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Bike Lane War Raging on Eastern Front! 2nd, 1st Aves in Peril!
By
John Del Signore
Published Jul 21, 2010
Modified Jul 22, 2010
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John Del Signore/Gothamist
By
John Del Signore
Published Jul 21, 2010
Modified Jul 22, 2010
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Between Houston and 34th Street on First Avenue and between Houston and 14th Street on Second Avenue, DOT forces have marched in and installed a dedicated bike lane separated from traffic by a "floating" row of parked cars, a tactic which they've successfully deployed in previous bike lane battles on Grand Street, parts of Eighth and Ninth Avenues, and part of Kent Avenue in Brooklyn. It seems that despite advance warning from the DOT, local businesses have been blindsided, and they're now attempting to rally a counterattack. But is it too late?
Hardware store owner Jim Doria has been particularly hard hit. He tells NY1, "My truck has to park away from the curb. Now my employees have to cross through an active bike lane and there's a possibility of being hit by a bicycle, and there's cyclists getting hurt. My driver's getting hurt." What do those merciless DOT bastards expect his employees to do, look both ways before crossing a street?!
Another merchant, Jawad Rasul, tells the news channel, "Should have the bike lane on the other side, the way it was before and parking would be on the same side." In response to Rasul's counterrevolutionary propaganda, DOT regulars napalmed his business in order to ram a bike lane right through his property. Kidding—actually, DOT officials met with Rasul and agreed to give him a loading zone. The DOT calls that "winning hearts and minds," but we doubt the die hard East Village resistance will be so easily placated. Bike carefully on the lunar new year, people.
Tagged
bike lane war
cyclists
east village
first ave
second ave
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
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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