The latest streets and transportation news from Streetsblog NYC.
Today’s newsletter shares the Good News of what happens when a bike lane opponent realizes that the installation of a bike lane has actually been a great thing: for his neighbors, for his streets and even for his business.
Join Summer Specialist Emily Smith as she interviews Lampros Tsampas, the owner of King Souvlaki, the food truck that, for so many months, was one of the public faces of the opposition to the city’s plan for a bike lane on 31st Street in Queens.
Now that the bike lane is in place, Tsampas loves it.
It’s like what we always say: streetscape changes are the most controversial thing in this city … until they’re in place, then everyone loves them. Times Square, Broadway Vision, the 34th Avenue open street (now Paseo Park), the 14th Street busway — all were bitterly opposed by some people, yet all of them made the naysayers yaysayers once the work was done and people got used to it.
We’re not here to gloat. We’re here to celebrate Tsampas as he joins the livable streets movement — good for safety, good for quality of life and, yes, good for business.
If Summer Streets’ new security measures are here to stay, the city should replace NYPD vehicles with physical barriers, cut police staffing costs and use the investment to make the event last all weekend.