For some reason, I had imagined the bike lane would be on the right – maybe because I always ride on the right when I use Bleecker Street? The idea that bicycles should be on the left, where any right turn requires the cyclist to deliberately cross traffic seems a bit odd, particularly on such a small street.

And whatever happened to all those parking spaces that were supposed to be lost as a trade-off?

Up until now I thought the Charlton Street bike lane was the biggest waste of paint and taxpayer dollars but Bleecker Street would seem to run a close second What we need are bike lanes that actually provide safe routes on dangerous streets – like Houston Street – not lines that simply divvy up the few remaining ‘livable’ street left in this city..

Stacy: One-way streets with bike lanes generally have the bike lanes on the left. Reasons for this: (a) avoids conflicts with buses (may not be relevant on Bleecker); (b) less likely to get doored on right side of parked cars; (c) less likely to be hit by drivers, because drivers sit on the left side of their vehicles.

If the bike lane were on the right, it would still require crossing traffic to turn left, so I don’t see why it’s relevant that having it on the left requires crossing traffic to turn right.

I recently acquired a stash of those “I parked in a bike lane” stickers (iparkedinabikelane.org). Watch out, all you cars parked in the bike lanes on 2nd Ave. and Allen Street! And if I ever get over to Bleecker, same thing will happen there..

I would suggest to every Streetsblogger to continue taking photos of these violations and others such as double-parking, parking at a hydrant, etc., printing them out, and sending them to the attention of NYPD Traffic Enforcement (and cc: anyone you’d like, for example, politicians). Perhaps a kind letter to remind them to do their jobs could accompany said letter.

While I realize this is not a sustainable practice, the mountains of paperwork would surely get their attention. I commend Paul Steely-White for taking that picture of the NASCAR vehicle who clearly does not know how to parallel park.

However, putting it on Streetsblog is like preaching to the choir, to which I say “Amen!” But for some serious change to occur, the folks in charge of enforcement need to see their underlings aren’t enforcing the rules as they should.

I keep my camera handy at all times.

“The DOT is pouring money down the drain striping bike lanes….”

I gotta agree AND disagree with Hunka. Yes, some drivers blatantly ignore the lanes and double park with impunity. Yes, a white line is not a force field. Lanes with physical barriers are far better, we need more of those, etc., etc.

But going to a vehicular cycling model would de facto mean ceding cycling in New York to hardcore bikers. That would be horrible. Painted lanes at least send the visual signal that bikers have a place in the city. Even if, morally and legally, that place is *everywhere*, practically the lanes bring in recreational and less hardcore cyclists who–whether you think they’re right or wrong–are not going to duke it out with giant hunks of metal in the middle of the street.

We need more people biking in NYC, not fewer–not just because it’s better for the city and for them, but because politically cycling advocacy is stronger the more casual cyclists are invested in them.

At long last, I’ve made SOME peace with this kind of bike lane, but almost exclusively because of the hope that maybe, maybe, increasing their numbers will increase the number of people trying cycling, and staying cycling.

But even if that happens, my acceptance NOW of this lane is contingent on that population growth making the following difference in the future: as the the population of cyclists increases, the advocacy movement will grow, and THEN the city’s culture will finally be ready for REAL bike infrastructure.

Presently, the only good thing I’m really convinced that this type of lane reliably does is calm traffic a little. That is, no doubt, a very good thing, but not enough, and cyclists and DOT should have much bolder long-term goals than just more of these lanes.

I will contradict myself on this subject in two (2) weeks.

I’m with Mike and Dave G. on the benfits of left-hand lanes and painted lanes in general. Like other on-street lane detractors, John Hunka needs to adress the issues of (1) do these lanes prevent or discourage vehuicular cycling (the answer, in my view, is no) and (2) is it realistic to have kids, seniors and beginners traveling at 5-10 MPH taking the lane?

I just took my first ride down the new Bleecker Street Bike Lane from Carmine to Thompson and I’m still not impressed. One particularly large truck came disturbingly close as we made the slight turn across Sixth Avenue near Little Red and then crossed over into the bike lane to pass a truck that was unloading – maybe that’s why the right side always seemed a bit safer. It’s probably harder to diddle around and jump the Sixth Avenue light, on the left, than when than it was when riding on the right, alongside Downing Street Park

The logos aren’t painted yet but the lane seemed to be ignored by cyclists and motorists alike. There were a couple of tractor trailer delivery trucks blocking the lane, and several cyclists riding on the right side of the street. I guess I’m not the only one with this preference.

Bike lanes on the left may be more common but there are some, like Van Dam Street and Pike Slip, in Manhattan, or Henry Street, in Brooklyn Heights, which are on the right.

Never forget that these lanes cause people to weave in and out of traffic, and in and out of visibility. (Because there is ALWAYS someone parking in them at least every two blocks. Always, always, always.)

The safest way to ride is in a predictable, steady, straight line.

Change the law so that cyclists aren’t compellled to stick to the lane, but rather, they’re just for people who feel more comfortable in them.

I appreciate the point about “kids, seniors and beginners.” Let bike lanes be only for them, and for anyone who doesn’t feel safe taking a lane. But when you do take a lane, mostly the worst they can do is honk, and I’m telling you, they don’t honk any more than when you try to stick to bike lanes.

Sorry, not clear. Let the bike lane be there for “kids, seniors and beginners,” but OPTIONAL.

So Curbed is the representation of the average NYer and Streetsblog is just a bunch of egocentric whiners…? I’ve heard a lot more uninformed whining on Curbed than Streetsblog but maybe that’s just my limited personal experience.

NotAnIPhoneOwnerEither, you’ve got the law wrong. NYC bicyclists are not required to use bike lanes unless they are available and safe. If you are traveling at 15+ MPH, its not safe to ride in the door zone. Bicyclists get ticketed for riding outside the lane only one Friday a month, in a particular neighborhood. If you disagree let’s hear some empirical or even anecdotal evidence.

It is completely realistic for those moving at ~5 MPH to ride in a painted lane in the door zone. They can identify and respond to the dooring hazard in time to avoid a serious injury, and they will expereince fewer conflicts with motorists eager to travel faster.

And dart, I don’ see how the bike lane is relevant to in the “in and out” issue. I rode home tonight up Third Ave. and I was constantly moving in and out around the double-parked cars and cabs picking up and dropping off passengers. If there is even 10% less double-parking on a street with a bike lane than one without (and I think it is significantly better than that), then there is 10% less in-and-out. The only way around the in-and-out problem (aside from physically separated lanes) is to ride up the middle of the road, which is just plain stupid for all but the fastest and most skilled bicyclists to do on a 3-5 lane one-way roadway.

Glennq is right that enforcement can help, though it is by no means a panacea. The TEA who write the summonses need to be told that they can give a car two violations if it is double-parked in the bike lane, one for double parking and one for blocking the bike lane. I think drivers would get the idea pretty quick and start double parking opposite, rather than in the bike lane.

Stacy, just because some motorists ignore the painted lanes (in particular, when they are new and not fully installed with decals), that’s no reason to declare the lanes a failure. This is NYC, people ignore rules if they can get away with it. When you’re disembarking from a subway car onto a crowded platform and people trying to enter are preventing you from exiting, what do you do? Stay on the subway and miss your stop because you are afraid to ask them, motion them or even push them aside? Is there a reason to take a fundamentally different approach when someone is crowding your space on the road?

And Just Curious, Curbed is entertaining and can be a good source of info but 90%+ of the commenters there are just nasty idiots, not “average New Yorkers.” If you think the quality of dialogue on Curbed is superior to what you find here, by all means go and don’t come back.

Steve, if we’re including Avenues in this discussion, I have to say I completely disagree that Class II bike lanes have a bearing on how much people double park. I say they have none.

Anecdotal, but try part of my evening commute some weekday around 5pm: down Broadway from Columbus Circle to Union Square. Stick to the bike lane (except in Times and Herald Squares, where there’s none) and I PROMISE you that you will not get more than one full block without having to weave into a car lane because of various hazards, mostly double-parkers. I absolutely feel more vulnerable doing that than staying in straight line in a car lane–WHERE I CAN BE SEEN. I don’t feel “plain stupid” staying in a car lane, and I’m NOT the fastest cyclist, on my lumbering mountain bike.

Of course not all these Avenues host the same behavior, but other anecdotal evidence is my morning commute, up 1st Ave. There’s no bike lane on that stretch, and, well, I don’t see much double parking at all.

On a recent Sunday afternoon, I rode out to Flushing. I saw that 34th Ave. had a class II lane, so I took it. Amazingly, there was the same amount of bike lane double-parking as in my evening commute! About every other block! So into and out of the car lane I wove…

Now, maybe my opinion comes from how the vast majority of my miles are commuting, on big Avenues. Maybe I wouldn’t be so adamant if I rode on local streets more. But for adults on big Avenues in present-day conditions, I’ll continue to recommend riding in the car lane, visibly, as safer.

Incidentally, here’s a year old picture of how effective bike lanes are at preventing double parking:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10798592@N08/2073246818/

Also, Steve, I do agree that “This is NYC, people ignore rules if they can get away with it.”

And that’s why I still think this would work on one-way avenues:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10798592@N08/1414440531/
(check out the larger view to see what the lane markings say)

Dart, b’way is indeed hellish, perhaps the least respected bike lane in Manhattan. However I am often in the First Ave. bike lane (north of 72nd and often it to be almost as bad. Maybe my faith in bike lanes is colored by my regular use of the UWS and UES crosstown lanes with my kids (which is not to say those lanes are not also abused, see MyBikeLane). We need accurate data. I have a FOIL request into the Dep’t of Finance to get all the bike lane summons data in electronic form, but they are resisting.

Jonathan: My comments about jumping the light was more of an observation. If DOT’s intended to ‘curb’ this kind of behavior then placing the bike lane on the left was an effective choice. Obviously Bleecker Street parking regulations aren’t influenced by the number of cyclists, or pedestrians for that matter, jumping the light at Sixth Avenue.

Steve: Bleecker Street is wider in some areas and some sections are straighter in some places than others. The bike lane may be more successful in some stretches than others. The turn at Sixth is definitely a trouble spot.

Originally this as intended as a safer alternative to Houston Street. As a local area resident, I find Houston Street, at least traveling East between Sixth Avenue and LaGuardia Place/ West Broadway, to be a safer route than the current Bleecker Street Bike lane. Maybe this will change with the addition of logos on Bleecker or the return of east bound traffic on Houston..

Can I leave a positive message here? Last night I biked along nearly the entire Cross-Manhattan [Bike] Expressway, from 23d and 9th all the way down Hudson St, all the way on Bleecker St, and then for good measure I made a left on Lafayette and finally left the bike facility at Astor Place.

There were only two vehicles blocking the lane the whole way (two miles). It was really pleasant biking. I especially like the bike box on Bleecker and Broadway.

I’ve been taking that route for years (without turning on Lafayette), and to have the same route now with bike facilities is like an early Christmas present. Thank you, DOT!

They put a bike box at Bleecker and Broadway? Sweet!

(Haven’t been there on my bike in a few months.)