And that's all great but it's just made the people-on-the-bike-lane issue 10 times worse. I couldn't go more than 15 feet without people walking into the lane or blocking it altogether last night. So I've decided to boycott the lane altogether and cycle on the street instead. I don't see any other solution other than the city putting railings along the bike lane or moving it to the street side.

These beautiful, easy, low-cost multi-purpose developments greatly improve the quality of life, reduce congestion, and make walking and cycling a lot easier and safer.

This is where the focus should be. This is where the money should be spent.

It wouldn't cost much to reinvent New York this way to secure its place in a very pleasant future . . .

Of course, with cyclovia everywhere, all the time!

Cheers to Sadik-Khan and the DOT that "Runs the Roads."

And, to the Mayor for allowing it to happen and, especially to the hope that he'll encourage the festivities to truly begin!

Make that EAST-bound......

I wouldn't go WEST on 24th street! That would be the wrong way!

I believe it continues through next Saturday actually. "...open it up to people on three consecutive Saturdays in August (August 9, 16, & 23)."

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/summerstreets/html/home/home.shtml

Or maybe this was meant to say "...after it wrapped up for the day last Saturday?"

I'd also like to note that the sandy zones are treacherously skid-prone surfaces on a bike, though I expect that will diminish as the top layer abrades away. Also, obviously bikes aren't even supposed to be on these at all, but the design is imperfect and sometimes it is impossible to avoid traversing them (e.g. west-bound on 24th at Broadway).

I've got to get an account so I can edit my glaring mistakes!

However I agree with the concern Bicycles Only has about the design with pedestrians being on both sides of the bike lane. Most Americans don't know how to behave around bicycles and bicycle lanes. This is only complicated further by the hordes of tourists gawking and taking pictures in the Times Square Area. I could envision the scenario of camera wielding tourists walking into the bike lane without looking and hurried New Yorkers also walking into the lane to get around said tourists.

Also (and I'm not trying to beat a dead horse with this) I'm still concerned about the lanes being on the left. With the lanes getting a sheltered treatment, the main reason for putting them on the left (to avoid conflicts with buses) is now negated. Also the secondary reason (to minimize doorings since the drivers side would be at the curb) is also eliminated. The better visibility to drivers thing is a fairly weak tertiary reason for putting lanes on the left side but would still be in play with these left side, sheltered lanes.

However, all of the negatives of left side bike lanes remain:

First and most compelling is that this practice is totally uncustomary and unheard of to anyone from outside of NYC (I had to explain to the folks from Philly with whom I was riding with this weekend, to expect the lanes on the left and they all found this to be odd).

Second, left side lanes may encourage more people (than do so now) to ride their bikes in the wrong direction. This becomes even more of a possibility with sheltered bike lanes. I don't need to explain how this complicates turning issues at intersections.

Still, I've got to say that I've have a great deal of respect for NYCDoT to push ahead with these bold projects. The engineering of the left turn signals to eliminate the typical conflict and sight line issues with protected bike lanes is superb! I'm quite confident as things progress and bike lanes, sheltered bike lanes, road diets and expanding sidewalks becomes more accepted, the designs will continue to be refined and improved. Conditions will never get any better if nobody is will to be bold and be the first to try!

And even I've made the mistake of walking into a bike lane earlier this year down in the Meatpacking district.

Maybe I should just chill on my way home behind a pedicab and let the pedicab be the cattle guard?

http://www.amazon.com/Video-Ultra-Camcorder-60-Minutes-Black/dp/B000V1PXMI/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1219181207&sr=8-2

and mount it to the handlebars:

http://www.camerahacker.com/build/Bicycle_Camera_Mount.php

One of things I would love to do with the video to play back my morning commute and see how many motor vehicles are violating traffic laws in front of me on my way to work - parking in bike lanes, double parking, parking in no standing zones, turning without signals, blocking intersections, stopping in crosswalks, running red lights, etc. Drivers always complain about cyclists breaking the laws but I swear they just don't realize how many laws they are breaking everyday for their convenience - in exactly the same manner.

AnthoNYC, I DO recommend mounting camera(s) on your ride! I haven't gotten around to it, but it's on my list, seriously.

But shouting isn't my style and commuters walking crab-like sideways to Penn Station in the evening with in-the-ear phones on can't hear me anyway.

Should I just invest in a handlebar video camera and record everything to cover myself?

I have an Airzound, but it's currently sitting on a shelf unused. I used to have it on my commuter bike and at first I loved it, as I felt for the first time like I could answer back. As time went on I found myself almost hoping for cars to do something stupid so I could "shout" at them. I was becoming just like the motorists, so the horn was removed....

Do not blame pedestrians for wandering into this particular bike lane, since the lane is laid down right in the middle of a huge ped-only expanse of space. Blame the design.

For god's sake, don't terrorize pedestrians. What gives you the right, anyway? And why would you want to be such a rude, mean, aggressive person?

NO AIRZOUND!!

In fact I am sick of sticking my fingers in my ears walking down the street when those sirens go by while all the fat, lazy, selfish car drivers block the traffic sitting in their sound-insulated bubbles of ignorance.

Ok... maybe I am a sociopath after all!

*Open your mouth and use your beautiful voice.* Say "heads up" or whatever you like.

The last thing we need is to antagonize pedestrians, and scaring the @#$% out of them with that stupid thing is going to make enemies for all of us.

Don't use it. AnthoNYC, I suggest you cancel your order.

Use that thing and you'll be worse, in one specific regard, than motorists who honk their regular car horns.

NO AIRZOUND!!