Bicycling

Tonight: Tell CB 2 Why Bike-Share Belongs in SoHo and the Village

There is nothing exceptional or interesting about the sight of cars parked in front of a New York City residence. But I'm running this dull photo anyway, because this is basically the same condition that has irritated some residents in downtown Manhattan neighborhoods about bike-share. Instead of cars going in between the traffic lane and the sidewalk in front of their building, it's a public bike station, and for some people -- specifically, the residents of 99 Bank Street -- the transition was so jarring they felt compelled to litigate.

By Ben Fried

3:39 PM EDT on May 2, 2013

There is nothing exceptional or interesting about the sight of cars parked in front of a New York City residence. But I’m running this dull photo anyway, because this is basically the same condition that has irritated some residents in downtown Manhattan neighborhoods about bike-share. Instead of cars going in between the traffic lane and the sidewalk in front of their building, it’s a public bike station, and for some people — specifically, the residents of 99 Bank Street — the transition was so jarring they felt compelled to litigate.

Someday soon, the sight of a bike-share station in front of a residential building is going to be just as boring as this picture, but we’re not there yet.

Tonight, Manhattan Community Board 2 is hosting a discussion about the recently-installed bike-share stations in SoHo and Greenwich Village, and with Citi Bike still such a novel thing, the kvetching won’t be in short supply. If you live or work in the area, this is an important opportunity to point out to your neighbors that bike-share is going to help New Yorkers get around, and the sky is not going to fall because of public bike stations. You’ll also get to see Sean Sweeney in full-on brow-beating mode. Don’t be intimidated.

The meeting starts at 6:30 in the auditorium of P.S. 41, 116 West 11th Street.

Ben Fried

Ben Fried started as a Streetsblog reporter in 2008 and led the site as editor-in-chief from 2010 to 2018. He lives in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, with his wife.