Reality Check: Bike-Share Station Takes Up Less Space Than Parked Cars

You have to hand it to residents of 99 Bank Street. The lawsuit to have a bike-share station removed from the street in front of their West Village building is a textbook example of reactionary NIMBYism.

The suit, which has already been rejected in court, claims the station violates a rule against the placement of “street furniture,” and blocks the building entrance. Among the other reported complaints: the bike-share station will impede fire truck access, cause tourists to ride on the sidewalks, and lead to cyclists congregating under the building awning when it rains.

The suit also says the city’s bike-share program “presents a serious threat to public safety,” according to the Daily News.

Reality check: Bike-share has a great safety record. And as for building access, this Citi Bike station, which will hold 31 bikes, replaced a handful of car parking spots that occupied the same curb space, but with taller, blockier objects. If anything, May and her dog Pippin will have an easier time crossing the street mid-block now that there aren’t parked cars hogging curb space and cutting off the view of oncoming traffic.