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Prospect Park West Redesign Is Slowing Traffic
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 3, 2010
Modified Aug 3, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 3, 2010
Modified Aug 3, 2010
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Like all bike lanes in this crazy town, the battle rages on against the Prospect Park West bike lane, which took away a lane of traffic from the notoriously high-speed avenue in Park Slope and added a path for bikes, separated by a row of parked cars. High-profile opponents like Chuck Schumer's wife—former NYC DOT Commissioner Iris Weinshall—and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz say the redesign has snarled traffic and endangered pedestrians. But a new report from a group that pushed hard for the change suggests that the bike lane has, at the very least, stymied speeders on PPW.
According to a report from community group Park Slope Neighbors, before the bike lane 85 percent of drivers were exceeding the 30 mph speed limit. A follow-up last month showed the new street design, with two traffic lanes instead of three, has increased compliance with the speed limit five-fold, and average speeds are down about 25 percent. Streetsblog is hosting a pdf of the full report.
Of course, you can't just wave some facts about safety improvements and expect a bike lane war to magically disappear. When asked about the study, Markowitz told Brooklyn Paper, "Double-parking is still commonplace and the result is more noise from car-honking, more pollution from traffic jams and more frustration to residents and visitors alike." Let's join Streetsblog's Ben Fried and "just appreciate this line of thought for a moment: Motorists double-park and spew fumes, so let's go back to the bad old days when they could double-park, spew fumes, and speed unchecked."
Tagged
bike lane
marty markowitz
park slope
ppw
prospect park west
traffic calming
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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