Grand Army Plaza Bike Lane Squashed, A-Holes Responsible

 

In case you were worried about never hearing about bike lanes again, I'm here to deliver news from the Bike Lane Haters Club. These are people who fear that bike lanes may be responsible for the end of days.

First, The Department of Transportation announced that it will not go through with its plan to add a bike lane to the new reconfiguring of Grand Army Plaza. This lane would be an essential connector to the PPW bike lane, which was installed last year without much ado at all (read: heavy sarcasm). The lane would also be a safer and more direct way for bikers to traverse the gauntlet that is Grand Army Plaza. And although the Brooklyn Paper says you can pin the scrap  on all the screaming and shouting Marcia Kramer did for those curmudgeons at Neighbors for Better Bike Lanes, the DOT says not so fast:

Department of Transportation spokesman Seth Solomonow said that the agency will not install the new lane this year due to 'the scope' of a bigger Grand Army Plaza project, which includes a new stop light and an expansion of the farmer’s market area.

I smell a little bullshit there and so does L Magazine and my boy, Eric McClure:

But residents and cycling advocates say the negative press from the PPW lane fight, and letters from members of the group that opposed that lane threatening to fight this new one, dissuaded the city agency from going ahead with the project. 'They’ve stopped because of the push back [from bike lane opponents],' offers bike advocate Eric McClure.

So this is how those D bags lost the battle but are winning the war. At least it can't get any worse, right?

According to Gothamist, the City Council is now requiring the DOT to notify community boards whenever it plans to install bike lanes. Which I guess, to some degree is fair, but now rich people everywhere can hold up greener and more cost-effective forms of transportation by complaining during community board meetings. I leave you with this quote from a well-informed driver who just doesn't understand how to drive with a bike lane on his street:

Sometimes if you're a driver, sometimes if I'm driving, it's a little confusing when the road is divided. 

[Editor's note: SIGH.]