Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bicycle Safety

Park Slope Passes on Traffic-Calming, Ped Safety & Bike Lanes

Gowanus Lounge reports on the debate over DOT's 9th Street redesign plan at last night's Park Slope Civic Council meeting. The Civic Council voted overwhelmingly to "table" a plan that would provide the neighborhood with improved pedestrian safety on one of the most hazardous streets in the area, enhanced cyclist safety along a key access route to Prospect Park and Red Hook, and traffic-calming along an overly broad street with low vehicle counts and a serious speeding problem.

Anyone naive enough to think that bike lanes would be embraced in Park Slope--home of a food coop where green is an ideology, not a color--would have been quickly disabused of the notion within moments of walking into the room at Methodist Hospital on Seventh Avenue where the Park Slope Civic Council was holding its monthly meeting last night.

"There is no way in hell there is going to be a bike lane on Ninth Street," one resident exclaimed before the meeting even started.

A group of Ninth Street residents turned out in force to strongly oppose a Department of Transportation proposal that would add turning lanes and bike lanes to Ninth Street, and in the end the PSCC voted 14-3, with one abstention, to object to the plan.

The primary objections voiced by residents were that a bike lane would interfere with double parking and the ability to pick up and drop off children, for instance. There were also concerns that narrowing the street from two lanes to one lane would cause traffic congestion and that bicyclists would be deposited at the Ninth Street entrance to Prospect Park, which is for pedestrians. There were also a number of complaints that the city's Department of Transportation had not involved residents in preparing its plan.

Note to Livable Streets advocates: If you don't join civic groups and show up to community meetings, you lose.

Note to DOT: I am sure that you could have won over most of this 9th Street crowd if you had included them in the planning process.

Note to Mayor Bloomberg: You need to say that projects like these are critical to the future of New York City. We need a mandate.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Hit-and-Run Driver Kills Pedestrian on Bedford Av. Hours Before Long-Stalled Safety Redesign Begins

The driver was traveling so quickly that the victim was tossed high in the air before landing back on the car hood and being tossed to the side of the road as the killer drove off.

October 11, 2024

Manhattanites To DOT: Open Queensboro Bridge Pedestrian Path ‘Without Delay’

"It’s really inappropriate for the DOT to delay," said one member of Manhattan Community Board 6.

October 11, 2024

Council Seeks to Force DOT to Build 175 E-Bike Charging Hubs 

A new bill would force the DOT to build over 100 charging hubs, but will it be enough to keep up with demand?

October 11, 2024

Friday Video: A Vision for West 72nd Street

Maybe someday, a roadway that devotes 88 percent of its space to a tiny minority of users (drivers) could finally work for everyone. We can dream, can't we?

October 11, 2024

Friday’s Headlines: Yes, We Will Mention the Yankees Edition

We are praying for the first Subway Series since 2000. Plus other news.

October 11, 2024
See all posts