I think this particular bit of Thompson asininity depends being convinced that the community board consultation didn’t happen in the first place.

Democratic politics teaches us if that if you lie hard enough loudly enough to enough people, it becomes true.

Perhaps we should be writing to her (and other allies of livable streets) who are supporting his campaign as well?

http://twitter.com/Thompson2009

Send him a few notes over the next few days…

As a lifelong Democrat, I was going to vote for you until I heard: 1) you would fire all of Mayor Bloomberg’s commissioners (including our great transportation and health commissioners); and 2) you would rip out the Grand Street bike lane and review the suitability of all bike lanes. Either this is pure pandering or you lack any vision at all for making our streets safer and more livable places. Sadly, I will now be voting for a non-Democrat for mayor for the first time since moving to the city in 1981. From what I’m hearing, you have similarly lost the votes of most progressives who believe that we can and must do better than the status quo on our streets.

Unless Mr. Thompson changes his position on “ripping out bike lanes” I will be forced to vote for a non-Democrat for the first time in my life. Please understand that this is an important public safety issue for the tens of thousands of NYC bike commuters. Without bike lanes, more cyclists would be injured or die, Mass transit trains and buses would be more crowded and our dependence on oil would continue. What’s Mr. Thompson’s environmental vision? What’s his plan to make the streets safer? What’s his plan to decrease our dependence on oil? What’s his plan to stimulate “green jobs” in the city? Instead of opposing Mayor Bloomberg on these issues, he should try to beat him at it and raise the stakes. Environmental advocates are waiting.

I urge everyone on this board to contact his campaign http://www.thompson2009.com/page/s/contactus

A swift negative reaction to public comments like this will send a clear message on this issue. Remember that both Mark Green and Freddy Ferrer (and even congestion pricing’s arch villain Anthony Weiner) support increasing biking in the city. Many Councilmembers must be embarrassed by his anti-bike lane stance (I’d love to get Yassky’s reaction). I think Bill Thompson is fairly alone on this issue, but he needs to know it.

1) Grand Street has had a bike lane for years, certainly well before Sadik-Khan took charge.
2) The main change was that the parking lane and bike lane switched positions, which doesn’t represent that drastic a change to space distribution. Also, loading zones were greatly expanded to accommodate the deliveries which used to occur by double parking in the old bike lane.
3) Crashes are down 30% since the changes were implemented.
4) The lane is well used by cyclists (relative to other lanes).
5) The economy is in the worst recession since the Great Depression, so blaming a bike lane is a red herring for the real economic problems. Further, there has been not a shred of evidence that the businesses next to the bike lane are any worse off than other business.
6) CB2, as shown above, voted nearly unanimously in favor of it. Even the ever-cranky Sean Sweeney declined to vote against it, by abstaining. Clearly, this wasn’t rammed down anyone’s throats.
7) DOT has worked with the CB ever since, giving business-owners ample opportunities to participate in the process and voice their opinions. Do you honestly expect ever single person affected by every single change to be consulted? Even if they were, how do expect to improve the city, since there will never be consensus for or against a project?

I’m sorry if you had an accident there, Dwight, but I don’t see how one no-fault accident and a handful of loud opponents is grounds for removing one of the best bike lanes in the city.

The fact is that the Grand lane is one of the most disruptive lanes in the City and very few bikers, after going through, don’t ride it. Having crashed there suffering a splintered rib, I know I wont. And it was a no fault crash.

Please tell us more, Dwight. This is the first I’ve heard of any crash on Grand since the lane was put in. How did this happen to you, and how do you feel the lane contributed to the crash?

If there isn’t a strong response to Thompson’s attacks on the stuff we like, not only does it encourage our opponents in neighborhoods across the city, but it also sends a message to City Hall that this is a complacent constituency as the mayor considers priorities for the 3rd term.

Can you name one Grand Street small business owner who’s on this “Community Board”?

Surely if Bloomberg wanted to drop disruptive bike lanes in front of his rich friend’s businesses he would threat them with more respect and not just ram it down their throats, right.

Its no wonder King Bloomy slapped all New Yorkers up side the head and got his way overturning term limits that New Yorkers twice voted for.

Sticking a bike lane on a busy and tiny street like Grand is a terrible idea and has its origins in Bloomberg walking all over the City and its neighborhoods as if people in those neighborhoods and their concerns don’t matter.

As a biker more careful planning needs to go into building safer bike routs, which Grand is not. It appears as though New Yorkers have had too much of the Mike’s bursting ego to simply not show regard for anyone’s concerns but his. The fact is that the Grand lane is one of the most disruptive lanes in the City and very few bikers, after going through, don’t ride it. Having crashed there suffering a splintered rib, I know I wont. And it was a no fault crash.

Bloomberg has shown callous disregard for what New Yorkers think and anyone blindly putting a stamp of approval on his failed Mayoral-ship is the worse thing New York can do.

But maybe Bill’s on to something. Unpopular infrastructure should be removed from neighborhoods that have a handful of cranky folks object to them.

You don’t understand, Glenn. In Thompson’s worldview, highways are serious, not up for “community” veto, and worth any negative business impact. Bike lanes are just not serious.