Battle for the bike lanes

ujoni08 · Post by **ujoni08** » 10 Mar 2011, 22:36

NYC has installed a lot of new bike lanes, but the usual comments are rolling in from car drivers:

'The installation of bike lanes, and the 'bikelash' against them, has been grist for the mill of bike and urban design blogs for a while now, but in the last few days it has gone truly mainstream.'

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/03 ... w-york.php

Jon

Post by **kenneal - lagger** » 11 Mar 2011, 02:11

It's a plot by economists to prod the US economy into action. They've reached saturation in car ownership in NYC so what else can you sell people who have a car but still can't get around? That's it - a bike!!

It's nothing to do with being green. It's blatant consumerism:D

Cynic? Me?

No!!!

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 11 Mar 2011, 11:07

Fair play to 'em. Those bike lanes look the business.

RenewableCandy · Post by **RenewableCandy** » 11 Mar 2011, 11:48

I've been following it on EnergyBulletin and it's an ugly little tale. Unbelievably, the predecessor of the dynamic NYC transport supremo who pushed for the bike lanes, lives on a posh street where the latest one is proposed and is (get this) a Bike Lane Nimby

Living proof that Evolution can work in reverse.

I am beginning to wonder if Creation can also work in reverse...

Post by **kenneal - lagger** » 11 Mar 2011, 17:46

RenewableCandy wrote:I've been following it on EnergyBulletin and it's an ugly little tale. Unbelievably, the predecessor of the dynamic NYC transport supremo who pushed for the bike lanes, lives on a posh street where the latest one is proposed and is (get this) a Bike Lane Nimby Living proof that Evolution can work in reverse.

I am beginning to wonder if Creation can also work in reverse...

According to my theory, he's to be applauded for not falling for this blatant consumerism pushing everyone to buy a bike as well as a car.

RenewableCandy · Post by **RenewableCandy** » 11 Mar 2011, 17:57

One hopes that (a) some of the NY bikes are olde 2ndhand machines, and (b) some of the bike owners will give up on car ownership.

I also hope you're being sarky...otherwise I'd start to worry that all that living near Aldermaston has befuddled your brain...

Post by **kenneal - lagger** » 11 Mar 2011, 19:38

You've sussed me out! Anyway, we're upwind of Aldermaston.

bigjim · Post by **bigjim** » 15 Mar 2011, 22:32

LA seems ready to build some new bike lanes, if Los Angeles plans 1600 mile cycle lane network is anything to go by.

I've just been on a trip to Copenhagen where cycle lanes seem to be well-integrated into the city's infrastructure- on many of the major roads they take up as much space as a lane for a car and have been raised slightly and bricked off to prevent cars from inadvertently using them. And the drivers seem to know how to handle them too, and there's loads of bikes around- apparently about a third of journeys in Copenhagen are done with pedal power. Now if only we could do that sort of thing in this country- but it won't happen because people would be too busy whinging about how cyclists don't pay road tax.

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 16 Mar 2011, 11:30

bigjim wrote:on many of the major roads they take up as much space as a lane for a car and have been raised slightly and bricked off to prevent cars from inadvertently using them.

That's brilliant and the raised idea is something I've been ignored by the local council about.

People who sit in their cars, engines running, on the phone, taking up the cycle lane, get a shocked come-down from whatever other world they're in when I cycle past and rap on their window...

bigjim wrote:cyclists don't pay road tax.

Ahem. No-one pays road tax.