Comments on: Plenty of Changes Underway on Chrystie and Forsyth (But No Cycle Track)

By: mfs

mfs — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:15:13 +0000

they need to make a westbound connector using Rivington/Bowery to the Prince Street lane.

By: Brooklyn

Brooklyn — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 21:21:03 +0000

Has anyone else noticed how crappy the new road surface is on Chrystie? The moguls southbound toward Delancey are still there, though not now as extreme. Rough on a road bike, I'm hoping this surface is only "sub-floor" to a silky-smooth top coat, but it's a distant hope. I'm also looking forward to how fast traffic comes hurtling off the upper roadway, now that they won't have to give a flip about bottoming out their suspensions.

By: Doc Barnett

Doc Barnett — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 18:40:36 +0000

The main story here is the pedestrian infrastructure. I don't think we should complain that bike lanes are in the mix, at approximately zero additional cost, just because the LES mess is not immediately sorted out by them. I'll even ride on Chrystie's lanes to try to make them less imaginary, after they're painted, but if the DOT doesn't improve the traffic signal at Delancey I'm not going to risk my life to prove that point. Elizabeth, though clogged with cars and trucks, at least doesn't make you play chicken with oncoming, impatient, left-turning automobiles.

By: Geoff Zink

Geoff Zink — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 18:36:37 +0000

Are they going to add a sidewalk to the west side of Chrystie Street? If not, I fear that pedestrians will take advantage of the lack of parked cars along the wall of the park and walk in the newly striped bike lane, as invariably they are doing now with the elimination of parking on that side of the street. There definitely should be a sidewalk there, so I hope the street section shown above is accurate.

By: J

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:59:27 +0000

Maybe this plan will lead (eventually) to protected lanes on Houston St.

By: Liam Patrick

Liam Patrick — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:50:17 +0000

I agree with number 4 - let's stop painting lanes for a month and re-asses how can better maintain and protect the ones we have. Until NYC can commit to keeping lanes clear of parked vehicles 95 percent of the day, we shouldnt be painting new class II lanes.

By: somebody

somebody — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:42:27 +0000

it is highly laudable to place a bike lane or whatever southbound on chrystie street as it is a natural connector between 2nd ave and the manhattan bridge, but the north bound lane raises some serious issues that the DOT, a local CB, and various turncoat advocates have utterly failed to address. actually those issues can all be summed up as one issue, nay, one word: HOUSTON.

indeed, where will the northbound chrystie street lane take the intrepid urban cyclist? straight up to the end of the street which then forces the cyclist to turn onto unprotected, highway-like houston street? or will the lane lead the cyclist to follow a confused maze of bike lanes on various side streets some of which will also lead to high auto traffic streets such as *gasp* the bowery or 1st ave?

now i am wondering, what is more beneficial: MORE bike lanes or BETTER bike lanes? i think it would be behoove us all if bike lanes were better placed first before there are more of them.

By: Larry Littlefield

Larry Littlefield — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:29:30 +0000

Following up, they will have managed to have the traffic along the park, the safest for cyclists because of the double parking, be northbound in both directions.

By: Larry Littlefield

Larry Littlefield — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:27:52 +0000

It may not be legal, but riding south on Forsyth, with no traffic, feels a lot safer than riding south on Chrystie.

There is a high probabilty that the southbound bicycle lane will be blocked by double parkers and trucks loading and unloading 100% of the time. Adjacent to the park, that wouldn't be a problem.