Bicycles on Eastern Parkway

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Bicycles on Eastern Parkway

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Jenee
I have arrived!
Joined: May '11
Posts: 66

Has anyone ever been annoyed by all the bicyclists that ride down the strip of Eastern Parkway between the Museum, Botanical Gardens and the Library?

As someone who received a bike ticket around the corner just several months ago, (I wasn't riding on the strip) I just don't understand how the community has not bothered to make signs against bikers.

Kids walk down this sidewalk. It's just so unbelievably unsafe. I called 311 tonight and two precincts. The police said they would go there & check it out.

What can else can be done? It is misleading because there is the bike path on Eastern parkway and one would assume that it is sane to continue riding on the Museum sidewalk all the way down to the Museum, but it is a very small strip. Bikers sometime ride quite fast not being conscious of other people.

I saw 5 people in 10 minutes riding down here and have never once seen a police give anyone a ticket on this strip.

Is there something that can be done? I know the community board meetings, but with so many people going there with different issues, it seems impossible to address everyone. The meeting I went to was more about the politicians and police talking then the people in the community.

Just wondering if anyone else has been bothered by this quality of living concern.

# Posted 1 yr ago
tsarina
above average
Joined: Aug '08
Posts: 479

what would your alternative be? there is no shoulder on eastern parkway so it is unsafe for bikes in the street.perhaps the new construction includes bike lanes?

# Posted 1 yr ago
tsarina
above average
Joined: Aug '08
Posts: 479

How can bike riders not be conscious of pedestrians? Do you imagine that cyclist do not get injured in collisions?

# Posted 1 yr ago
whynot_31
Former Lurker
Joined: Mar '06
Posts: 16,032

tsarina said:
what would your alternative be? there is no shoulder on eastern parkway so it is unsafe for bikes in the street.perhaps the new construction includes bike lanes?

ding! ding! ding!

We have a winner.....

http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2011/02/visions-of-a-re/#ep-museum-1

For better or worse, the change on Nostrand is going to make the change on Franklin look minor.

# Posted 1 yr ago
catwalkertexasranger
above average
Joined: Jun '09
Posts: 483

until the extensive road work is completed on Eastern all tyhe assholes will have to tolerate one another both on and off 2 wheels. Hard to believe that nobody wrote about the trash after 1st Saturday

# Posted 1 yr ago
eastbloc
comprador bourgeois
Joined: Jul '09
Posts: 902

Ride in the damn street like you're supposed to, that's what.

I'm tempted to clothesline bikers on that stretch or let my pit bull explore her feelings for cyclists when I see that crap.

# Posted 1 yr ago
Boygabriel
M Train Devotee, G Train Appreciator
Joined: Nov '05
Posts: 4,431

I'm tempted to clothesline bikers on that stretch or let my pit bull explore her feelings for cyclists when I see that crap.

Ah yes, the threat of violence. Always reasonable.

Spend a buck, light a number for one the 400,000 victims in Darfur: darfurwall.org

# Posted 1 yr ago
homeowner
mod
Joined: Jan '06
Posts: 3,003

The problem is that the bike lane is on the south side of the street, when the appropriate place for bikes after crossing Washington is the north side. DOT needs to put up a sign detouring bikers across Washington and onto the service road, where they can then connect back into the bike lanes at Plaza Street. Unfortunately, no one at DOT seems to be smart enough to have figured that out on their own.

# Posted 1 yr ago
Boygabriel
M Train Devotee, G Train Appreciator
Joined: Nov '05
Posts: 4,431

Unfortunately, no one at DOT seems to be smart enough to have figured that out on their own.

I know a lot of people who work at DOT, and bikes specifically.

They work very hard and are very intelligent.

But hey, running a city dept is super easy, I'm sure.

Spend a buck, light a number for one the 400,000 victims in Darfur: darfurwall.org

# Posted 1 yr ago
stewart
getting it
Joined: Oct '08
Posts: 133

If you need the DOT to do your thinking for you, maybe you want to stick to walking.

# Posted 1 yr ago
homeowner
mod
Joined: Jan '06
Posts: 3,003

Boygabriel said:

Unfortunately, no one at DOT seems to be smart enough to have figured that out on their own.

I know a lot of people who work at DOT, and bikes specifically.

They work very hard and are very intelligent.

But hey, running a city dept is super easy, I'm sure.

I know plenty of people at DOT as well. Hard working, absolutely. Smart? Some are. Common sense? That's a horse of a different color

Dollars to donuts, if you ask your friends they'll tell you that the bike people don't do construction detour signs and that their division will put up signs leading folks to the new bike lane constructed on north side median when it is done. Until then, its construction which is someone else's job. Construction will then tell you its a bike lane issue which is not their problem. And on and on...

# Posted 1 yr ago
Boygabriel
M Train Devotee, G Train Appreciator
Joined: Nov '05
Posts: 4,431

homeowner said:
I know plenty of people at DOT as well. Hard working, absolutely. Smart? Some are. Common sense? That's a horse of a different color

Dollars to donuts, if you ask your friends they'll tell you that the bike people don't do construction detour signs and that their division will put up signs leading folks to the new bike lane constructed on north side median when it is done. Until then, its construction which is someone else's job. Construction will then tell you its a bike lane issue which is not their problem. And on and on...

So that makes people at DOT stupid, as you implied?

No.

Spend a buck, light a number for one the 400,000 victims in Darfur: darfurwall.org

# Posted 1 yr ago
homeowner
mod
Joined: Jan '06
Posts: 3,003

In my book, anyone inside an organization who recognizes that organizational culture and silos cause ridiculous results and doesn't do anything to change it is stupid, yes. And that goes double for the folks running the place that don't do anything to change the culture.

# Posted 1 yr ago
Boygabriel
M Train Devotee, G Train Appreciator
Joined: Nov '05
Posts: 4,431

b/c it's just that easy?

b/c if people were trying to change the DOT from the inside, you'd be aware of it?

b/c missing construction signs belies a dysfunctional govt dept?

Spare me.

Spend a buck, light a number for one the 400,000 victims in Darfur: darfurwall.org

# Posted 1 yr ago
homeowner
mod
Joined: Jan '06
Posts: 3,003

Yes

Yes

Yes

You are spared.

# Posted 1 yr ago
eastbloc
comprador bourgeois
Joined: Jul '09
Posts: 902

Boygabriel said:

I'm tempted to clothesline bikers on that stretch or let my pit bull explore her feelings for cyclists when I see that crap.

Ah yes, the threat of violence. Always reasonable.

Do you feel threatened by my post? Ideation is not the same as a threat of violence.

Boygabriel said:
So that makes people at DOT stupid, as you implied?

No.

Agreed. People who trash the DOT a) don't understand how large organizations work and b) underestimate their efficacy.

I can say for one thing that the changes at the Flatbush/Atlantic intersection were much maligned, but have definitely improved my ability to cross Flatbush every morning, and have generally reduced the madness at that intersection as far as I can tell.

# Posted 1 yr ago
WhyFi
I'm Urban - recognize!
Joined: Jul '05
Posts: 5,268

homeowner said:
Yes

Yes

Yes

You are spared.

Are you trying to make yourself look full of excrement? You're doing a rather smashing job, if so.

...not that there's anything wrong with that.

# Posted 1 yr ago
Idlewild
rocking it
Joined: Sep '05
Posts: 2,795

tsarina said:
what would your alternative be? there is no shoulder on eastern parkway so it is unsafe for bikes in the street.perhaps the new construction includes bike lanes?

Dismount and walk your bike down the block???

"Clamato! Straight Up! No chasah!

# Posted 1 yr ago
homeowner
mod
Joined: Jan '06
Posts: 3,003

WhyFi said:
Are you trying to make yourself look full of excrement? You're doing a rather smashing job, if so.

Wasn't aware that having an opinion made someone "full of excrement".

# Posted 1 yr ago
WhyFi
I'm Urban - recognize!
Joined: Jul '05
Posts: 5,268

homeowner said:
Wasn't aware that having an opinion made someone "full of excrement".

Reasonable opinion? No, but what you've expressed isn't reasonable, it's asinine. Example - would you be kind enough to remind us what field you work in? Is *your* field beyond reproach, or is there something that we can all point to and conclude that you're stupid, just as you've characterized all DoT workers?

...not that there's anything wrong with that.

# Posted 1 yr ago
tsarina
above average
Joined: Aug '08
Posts: 479

Dismount and walk your bike down the block???

Has anyone been hurt? I mean besides their nerves? I rarely travel on that side of Eastern, but I did last month. If there is not alot of pedestrian traffic and it is manageable then bike it.

# Posted 1 yr ago
eastbloc
comprador bourgeois
Joined: Jul '09
Posts: 902

There is _always_ a lot of pedestrian traffic, including children and canines. That route is an artery between the park, the library, and the museum. And there are perfectly good streets where bicyclists are intended to ride as per NYS VTL code.

# Posted 1 yr ago
tsarina
above average
Joined: Aug '08
Posts: 479

Yes, it would be human nature to detour several blocks around this 1 long block to get from 1 bike lane to the next.

# Posted 1 yr ago
WhyFi
I'm Urban - recognize!
Joined: Jul '05
Posts: 5,268

If you're heading towards GAP, the service road is just across the street and not at all hair-raising - I really don't think that there's an excuse not to use it, other than laziness. Going the other way would be a little more tricky, but any of my destinations, when coming from GAP, are north of EP, so it's not any more inconvenient (in terms of distance, number of turns, etc) to take St Johns, Park, or St Marks across. In short, I have never personally had a need to ride my bike on that stretch of sidewalk, over the course of thousands of miles. IF I had to go from GAP to someplace further down the path on EP, I guess that I would detour to St Johns and then to Washington - it would add what, about 3 short blocks? I don't think that that's unreasonable and it may just be safer/less annoying than dealing with a sidewalk of peds.

...not that there's anything wrong with that.

# Posted 1 yr ago
Whatchuwant
Parliament Menthol Funkadelic
Joined: Feb '07
Posts: 2,903

WhyFi said:
IF I had to go from GAP to someplace further down the path on EP, I guess that I would detour to St Johns and then to Washington - it would add what, about 3 short blocks? I don't think that that's unreasonable and it may just be safer/less annoying than dealing with a sidewalk of peds.

Well, Washington isn't exactly bike friendly either and can be quite dangerous, especially with cars racing to beat the light on EP.

It's a rotten section, that stretch- always has been. I've seen people try to do the 'right' thing and bike in the road with the traffic and I'm always fearful for their safety.

Hopefully the new set-up is better.

"...you can choose the rain....but I choose the sun..." - N. Costa

# Posted 1 yr ago