I think i'm pretty firmly in the amen pew: having ridden Prince pre-bike lane and post-bike lane, i feel that the bike lane does work well. Does it work perfectly? Certainly not. But, it works for me when i ride in the mornings, unlike 3rd (northbound), 4th, and 5th in Brooklyn, or the Bowery, and Rivington in Manhattan.

During tourist hours, the entire environment is significantly more crowded (funny how sidewalks designed for a population of 1 million get crowded when 7 million people are trying to use them), so i am far less concerned with Speed Cabby trying to hit 50 mph before 6th Ave. I am, consequently, less concerned with moving out of the bike lane to avoid "hazards." Plus, a bright green bike lane allows me to indulge in righteous indignation during these times.

It is these hours that I happen to witness - and these conditions comprise a good portion of the day on Prince Street - that led to my assertion that the Prince Street bike lane is far from a success.

I suppose I am now open to more excoriation from the amen corner when I cite another 'folksy' ditty: "people hear what they want to hear and disregard the rest".

I rode Grand on the way home last night. It was a mixed experience. On the one hand, the parking-as-bikeway-buffer seems to be working, east of 6th. On the other hand, the stripped buffer + green bike lane seems to be just wide enough for Lexus SUVs to drive on for unloading boxes. I suspect that'll work itself out before long, though, as usage of the bikeway increases. Mr. Walker's prediction of pedestrians on the green was also born out, though not in the masses seen on Broadway. And, unlike many points on my route, they actually stepped out of my way once they realized i was there. And, shoot, that's all i really ask when i'm riding through town (i'm a little more demanding on places like the West Side Greenway, but then i am also more demanding when i'm a pedestrian and cars are driving on the sidewalk): just treat me with the same courtesy you expect.

Still, I'd like to see Prince Street made into a mostly car-free corridor, particularly on weekends. There is very little reason to continue to allow private automobiles on that street.

(Congratulations to President Obama, everybody else!)

Just be careful on Prince Street on your way to work tomorrow, little fella. Don't get hurt.
I need you to toy with some other day.

What isn't working anymore is blanket cynism and opposition to all change.

Me? What do I call it?
A wise man said it best:
There's no success like failure, and failure's no success at all.

Perhaps there is an odd time like 9:30 in the a.m. on a weekday when cyclists on their way to work outnumber cars. Perhaps. Perhaps that is your idea.
But for most of us NYErs, we perceive a different reality in Soho: cars overwhelm the bikes whenever Johnny walks on Prince.

When Johnny walks on Prince Street on the weekends and late afternoon/early evening, Johnny sees dozens of street vendors standing or sitting there obstructing the bike lane - as well as tourists strolling in it.
Not to mention the cars parked there while loading at Apple or other of the many stores, or hubby parked in the bike lane, idling the car while the wife shops. Or taxis discharging passengers.

This Saturday after a meal in Chinatown, Johnny saw a delivery guy pushing a grocery cart up the middle of the Prince Street bike lane, commandeering it.

Johnny saw the cyclists ride in the center of the Prince Street along with the cars, not in the bike lane.

Another wise man once sang:
Between the idea and the reality...falls the shadow.

Very true.

Just like the Prince Street bike lane works so well. Right!

FUnny you mention that - after voting on Sullivan St. at 9:30, I walked my wife up Prince St. to the subway at Broadway. There was a constant stream of cyclists - they outnumbered the cars on Prince St. during our walk. By West Broadway, there was a group of about a dozen bikes passing by - people riding to work, some maybe shopping or voting or delivering something - going about their business. Many might have chosen to ride along the much more dangerous Houston St. were the Prince St. lane not there, and maybe we'd be looking at a greater number of injuries and fatalities on Houston St.

That's what I call a success. What about you, Johnny?

Just like the Prince Street bike lane works so well. Right!

The bike lane installation isn't even complete yet and you're knocking it? You sound like the Little Italy Merchants Association!

There is no signage indicating a bike lane, no signs to indicate the parking regulations that will create the "floating" parking lane, not even any little bike symbols on the green paint. All the white lines aren't on the ground even.

All it is right now is a confusing jumble of paint unlike anything else in NYC - or the US for that matter. Hopefully DOT will get the project completed soon - and if you'd like to be of some assistance there, why don't you call the local elected official that has been blocking this and similar improvements in street and pedestrian safety in this area and tell him that you support DOT's newfound direction towards improving public spaces and reprioritizing the city's streets?

Is it going to work perfectly? I'll wait until it exists before I render a verdict.

Actually, the pedestrians were utilizing it, like they use the Prince Street bike lane.