On the Way Home, Ride for a Protected Bike Lane on Delancey

2842210716_d3ff96b028.jpgThis evening, Adopt-a-Bike-Lane and Transportation Alternatives will launch a campaign for a protected bike lane on Delancey Street by leading escorted "bike commuter pools" across the Williamsburg Bridge. Reads a TA press release:

"The thousands who ride on Delancey every day shouldn’t feel like they are taking their lives in their own hands," says Marin Tockman, founder of Adopt-a-Bike-Lane, who was herself the victim of a crash while riding on Delancey. "We want these rides to show bicyclists how much better their commutes would be if this street made space for them."

Over 3,000 cyclists cross the Williamsburg Bridge every day, according to TA, which says the intersection of Essex and Delancey is the third most dangerous for cyclists in the entire city. Between 1995 and 2005, 99 cyclists and 308 pedestrians were injured by motor vehicles on Delancey.

The Adopt-a-Bike-Lane effort was spurred by the death of Rasha Shamoon, who was killed at Delancey and Bowery in August. Today’s rides will depart from Delancey and Bowery every five minutes from 6:00 to 7:00. Cyclists will gather for an after-party at The City Reliquary in Williamsburg from 7:00 to 9:00.

Photo: crayfray/Flickr

  • Cynical

    Before you take away capacity for out-of-control bikers how about we first toll the East River crossings (two-way of course as all crossings should be) and then end the ridiculous practice of lane reversals for the morning rush.
    JSK is all about taking away Manhattan street space from cars without doing anything to reduce car traffic into Manhattan. Bad bad bad.

  • mike

    “out of control bikers”? Please.

  • Dang, I’m about to get cynical about people’s ability to remember six months ago. Ya know, congestion pricing? She was for it? She did everything short of kidnapping Shelly Silver to get it passed? Geez.

    I agree about the out-of-control bikers tho; Harleys should definitely be banned in New York until they put some mufflers on those things!

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

Eyes on the Street: A Smoother Approach to the Willy-B

By Ben Fried |
We’ve received a few reports in the past week about construction work on the Manhattan side of the Williamsburg Bridge. DOT’s press office says six bike ramps are being installed, and we hear from observers on the ground that construction is largely complete as of this morning: The bridge approach at Delancey and Clinton Street […]

Bus Driver Hits and Kills Cyclist on Delancey Street

By Ben Fried |
Image: ABC 7. WABC is reporting that a woman riding a bike was struck and killed by a school bus driver at the intersection of Delancey and Ludlow at around 4:00 p.m. this afternoon. Streetsblog has a request in with NYPD for more information. From ABC’s aerial picture of the crash scene, it appears as […]