Protected Bike Lanes
Streetsblog Basics
At CB 6 Hearing, Supporters of PPW Redesign Outnumber Detractors 8 to 1
I'll have a longer post later today, but for now, here is the numerical recap from last night's public hearing on the Prospect Park West redesign. The overall headcount was somewhere around 400 people. Transportation Alternatives handed out pro-bike lane stickers to 330 people before they exhausted their supply. Among the 100+ people who signed up to testify, support outweighed opposition by nearly an eight-to-one margin.
March 11, 2011
Politically Connected PPW Bike Lane Foes Are Fighting Their Own Neighbors
If the goal of the Prospect Park West bike lane lawsuit is to smear the Department of Transportation and sow doubt about the city's street safety initiatives, it's already doing a bang-up job. The Post and the Daily News both ran pieces yesterday basically lifting arguments straight out of the plaintiffs' complaint [PDF] without a shred of analysis. Both papers repeat the same basic distortion: Bike lane opponents are fighting DOT's agenda. But that's not really what's going on here.
March 10, 2011
Brad Lander and Park Slope Residents Rally For Prospect Park West Bike Lane
City Council Member Brad Lander and supporters of the Prospect Park West bike lane rallied on the steps of City Hall this afternoon in response to yesterday's lawsuit, filed by a group of well-connected Park Slope residents who want to rip the lane out.
March 8, 2011
Opponents Sue City Over Prospect Park West Bike Lane
Opponents of the Prospect Park West bike lane have filed a lawsuit against the city in relation to the project, according to the New York City Law Department. The suit, which has been threatened for a month, was filed at the end of the day today in Brooklyn Supreme Court. Download it here.
March 7, 2011
Cycle Tracks, “Floating Parking” and Bike Buffer Zones
While we were out videotaping for another Streetfilm, Gary Toth, the director of transportation initiatives with Project for Public Spaces (his resume includes 34 years of management experience at NJDOT), took a moment to give a short explanation on what "floating parking" is, why using it is a very smart budgetary decision by the NYCDOT, and why a buffer-zone exists between exiting drivers and cyclists.
March 7, 2011
Thursday, March 10 Is CB6’s Prospect Park West Bike Lane Finale
I make no guarantees about the ultimate accuracy of this headline, but you've got to admit that next week's Brooklyn Community Board 6 forum on the Prospect Park West redesign is shaping up to be a showstopper [PDF].
March 4, 2011
Gibson Dunn Attorney Jim Walden: Blog Comment “Potentially Libelous”
This Wednesday, while Streetsblog reporter Noah Kazis was wrapping up his piece on the propriety of devoting pro bono legal services to help wealthy Brooklyn residents eradicate a bike lane, we received a letter from Gibson Dunn attorney Jim Walden. We think the letter is illustrative of the tactics employed by opponents of the Prospect Park West redesign.
February 25, 2011
In Anti-Bike Lane Case, Gibson Dunn Strays From Pro Bono Standards
Jim Walden is a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, the kind of white shoe firm where lawyers represent major corporations at rates of nearly a thousand dollars per hour. His name has been popping up on Streetsblog recently because he represents a politically-connected group attempting to undo the redesign of Prospect Park West. According to press accounts, Walden is doing this work at no charge to the client. Walden would not comment to Streetsblog for this story.
February 24, 2011
Chuck Schumer’s Office Has No Comment on Prospect Park West
Streetsblog has contacted Senator Chuck Schumer's press office twice asking for comment on the Prospect Park West bike lane and received no reply.
February 16, 2011
Upper West Side Leaders Calmly Study, Tweak Columbus Ave Lane
The Upper West Side is offering the city a lesson in what a mature and constructive response to bike lane growing pains looks like.
February 7, 2011