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Kent Bike Lane Causing Williamsburg Truck Trauma
By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 22, 2009
Modified Sep 22, 2009
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John Del Signore/Gothamist
By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 22, 2009
Modified Sep 22, 2009
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The saga of the Kent Avenue bike lane continues! First the Orthodox Satmar Jews in South Williamsburg objected to the old bike lane because of the influx of immodestly-dressed female cyclists, then local merchants complained that customers and delivery trucks had nowhere to park. Barricades were threatened, fake detour signs were put up, and clowns rushed to the scene. Responding to the whining, the DOT ripped up part of Kent and changed it to northbound-only traffic, creating a dedicated bike lane buffered by parking spots. And everyone was happy some were placated!
The first part of the bike lane reboot, between Clymer and Broadway, was completed a couple weeks ago, and next the DOT will extend it north to Greenpoint. But southbound truck traffic has already been rerouted, and that's infuriated locals on North 11th who say their street's now clogged with trucks. At a recent Community Board 1 Transportation Committee meeting, "frustration and resentment seemed to bubble through the basement floor like molten magma,"according to the Post.
Truck-tortured resident Monica Levitsky (heh) told officials, "This project from the very beginning was railroaded. It’s not a matter of us against them. This is an example of a project that is not representative of the community." David Wolloch, DOT Commissioner of External Affairs, tried to calm the tension by promising to monitor the truck traffic on North 11th, "open signal studies, and route more trucks directly to North 14th. We have not been doing what we should have been doing for decades." Woah—you gonna take that, North 14th Street?
Tagged
bike lane
dot
fight
greenpoint
kent
parking
traffic
truck
williamsburg
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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