Expansion of Bike Lanes in City Brings Backlash

By J. DAVID GOODMAN
Published: November 22, 2010
Over the last four years, the streets of New York City have undergone a transformation: More than 250 miles of traffic lanes dedicated for bicycles have been created, and several laws intended to promote cycling have been passed.

The efforts by the Bloomberg administration have placed the city at the forefront of a national trend to make bicycling viable and safe even in the most urban of settings. Yet over the last year, a backlash has taken hold.

Bowing to vocal opposition from drivers and elected officials, the city last week began removing a 2.35-mile painted bike lane along Father Capodanno Boulevard on Staten Island. In Manhattan, a community board held a special hearing this month for business owners to vent about problems posed by a new protected bicycle lane on Columbus Avenue — in particular, the removal of parking spaces and the difficulty of getting truck deliveries.

Kinda similar to all of the hubbub I have been hearing from folks about the Rudisill bike lane project! With change comes time for adjustment, mainly for the automobile operators but we have to remember that while gas is still cheap, that they are the majority.

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