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Kent Ave bike lane support — Brooklynian

Kent Ave bike lane support

flo
flo
edited November -1 in Brooklyn Politics
http://www.transalt.org/takeaction/actioncenter/2895

Streetsblog has new info on the Kent Ave bike lane controversy. The link above leads to a fax letter to Bloomberg showing support for the Kent Ave bike lane if any cyclists or liveable streets people are interested.

Comments

  • modsquad
    modsquad
    Seriously, I'm going to spend the rest of the day looking for an opposing petition to the Kent Bike Lane. I deal with small business all over Brooklyn and lower Manhattan. This bike lane fetish Bloomberg has is devastating the ability for these businesses to survive. Crystie St, and Grand St. have become a disaster for deliveries and pickups at lumber, hardware, and plumbing supply stores. If one car wants to park on Grand, traffic is backed up all the way to Greene. There are sure as hell not hundreds of bikes on these streets. Who do you think pays more taxes? A lumber yard with a dozen employees or a granola snapping burn out on his way to Vanity Fair for his PT job fact checking an expose on anorexic models.
  • modsquad
    modsquad
    Furthermore, where the hell are all these bikes going to park if this wonderful shangrila blossoms. I work in Union Square and the only bike racks that exists are being used by the restaurants delivery people. I know, Queen Bloomberg will pass a law that says bikers can chain their bikes to their desks during the day, as if a small business office has that kind of free space to give over to a parking lot.

    What happens when it rains and these alleged 100's of thousands of bike riders need to push onto the F train in the morning, with their bikes.
    Explain that! Will ya! Huh!
  • flo
    flo
    Dear Modsquad-

    I'm pretty sure that you can write a letter to Bloomberg and any of your local reps expressing your opinions against bike lanes. There is nothing stopping you at all. Do report though if you find the petition you are looking for.

    FYI-nobody I know who rides a bike or commutes on one is a factchecker. Commuters/riders I know are teachers, accountants, painters etc and one is 60+ years young.
  • modsquad
    modsquad
    Flo, what you describe are people who shower before they go to work, teachers, accountants, painters. What about people who shower after work, plumbers, electricians, roofers etc. This city, in particular Brooklyn, was built on what people made with their hands. Without them you wouldn't have the lush variety of neighborhoods we take over in Brooklyn. We can't all be navel gazers.
  • flo
    flo
    Mod-

    Good times. Last time I checked painters shower after work. And I'm pretty sure that just about anyone can ride on the weekend or after work if they wanted. Not sure I get your point about navel-gazing as a profession?
  • lgc
    lgc
    I am beyond tired of all these damn bike lanes fucking up traffic. If you don't know how to ride a bike in NYC, don't move here. End of story. NO MORE FUCKING BIKE LANES!!!!
  • flo
    flo
    Hey Cafe-

    It really doesn't make any sense to say "If you don't know how to ride a bicycle in New York City, then don't move here." How for instance would anyone who hasn't lived in New York city even know if they would know how to ride a bicycle in New York city?

    I'm not sure if your post was intended to be a joke or not. I found it kind of funny.
  • xime
    xime
    When I was coming up here there were no bike lanes. We kept to the side and looked over our shoulder to make sure we were safe. That is how you ride a bike in NYC. This city does not need to be ruining the lives of natives to cater to imports. Go ride your bikes on the safe streets of St Olaf or wherever and give us back our streets and our low rents.
  • anastasia beaverhausen
    anastasia beaverhausen
    cafeaulait wrote: Go ride your bikes on the safe streets of St Olaf or wherever and give us back our streets and our low rents.
    I love the Golden Girls!
  • flo
    flo
    Cafe-

    I'm guessing Brooklyn's first bike lane (1894) is before the time you were coming up.
    I gather from your argument that you believe bike lanes are a gentrification issue. I disagree although it is true that the most gentrified areas of Brooklyn (Williamsburg, Brownstone Brooklyn area) have the highest number of cyclists.
  • pyremetol
    pyremetol
    Flo wrote: Cafe-

    I'm guessing Brooklyn's first bike lane (1894) is before the time you were coming up.
    I gather from your argument that you believe bike lanes are a gentrification issue. I disagree although it is true that the most gentrified areas of Brooklyn (Williamsburg, Brownstone Brooklyn area) have the highest number of cyclists.
    Yes I do but gentrification is the least of it. It is ruining traffic and parking for everyone and is way out of hand. You have enough damn bike lanes already. Be thankful for what you got. Happy 2009.
  • flo
    flo
    Cafe-

    I think it is only a small portion of bike lanes that effect parking or motor vehicle traffic adversely and perhaps it is the controversy over those lanes that you are referring to. That seems to be the case for the Kent Ave bike lane and for some recent lanes in Manhattan, but from riding other bike lanes it seems to me that most don't effect parking nor increase traffic.

    http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=27&id=25466
  • lordofinertia
    lordofinertia
    The worst ones I have seen are DeKalb and Franklin in BK and Grand St in Manhattan is beyond stupid. Oh yeah 9th ave in Manhattan too. Bike lanes are very unneeded and a huge burden. It is mainly a very small certain non native section of the population using them and the delivery bike guys do not use them they still ride the wrong way on the other side of the street like they always did. Epic failure.
  • flo
    flo
    Where's all the Nayack and the Canarsee (Brooklyn natives) cyclists when you need them to defend the bike lanes? Ah well, probably smallpox got them. That or the colonists outright.

    Interesting fact (that I cannot verify) for you though. I recently read that NY state ranked 50th in terms of the percent of the current population that was born in another state in the US. According to this book, the population of folks that came from another state was around 17%. It could be though that all 17 % are in Brooklyn riding in bike lanes. (smile) I found that stat pretty shocking. 50th?
  • hannah smith
    hannah smith
    cafeaulait wrote: I am beyond tired of all these damn bike lanes fucking up traffic. If you don't know how to ride a bike in NYC, don't move here. End of story. NO MORE FUCKING BIKE LANES!!!!
    You are medically retarded right? Allowed on the internet for one unsupervised hour a day when you go crazy? Then it's off to change the underwear you've involuntarily shat in?
  • rebeccavich
    rebeccavich
    No the retarded one is the one who can't ride a bike without a special lane that ruins traffic for everyone else.
  • flo
    flo
    I am beyond tired of all these damn bike lane-haters f'ing up political threads. If you don't know how to make a coherent argument, don't post here. End of story. NO MORE F-ING BIKE-LANE HATERS!!!!

    Heh.

    One step beyond tired.
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