David Goodman's City Room piece on the PPW bike lane survey includes the first new information in months about the extent of former DOT Commissioner Iris Weinshall's involvement in efforts to do away with the current design.
Following the October demonstrations where bike lane proponents vastly outnumbered naysayers, Weinshall and other opponents have not let up in their campaign to undo the re-design. Together with fellow PPW resident and former deputy mayor Norman Steisel, Weinshall, who directly preceded Janette Sadik-Khan as DOT chief, has sat down with City Council members and discussed her wishes to see the old three-lane speedway come roaring back, Goodman reports:
Since the Park Slope protests, some well-connected people, including a former city transportation commissioner, have lobbied for changes to the current lane. Iris Weinshall, the transportation commissioner from 2000 to 2007 and the wife of Senator Charles E. Schumer, and Norman Steisel, a former deputy mayor, had breakfast last month with Mr. Lander and, shortly after, with Mr. Levin.
“They made very clear that their goal is to see the bike lane removed and the old configuration restored,” Mr. Lander said in an e-mail.
Ms. Weinshall said in a telephone interview on Tuesday that she “had concerns over all about safety elements of the bike lane and the level of both community input and the data that’s being made available to the community.”
Ms. Weinshall had previously declined to comment on the lane, with speculation in the cycling press swirling around her role in opposing it.
“I’m not opposed to bike lanes,” Ms. Weinshall said. “I put in a number of them as commissioner, including the lane on Plaza Street” that connects to Prospect Park West.
The most dangerous activity I can imagine on Prospect Park West -- barreling down the street in a multi-ton vehicle at deadly speeds -- is down dramatically since the re-design took effect. A safety-based rationale for returning to three wide lanes of traffic defies explanation.
In related news, Weinshall is rumored to have a shot at replacing the widely respected Chris Ward as head of the Port Authority, if Andrew Cuomo gives the word.
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog New York City
Friday’s Headlines: Canal Street Follies Edition
Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine isn't happy. Plus other news.
Daylight Again: Bronx Community Board Backs Parking Ban at Intersections
The Boogie Down is down with daylighting!
Community Board Wants Protected Bike Lane on Empire Blvd.
Brooklyn Community Board 9 wants city to upgrade Empire Boulevard's frequently blocked bike lane, which serves as a gateway to Prospect Park.
The Brake: Why We Can’t End Violence on Transit With More Police
Are more cops the answer to violence against transit workers, or is it only driving societal tensions that make attacks more frequent?
Report: Road Violence Hits Record in First Quarter of 2024
Sixty people died in the first three months of the year, 50 percent more than the first quarter of 2018, which was the safest opening three months of any Vision Zero year.
