Bicycling

Eyes on the Street: Access Denied

Here's another case of dangerously uncivil servitude, via Gothamist's John Del Signore, who came upon an Access-A-Ride driver parked in the elevated Sands Street bike lane. It's no surprise that Del Signore's complaint to the driver was answered with a shrug (or, more accurately, a "What's the big deal? Just go around."). But when he sent the photo to NYC Transit for comment, here was the response:

By Brad Aaron

4:42 PM EST on November 12, 2009

Photo: Gothamist

Here’s another case of dangerously uncivil servitude, via Gothamist’s John Del Signore, who came upon an Access-A-Ride driver parked in the elevated Sands Street bike lane. It’s no surprise that Del Signore’s complaint to the driver was answered with a shrug (or, more accurately, a “What’s the big deal? Just go around.”). But when he sent the photo to NYC Transit for comment, here was the response:

“Access-A-Ride drivers are instructed to observe all restrictions on
parking and standing. However, due to traffic, drivers are often
challenged to find safe locations to either pick up or drop off
customers.”

How many holes in that statement do you count?

Gothamist is taking submissions for an end-of-year photo gallery of egregious bike lane blockers. Here are a couple of recent candidates that leap to mind.

Brad Aaron

Brad Aaron began writing for Streetsblog in 2007, after years as a reporter, editor, and publisher in the alternative weekly business. Brad adopted New York's dysfunctional traffic justice system as his primary beat for Streetsblog. He lives in Manhattan.

Bicycling | Bike Lanes | Eyes on the Street | MTA | Transit

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