I see your back here posting comments. I'm wondering if you can return Mr. Dutton's courtesy and tell us about the current composition of the SoHo Alliance.

Thanks in advance,

What about your blanket statement that included me as part of your "EVERYONE" who complained about the Grand Street Bike Lane? I'd appreciate a response to that.

He writes @24: "... despite {Sweeney's} vote In FAVOR of the plan at the community board meeting, which surprised many of us."

But on July 25, on this blog regarding the CB2 vote on the Grand Street bike lane, he contradicts himself: "Community Board vote: unanimous in favor except one against ... and one abstention (Mr. Sweeney)."
http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/07/25/plan-for-grand-street-cycle-track-features-new-design-treatment/

Odd mistake to make, isn't it? In July, Ian says I abstained. Today, he misrepresents that I voted in favor. (For the record, I abstained.)

However, I'll be gracious and attribute Ian's distortion to his confusion from being a bit jet-lagged after flying those 767 jumbo jets all around our precarious atmosphere.

Because Grand is in their (his?) backyard, or rather driveway, and they want their protected bicycle lanes NIMBY, and hypothetical on top of that. Houston was a lost battle this time around, though I'm pleased to see the pedestrian improvements shaping up. It won't be on the table again for a number of years, plus it is kind of far from Grand and the Manhattan bridge. By the time we are actually putting a track in the middle of Houston, the Grand Street lane will be so heavily, safely, and productively used by bicycles that no one could hope to return it to automotive dysfunction.

And of course he's wrong about "everyone". The community board and myself have received supportive letters - rare, because usually people only write to complain - some with helpful suggestions that we'll be working to implement with DOT. Sweeney just wants it his way (despite his vote In FAVOR of the plan at the community board meeting, which surprised many of us).

Thanks very much, I'll take the car lane, and ride in traffic, where I feel safer. To borrow a phrase from Critical Mass, I AM traffic.

I've never felt in any danger riding on Grand St. On Houston St., many times, because of the terrible pavement and very fast traffic, but traffic on Grand St. is slow-moving.

What I don't understand is the Alliance's current either/or mentality: either we can have a protected bike lane on Grand Street or Houston Street. Well, why can't we have both? Why can't we also have a pedestrianized Prince Street? European pedestrian and biking capitals like Amsterdam and Copenhagen are interlaced with a comprehensive network of protected bike lanes, not just a few here and there. I say, never oppose a measure because it doesn't go far enough--it's still movement in the right direction.

It was 6:15pm and getting to Grand Street was tough. Holland Tunnel congestion had traffic backed up all along Canal Street, 6th Ave., and West Broadway. Grand Street, on the other hand, was a smooth-riding breeze. I rode from West Broadway to Chrystie Street (13 blocks), and I counted nine moving cars. Nine! And six cyclists! In 33-degree weather. The ratio of cars to cyclists was 3 to 2.

There were so few cars that I can remember what they were - a black Mercedes with Jersey plates, a maroon Toyota Camry, a black Honda Accord, a small blue Hyundai, another compact car, three taxicabs and a large white delivery truck. There was ample driving space and there were even parking spots in the loading zones - it was all open road. Some of the loading zones were actively being utilized, one by a blue van unloading lumber. For anyone needing to make quick drop-offs or deliveries, there was plenty of space to do so at fire hydrants, though two drivers decided to do so in the mixing zone. Let this be a message to all the residents of Grand Street: if you need to go shopping by car and unload at the curb, there's no congestion at all at 6:30pm on a weekday!

It seems to me that real the story from the Villager is that residents and businesses were used to illegally double-parking to load and unload vehicles as a way of life. Now that there isn't room to do that, they are complaining:

1. "On the block between Centre and Baxter Sts., a tractor-trailer from Quebec parked on the green-marked bike lane as workers from a corner store rushed up to the big rig to unload furniture. “What can I do?” the driver asked."

2. "The cafe owner said deliveries to his establishment are now scheduled for before 11 a.m. daily because of the street congestion, which he said is caused by the new bike lane."

3. "Soho residents charge that the new lane accommodating cyclists is making it difficult for them to unload their automobiles after shopping trips."

I charge that all of these problems can be easily solved with a few minor adjustments to driving and delivery habits: Don't get deliveries to Soho in big rig trucks, but if you have to - park on a bigger street and walk the goods to the store with a hand truck. Have your deliveries scheduled for off-peak hours. If you must drive your car to do your shopping, do that at off-peak times too. Park your car before you unload. Use a grocery cart to get to and from the place you parked. It's not life and death we're talking about here. The only thing that's life-and-death is not safely accommodating cyclists. That's when people die. Hundreds of them each year.

I heard Jan Gehl say in one of his recent presentations that in Copenhagen, when they first began installing protected bicycle lanes 25 years ago, it took about 90 days for people to become accustomed to the changes and for traffic patterns to settle. I don't expect most reporters to be savvy enough to actually interview an expert on something when doing an article. But I do propose we wait a little before rushing to judgment. This thing was installed a month ago. Give it a chance.

Everyone? Not so. If Everyone was complaining about it the lane wouldn't be there, and as has been pointed out before, there were few objections to the plan when it was proposed by FD, NYPD, etc.

Don't use words like everyone, since I live nearby this lane and support it, I don't appreciate that statement.

I was wondering if you could tell us a little about the current membership of the SoHo Alliance. The organization has a vaunted history, defeating Robert Moses and all (thanks for that), and I looked at every page on your website and can't find any information about you, your staff, board, members, nothing. Just curious about you all.

In regards to whether or not cyclists like the Grand Street cycle-track, I've been polling people, and so far everyone I've talked to (12-15) love it.

I agree with you that Houston Street should have a cycle-track too. Every street should have one! They're amazing!

Of course, SoHo Alliance opposed a Prince Street bike lane. Why settle
for crumbs when further efforts could have gotten what we wanted?
SoHo helped defeat Moses' Lower Manhattan Expressway through constant
agitation. In comparison, getting a Houston Street bike lane is a
cake walk.

We have also been promoting a real, workable cross-Manhattan bike
lane, one extending from the W'burg Bridge, across Delancey and
extending over to Broome to Sixth Avenue. Broome Street is what we
suggested as a second option to DOT over Houston, but this reasonable
suggestion was rejected.

The fact is that EVERYONE near Grand Street in Little Italy, Chinatown
and SoHo is complaining to us about this, even cyclists. Everyone.

The fact is that within one week at least two fire trucks - two - were
delayed navigating the narrow corner-turn, despite the snarky doubting
of Mr. Fried. If this delay should ever tragically result in a death,
who here who thinks that this bike lane is a brilliant idea would
attend the funeral? Would Mr. Fried?

It is not only the well-respected veteran journalist, Ti-Hua Chang,
who reported on the failure of this experiment. Just out today: http://thevillager.com/villager_290/thenewgrand.html

NYC needs bike lanes. But this one is simply not the right one in the
right place.

That said, I still have to agree that Houston Street seems like a better option for a protected bike lane. DOT should have put a two-way cycle track on Houston where there's more capacity. Prince and Bleecker are lousy alternatives. Bleecker terminates at Bowery, which is a pain in the butt, and every side street in Soho off of Prince has cobblestones, so if you don't feel like bouncing around on them, you are trapped. I wish they would rethink this.