Eyes on the Street: Marcia Kramer’s Worst Nightmare

ppw_striping.jpgPhoto: Joanna Oltman Smith

Via Brownstoner, here’s the freshly-striped buffer for the Prospect Park West bike lane. The two-way protected path is finally arriving, more than a year after the local community board voted for it. In the meantime, the project has met with loud protestations from the borough president, at least two withering TV news reports giving credence to the anti-bike lane opposition, and some finger-wagging from the Brooklyn Paper editorial page.

So, Marcia Kramer and Marty Markowitz won’t have the last word on this one. We tip our cap to the local activists — especially the folks at Park Slope Neighbors — who showed that there’s a deep reservoir of support for calming traffic on PPW and creating a safer street for cyclists and pedestrians. This is going to look even better after the Grand Army Plaza makeover that DOT has on tap for later this year.

  • Danny G

    Nice photo, but BAD CALL on going negative on the headline and rubbing it in to the opposition (especially when the bike lane is happening). I know it’s cloudy outside, but cheer up.

  • J

    Fantastic news!

    However, I agree with Danny. The overarching idea is that we’re building momentum by converting people to our side, not by crushing them. People change their minds when physical improvements go in and they don’t cause the chaos that opponents say they will, but rather make the neighborhood a bit nicer. Rubbing it in may make opponents dig their heels in even harder next time, when they might otherwise be reconsidering their stance.

    In other words, let’s let the project speak for itself.

  • Doug

    Yay!

    I do agree: let the project speak for itself. You’d be surprised how many people will wind up suddenly having been for this project all along when it’s shown to be a success.

  • Lobe Fin

    But….it is Marcia Kramer’s worst nightmare!

  • Geck

    I tried to ride in it this evening, without much success as cars are still parking along the curb, but it is great that this is coming to fruition.

  • Emily Litella

    Eh, rub it in. She should know that her words mean more than a paycheck in her craw.

  • Dr Manhattan

    Love it love it love it, can’t wait to try it. Rub it in! I’m sure Marty will be for it after he was against it.

  • Clarence Eckerson Jr.

    Somebody needs to schedule a party to ride on it. Really. When it is done. Pick a date, let’s do it!

  • good stuff!

  • Can’t wait to ride it! Detour the Tour de Brooklyn route (though less fun if entire road closed to traffic . . .)

  • That negative headline was really childish and not productive. The results will speak for themselves and in the fullness of time those who were opposed to the PPW reconfiguration may come to like it.

  • Thanks for the hat tip, Streetsblog. Speaking for Park Slope Neighbors, we’re extremely gratified to see this project moving forward, and will be more than happy to welcome any and all converts to the fold.

    Thanks to everyone who signed our petition, and to DOT for making it happen!

  • Good news!

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

DOT Caves on Marine Park Bike Lane, Will Remove Protection

By David Meyer |
A new protected bike lane segment on East 38th Street in Marine Park won’t be protected much longer. Even though the new layout provides a similar width for parking and driving as other residential streets in the area, DOT has caved to pressure from local residents who want to go back to having a short stretch of wide-open […]

Reality Check: A Small Fraction of NYC Streets Have Bike Lanes

By Ben Fried |
Kramer on the "already-congested" Prospect Park West. Cross motorhead journo Marcia Kramer with sidewalk-hogging Brooklyn Beep Marty Markowitz and this is the unholy offspring that you get: A skewed news segment on the proposed Prospect Park West bike lane, where facts don’t matter and wild assumptions go unchallenged. Kramer followed up last week’s hack-job on […]

DOT’s Astoria Park Safety Plan Calls for 3 Protected Bike Lanes

By David Meyer |
Last June, a hit-and-run driver killed 21-year-old Betty DiBiaso at the intersection of 19th Street and Ditmars Boulevard, next to Astoria Park. The loss of DiBiaso prompted a neighborhood-wide discussion about the need to improve street safety around one of Queens’ most visited parks, and on Tuesday night DOT showed Queens Community Board 2 its proposals for the area […]