As for the income data, I was simply presenting the numbers.

Susan, census data sheets are here, broken down by state and local districts:
http://www.tstc.org/CP_factsheets.html

I’m aware that Dyckman is considered to be in Inwood. This is the exchange that triggered my comment:

“Car owners are a minority in Washington Heights?

Yes. Most people in this community take the train.”

As to Dyckman’s narrowness/width, most of its length is in the narrow part East of Broadway. This is indeed striped for two lanes in both directions, but it’s a stretch to say that it “accomodates” the volume of cars that are there, especially given the level of double parking and standing that go on there. Again, I’m not saying I think a separated bike lane (what was proposed, not a striped one) is a bad idea, only that I’m not surprised at there being opposition, given how car-centric that street (and much of the surrounding neighborhood) is. As far as the bike lanes on the west of Broadway are concerned, good luck trying to use them.

As to the assertion that only the rich drive, I would say that your income statistics confirm my position, unless you think that a population with an average income of $61k or $48k is rich.

Can you help me find similar stats for Community Boards 1-6 in the Bronx? (I don’t know the districts off hand, I’m talking about the South Bronx.) I bet there are fewer car owners down here than up north. It’d be nice to have these when we talk to our community boards and politicians.

In District 71, households with a vehicle earn an average annual income of $61,063, while households without a car earn $34,219 per year. In District 72, it’s $48,746 per year with a car and $32,323 without.

As a point of clarification, Dyckman Street is in Inwood. The “narrow” part of the street accommodates four lanes of car traffic plus parallel parking on both sides. The east end of Dyckman, from Nagle Ave to Harlem River Drive, is much wider and already has bike lanes.

We’re arguing facts? You’re asserting your limited observations to be broadly true, and drawing conclusions from irrelevant facts, and I’m questioning that. For instance, you wrote “Yes. Most people in this community take the train” in response to someone else questioning your prior assertion that most people in the neighborhood don’t drive. I don’t regard the former as evidence of the latter. Lots of people own cars, yet also use the train for much of their travel.

I don’t know the data about car ownership in Washington Heights vs. other neighborhoods (neither, apparently, do you), but my (perhaps limited) personal observations (as someone who still lives there), is that the level of ownership is quite high. Most of my neighbors have cars, for example (which has not been the case in other neighborhoods where I’ve lived). I’m not saying this is a “fact” applicable to the whole nabe, but I would be surprised if objective data contradicted this impression.

Washington Heights has smaller buildings and is less dense than most of the rest of Manhattan (e.g., it has relatively few buildings over 8 stories tall). That’s one of its biggest attractions. Given this, I think that the “facts” that there are so many cars on the street and that it is so difficult to park are strong indicators of relatively high car ownership, rather than of how much space cars take up.

Finally, you may be right that only the wealthy can actually _afford_ cars, but that doesn’t seem to stop very large numbers of the non-wealthy from buying them. W/H is absolutely clogged with cars. Especially the poorer parts of the area (e.g., East of Broadway). Go take a walk on any side street between St. Nicholas and Amsterdam and tell me again that only the rich drive.

My only point in all of this is that W/H has relatively high rates of car ownership, and as a result am not surprised at the opposition to the bike lane proposal. Sheesh.

First of all most NYC residents don’t own cars.

People who own cars:
The Bronx: 40%
Manhattan: 22%

Now Washington Heights is in Manhattan, but it’s a little more like the Bronx than the rest of Manhattan. So, I expect it’s higher that 22%, but lower than 40%. In any case there is no way it’s over 50%

Now you do see a lot of cars in the area– but keep in mind cars take up a lot of space. Washington Heights has big buildings with many stories and lots of people. Most of them have no cars. Only the wealthy people can afford a car–

Yes. Most people in this community take the train.”

How are those two mutually exclusive? I live in Washington Heights, and if car owners are not in the majority, I’d say they’re close. Certainly there are higher rates of car ownership there than in most other parts of Manhattan. There is also a significant amount or resentment of cyclists in the nabe. Before every CB meeting, Mayor’s Town Hall, or other politician-attended event, posters go up everywhere with proposed agendas, which always include items about curbing cyclists. Add to that the fact that Dyckman street is mostly quite narrow, ridiculously congested, and is a highway entrance/exit at both ends, and it’s hardly a surprise that a proposal to take space away from cars was rejected. As much as I like the idea of a real bike lane, it’s obviously a non-starter.

Yes. Most people in this community take the train.

As the connection between the East & West side greenways, the Dyckman street bike lane really should be a no-brainer–though if they ever did stripe it, it would simply become a free lane for double parkers, which is already out of control. It’s pretty hazardous riding on Dyckman under current conditions.

I have looked into the plaza program, but sadly we are not a 501c3, merely a scrappy group of Streetsblog readers that has been in existence for less than 3 months.

“a Greenstreets triangle at Isham and 211th Streets”

Have you guys looked in to the NYC plaza program? That could be another way to do this. Are you a 501c3?

http://www.livablestreets.com/projects/bx/blog/2008/08/07/nyc-plaza-program-information-session-for-the-south-bronx/

The conversation about the Greenmarket was particularly depressing, as it did not seem the committee would recognize that a Greenmarket located by a subway stop and operating on a Sunday would be a great benefit to the community that would far outweigh the small number of individuals inconvenienced by a temporary loss of parking (as, anyway, car owners are a minority in Washington Heights). One member voiced concern that an additional market may oversaturate a small area, but anyone who relies on a greenmarket for healthful, delicious, sustainably grown fruits and vegetables is well aware that a Saturday morning and a weekday afternoon (when many of us are working downtown) are very small shopping windows.

I admit I voted as a public attendee for the additional parking at the marina based on our group’s calculus that this parking would compensate for the spaces removed by the Dyckman bike lane. Having seen how the meeting went, I regret my decision.