Where are the “couple places” that bike lanes have been removed?

@mikesonn:disqus Part of Bedford Ave in Williamsburg as well as Father Capodanno Blvd in Staten Island both had bicycle lanes removed recently. There have been other examples in the 80s and 90s. In the 80s, protected bike lanes were installed and then removed a month later in midtown. In the 90s the bike lane on upper 6th Ave was removed when the sidewalks were widened. Other bike lanes have simply faded into oblivion and no longer appear on maps. Some of the first bike lanes were installed at JFK airport in the 1970s (God only knows why) but they no longer exist.

http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/12/01/dot-sandblasts-14-blocks-of-bike-lane-off-bedford-avenue/

http://www.streetsblog.org/2010/11/18/cyclists-blindsided-by-citys-erasure-of-father-capodanno-bike-lane/

For all its drawbacks, I still enjoyed it quite a bit.  Especially because the cons had their say, but also JSK, Gridlock Sam and Bloomberg got to counter them – which you’ll never get on CBS.  The city looked good, the new open spaces were clean and beautiful.

But, yes, they did miss the boat entirely on talking to the average person on the street enjoying the public space.  Then again, that is what Streetfilms is for – the average, non-thinking, mainstream press isn’t ever going to put that much thought into a film like this.

Also the piece presented the economic upside of Bway changes as axiomatic, not in debate.  

I enjoyed the piece overall, and even the biased viewpoints from only motorists didn’t bother me much. I would’ve like the needed soundbite that ‘Traffic Does not Flow Like Water’ and sometimes closing a congested lane can speed up others. But for th emost part, it was only Brian Williams mocking at the end that hurt. Why didn’t he ask a basic like ‘are the streets now safer?’ answer… Yes.  Tip to the anchor… don’t laugh at your news pieces when people’s lives are at stake.

Brian Williams may not be aware that NBC’s Rockefeller Center has been a leader in removing space for cars and parking and getting cars to “stay home.”

The street infront of the NBC studio and “30 Rock” was for cars and became what could perhaps be considered the city’s first Public Plaza. We used this example in the beginning of the Street Renaissance Campaign (http://www.pps.org/projects/new-york-city-streets-renaissance/) to advocate for the idea of public plazas and how property owners can benefit   What is now Christie’s auction house was a large parking garage. Without parking, nice slow streets and great transit, it is very likely that many cars do “stay home”.The first office of Project for Public Spaces, in the late 70s, was in Rockefeller Center in exchange for working on the public spaces. So we have some good before images:1. A Bank and Eastern Airlines office (some of the only viable retail at the time) is what is now the NBC studio and a pedestrianized street used mostly for NBC events.2. The parking garage for Rockefeller Center was removed to put in Christies auction house.3. The drop off area in front of 30 rock was always filled with idling cars waiting for executives.The public spaces during this time were considered a liability to secure and maintain. All of these changes were a tough political sell but were driven by the potential value of the public spaces and have of course proven to drive great value for the real estate and tennants.

Pretty balanced over all.  Harry seems to get it, but how could he come off as anything BUT a policy wonk when he’s got a bow-tie on?

There were several bites from motorists.  Nothing particularly compelling.  90% of Americans can’t take anyone with that accent seriously, anyway.  But, for fairness’ sake, a few sound bites from those people sitting in the plazas or riding in those lanes (lots of footage of both) would have been nice.  

As Brian WIlliams said, he’s no traffic engineer, but his intuitive assumptions are basically what most uninformed people think.  Its a shame Bow-Tie Harry couldn’t enlighten him that “yes, sometimes those cars DO go away.”

I agree with Gridlock Sam:  JSK = Visionary.  Visionaries are not always understood, but they rock.

I used to think Brian Williams was funny and a bit hip.  Now, not so much.

Tired of this us or them debate.

Debate is not the solution. every one has right o talk with any way he is pleased with… but this is seriously very disrespectful. orlando taxi

What bothered me was how they made it all about personality as if Sadik-Khan individually dreamed up the idea of bike lanes and pedestrian plazas and rammed through all these brand new ideas. Where’s the credit for the rank and file DOT planners and engineers, consultants, state and MPO planners, and all the other cities, suburbs and even rural areas that are making moves toward walkability and bikeability that are just as dramatic given their context? To present the movement toward sustainable transportation as the brainchild of a few “celebrity planners” is to marginalize it. I’ve heard enough about Sadik-Khan and Gabe Klein and Mia Birk. When will the mainstream media start to focus on the real story – the everyday Americans who are changing their ways to travel more sustainably?

The wrap-up segment was disheartening at best.  Williams and the reporting journalist were essentially laughing at the fact that Sadik-Khan had convinced the reporter of the need for bike lanes.  Williams accused him of “drinking the Kool-Aid”.  Bad form Williams.  

 Businesses have a valid concern with lost customers due to removal of parking.  I bike and drive and it really is almost impossible to drive to go out and run an errand any longer where the lanes exist.  I do like the lanes in general as a biker, but biked before them so
I’ll be ok without them too.  Clearly all factors need to be considered when making these lanes.  I’m clearly not in the “Me car, me good, u  bike, u evil” camp.

Brian Williams: what do you expect from someone who gets chauffered around Manhattan? How one lives tells you a lot about how they think. But the reporter couldn’t ask his boss that question. Also, Media Maven nailed the TV formula: focus on narratives driven by personality, conflict and advertising.

This same piece just ran in Australia as the featured, up-beat, segment of the Saturday morning show. in contrast to the Brian Williams version, the banter before and after the segment was inspired by and supportive of JSK and making the case that “cities should be for people too.” 

Australia is at least as car oriented as the US, (though gas is much more expensive) but seems generally much more ready to admit mistakes and change course.