Anthony Weiner: I Love Bike Lanes. Let Me Count the Exceptions…

Anthony Weiner, enemy of congestion pricing and infamous bike lane antagonist, is talking about street design on the campaign trail. Though there was plenty of warning this day would come, it’s still kind of surreal.

Weiner told Capital New York’s Azi Paybarah he was just joking when he boasted to Michael Bloomberg and a room full of NYC Congress members, in 2010, that one of his first acts as mayor would be to “have a bunch of ribbon-cuttings tearing out all your [expletive] bike lanes.”

These days, Weiner would have us know that he’s a fob-carrying bike-share member, and that “I love bike lanes.”

But not the one on Broadway near his house, and not the one on Prospect Park West near the house of his political mentor, Chuck Schumer. Those two excellent street redesigns might still fall under the “tear out” category.

So this is the new Anthony Weiner. The reinvention is so dramatic we had to recycle the Weinermobile picture Streetsblog first used back in 2007.

  • Mark Walker

    He seems to want to have it both ways. It’s a modest improvement but my vote is still up for grabs.

  • Larry Littlefield

    We’ll need a scorecard, and I suggest Streetsblog do one.

    The categories are concern for pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders, and general concern for the common future and the serfs — those not in the political/union class or the executive/financial class.

    Double demerit for promises not paid for, or past promises kept in the past that one or all of the above will be sacrificed to pay for in the future.

  • Let him know what you think at anthonyweiner@aol.com

  • Larry Littlefield

    Can’t forgive the congestion pricing thing, bike lanes aside. We’ve had something for nothing politics, and the sell out of younger generations who are worse off, for 30 years.

    One part of that pandering to the selfish is the tax subsidy cuts, actual fare paid cuts, increased pensions and inflated prices for contractors at the MTA — all paid for by soaring debt. And then the slow moving disaster starts to hit. So for once, and he didn’t do it consistently, Mayor Bloomberg suggests that some sacrifices will have to be made and makes a proposal. Quinn goes along with it, even though its hard.

    And Weiner grandstands and claims that if congestion pricing is voted down, we’ll get a gas tax increase and federal money instead. That’s all its about he said, a way to avoid increasing the gas tax, a Republican conspiracy.

    We got nothing. With Democrats in charge of the White House and both houses of Congress. Where’s that federal money Anthony? It’s been five years. You had it your way, and I don’t think you’re the one who has had a problem as a result.

  • Try using this webform to tell him what your “keys to the city” are. I told him all about my key to the city: my bike. I use it to get to work and, on primary day, to my polling place.

    http://www.anthonyweiner.com/webform/your-keys

  • Mayor-to-be Wiener

    Oh I wish I was a New York City Mayor
    That is what I really want to be
    ‘Cause if I was a New York City Mayor
    There’d be no bikes in front of me

  • Max Power

    AOL?
    I let him know as soon as I find a modem

  • Clarke

    The Section of Broadway he refers to is four lanes: one moving lane for bikes, one moving lane for vehicles, and two for parking. If any lanes are to be reconfigured, it’s quite clear which should be looked at first. Hint: streets should be primarily for transportation.

  • Bluewndrpwrmlk96

    If Weiner’s serious about the progress of our City, then he should be doing everything in his power to expedite the process of completing the 1997 plan as much as possible. Anything else is just counterproductive and he’ll be giving in to those people who just bog everything down, just for hell of it, citing nonexistent problems. Besides he owes the City since we all had to listen to that controversy and the lame-a** jokes even to this day.

  • Ben Kintisch

    Hey Doug,

    Great suggestion. I followed your handy dandy link and sent him the following quick message:

    I love a livable, safer New York City. I get around on a bike, I take my daughter to day care on a bike, and I bike with my wife and baby to synagogue every weekend.
    If you want my vote, you need to be honest about your commitment to safer, livable streets. A NYC that is safe for all road users, including pedestrians and cyclists, is a city I want to live in. When our street space is dominated by cars and when motorists regularly murder vulnerable street users with no criminal consequence, I am frightened for my safety and that of my wife and child. What is your vision for a NYC with safer streets and accessible healthy, active transportation?

  • Ben Kintisch

    Hey Max,
    My wife is still using a compuserve email account. AOL bought it but she likes old school. And yet, paradoxically, she is better at computers than me.
    Ben

  • Bronxite

    2x on the scorecard. Livable streets issues at a glace. Would be an indispensable resource when making a decision this coming election. It’s difficult trying to compile the information.

  • Daniel Winks

    But the parking! Think of the parking! Every red blooded American deserves a place to park their box-o-shit wherever they go! And the parking needs to be close, since it’s exceedingly difficult for them to walk, lugging all 300+ lbs of their obese, worthless, disgusting, Earth-destroying, air and water polluting tubs of lard more than a few feet from their car to their destination…

  • kevd

    As bad as de Blasio, worse than Quinn.

  • Anonymous

    The Wein Machine on WNYC’s Brian Lehrer: While
    he favors tax credits for bike commuters, he objects to bike lanes like
    Prospect Park West in Brooklyn as “divisive.” Nice smoochie-kiss to
    Senator Chuckie and sour-faced wife Iris, Twitter Boy. This guy makes
    breakfast rise to my mouth.

  • carma

    with weeeeeener now in the race. the entire side of the democratic candidates are now officially a joke.

    im voting republican

  • Ian Turner

    At first I thought you were talking about Weinshall. 🙂

  • Chris

    I love you.

  • david

    I was/am open to voting for Weiner, his past foibles aside. Quinn just seems uber annoying but I will look at issues I feel are important to me when voting. I don’t want bike lanes yanked out. I saw a clip of Weiner standing in front of historic statue he wanted destroyed because it was a man standing over two women???
    Early on he fired an Islamic security firm who had a city contract to pander to his voters… didn’t think that was cool.

  • Why do we need parked cars?

    I will not vote for anyone who wants to rip up rather than dramatically expand bike lanes– as for the Broadway lane where he said cars only have one lane— cars actually have more than one lane– they just choose to park in most of the space and leave only one lane open for driving.

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