rid of. This painted bike lane will be all but gone 19 months from now. So will you guys. Now's your chance.

By: Michael1

Michael1 — Fri, 16 May 2008 01:49:12 +0000

I'll go with Mark Walker on bollards, I think the cast irons ones would work. Not a jersey barrier, they're too thick.

By: Andy B from Jersey

Andy B from Jersey — Thu, 15 May 2008 23:56:42 +0000

Yeah seriously! Stick with one color please!

And not this one!

By: araqnid

araqnid — Thu, 15 May 2008 23:15:57 +0000

wow, those are even more day-glo than the ones we have near here in Hillingdon! imho they're a nice hint to car drivers, and also to pedestrians on shared-use paths.

By: gecko

gecko — Thu, 15 May 2008 21:58:56 +0000

#3 mfs, #4 Mark Walker, #5 BicyclesOnly, During the transit strike they had orange cones and one-half million cyclists overnight.

By: Damian

Damian — Thu, 15 May 2008 21:11:56 +0000

They really need to repaint lanes every few months. Once the paint gets faded, drivers pay even less attention to it.

By: BicyclesOnly

BicyclesOnly — Thu, 15 May 2008 21:11:33 +0000

There have been orange plastic barrels dividing the middle segment of the Centre Street bike lane from motor vehicle traffic since it was installed last year. They work like a charm. True, they don't protect against an out-of-control car careening into the bike lane, but that's a pretty rare event.

By: Mark Walker

Mark Walker — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:59:12 +0000

Orange cones are nice, but bollards or jersey barriers are better. More stopping power.

By: mfs

mfs — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:19:35 +0000

So here's the thing- they did that last year and only a few months later it didn't look like there was ever paint on the lane. Did it wash away? Did they take it off?

One waggish comment: as I rode by the workers painting this on Tuesday, they had orange barrels out to protect them from auto traffic while working- and not a car dared park or drive in the bike lane! The workers definitely deserve such protection- I think the users of the lane do as well.

By: Kurt

Kurt — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:01:19 +0000

I didn't know Tiffany & Co. made bike lanes. Classy!

By: buford puser

buford puser — Thu, 15 May 2008 19:18:53 +0000

That's great!
I hope they expand this city-wide; this will be great for NYC motorists, because it will act as a visual cue to help them find all those great new double-parking/loading zones DoT has been creating all over town.
One question, though: why are these new parking spots & lanes all marked with those pictures of bicycles?