From faithful reader & Safer Skillman advocate Angus Grieve-Smith:
I and many of my neighbors are disappointed to see how seriously the complaints of a single neighbor are being taken by Queens Crap. The bike lanes on Skillman and 43rd Avenues are in fact very popular in the community. The main reason is that they slow cars down and make the street safer.
Far from imposing a radical agenda on Sunnyside, Transportation Alternatives was in fact called in by neighbors fed up with the dangerous conditions on Skillman and 43rd Avenues. Their recommendations to improve safety on Skillman have been widely accepted, receiving the support of local businesses, FDNY Ladder Company 163/Engine 325 and the PTA of P.S. 11.
The bike lanes in particular have been endorsed by the Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce (not exactly a bastion of radicalism) and numerous local businesses, as well as Councilmember Eric Gioia and Assemblymember Cathy Nolan.
It is disigenuous of Al Volpe to complain about the bike lanes being planned without consulting the community board, since the Bicycle Master Plan is hardly a state secret. It was approved years ago and Skillman and 43rd Avenues were listed as "planned/proposed" on last year's bike map. The community board was notified in writing of this particular pair of lanes in February, and verbally in April.
Al is clearly frustrated that the Board was not asked to sign off on the bike lanes. What did he do in response? He asked the community board to vote on an anti-bike-lane resolution without placing it on the agenda. Many people in the neighborhood are frustrated that the community board voted on this without inviting input from the community. If they had known, they would have gone to express their support. Even without any notification, during the public comment period two residents expressed support for the bike lanes and Al was the only one to complain. Why should the community board be consulted if they in turn do not bother to consult the community?
Al's letter also contains numerous factual inaccuracies, which he has been repeating for weeks to anyone who will listen to him. I have repeatedly tried to correct him in person, but instead of listening he he has simply restated his erroneous interpretation of the facts. To clear things up, I have posted corrections on our website at saferskillman.org.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Biking Skillman--A Rejoinder
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8 comments:
I like how Volpe's points about the appropriateness of removing parking for bike lanes in an area that needs parking and using a route that the community board felt would be better for all involved are completely ignored in this rebuttal.
Sounds like someone's upset that dissenting opinions are being presented in the press and on blogs other than Streetsblog. Happy Independence Day, everyone!
Crappy, no parking spaces were removed for the Skillman Avenue bike lane. Why the Community Board voted to move the lanes to 39th is a mystery to me, since I haven't yet gotten a copy of the resolution.
The anonymous post is just so ridiculous I wouldn't know where to start answering it.
I don't have a problem with the bike lanes, but I do wish people would use them correctly. I can't tell you how many time I've seen cyclists blow through red lights or delivery guys (and others) going the wrong way down skillman against traffic in the bike lane. If cyclists want respect, they need to start obeying the rules of the road.
It is time to start putting alternative transportation ahead of cars and their (subsidized) parking. This is an omlette that needs some broken eggs. Some sacrifices need to be made for progress. I am sure that everyone on both sides of this issue are well meaning.
@ westernqueensland
I don't disagree with you, but are you talking about New York City? The city with one of the best mass transit systems in the United States? The city where it is probably the biggest pain in the ass to own a car? What other eggs should be broken?
Me and the DW just rode the entire Skillman Bike Lane this Sunday and it was EXCELLENT!! We ride this street often on weekends back home to Forest Hills, and the improvement is amazing! Parking was not obstructed at all, so I don't know where that odd idea comes from. Also, I felt so much safer and more confident, We bhoth noticed that cars were giving us wider berths, fewer cut-offs, and more right-of-way than before. Defintiely a stres-reducer, which in my case, reduces panicky, last-nanosecond "bad biking decisions" and close calls on my part.
(Sorry for the typos!)
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