Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

News

6 Out of 6 Local Pedestrians Agree: The PPW Bike Lane Stinks

Nell Casey

Published Mar 8, 2011

Modified Mar 8, 2011

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

Never miss a story

Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .

Nell Casey/Gothamist

Nell Casey

Published Mar 8, 2011

Modified Mar 8, 2011

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

After yesterday's lawsuit was filed against the DOT to remove the newly installed bike lane on Prospect Park West, we couldn't help but wonder, just as Jerry Seinfeld asked of Del Boca Vista, "What is going on in this community?!" So today we stopped strolling Slopers to ask them how they felt about the bike lane, and guess what? Their answers didn't exactly echo the results of Council Brad Lander's glowing survey. Granted, we only spoke with six, but each one told us a different variation on the same story: bicyclists ignore traffic signals, threaten down old ladies and even curse at babies! Here's the earful we got:

"Just because you have a bike lane doesn't mean there aren't people bicycling on the sidewalk or in there inappropriately; not following lane signals," said one Park Slope resident, approximately 45, who refused to give her name as she walked her dog along Prospect Park West. "I've been almost hit more times than I like to even think about. It's annoying. People do not follow the lights. It's ridiculous. So you have bicyclists shouting at people who are trying to walk their dogs, people who are pushing strollers. It's ridiculous. And you can't actually see when you're crossing the street so you have to walk into the street to actually see oncoming traffic."
"The reason I don't like the bike lane is because it doesn't seem to me to have a reason for it," said Jean, who's lived in Park Slope for 55 years but wouldn't give her last name. "If you have a bike lane in the park, why do I have to have another bike lane in the street? And they follow no rules, the bikers don't follow rules. I got hit by a bike and ended up going to the hospital because they don't follow any rules. And yet, we have to have two lanes for them? You can't even walk in the park with a baby carriage because they're all over the place and they follow no rules."
"Well I feel very mixed about [the lane] because I am myself a very enthusiastic bicyclist," says another Park Slope resident, a sociologist, who refused to give his name. "However, I don't think this bike lane is the right one for this space. It really disrupts the traffic, it disrupts the view. This sidewalk could be divided in half, it's a very generous sidewalk. Half for pedestrians, half for bicyclists. And there's this bicycle path in the Park! So i can really understand the protests.... I do think that lawsuits are really the only way for ordinary people to be heard. I don't support frivolous lawsuits but that's what they have to do to be heard."
"I think this is horrible," declared one busy pedestrian who said he was from the neighborhood but wouldn't give his name or elaborate further.
"Absolutely, completely opposed to it," says Charles O'Donnell, a lifetime Park Slope resident. "They say they're slowing the traffic down but they've created congestion. It only takes one car to try to park, a truck making a delivery, and it's down to one lane... I've seen, in more than one occasion, a women with a baby carriage looking to cross with the light and these guys do nothing but blow whistles at them, curse at them, give them the old traditional finger. It's so unpleasant. There are some intersections now here you can't cross, they've removed the crosswalks. And elderly person wanting to cross has to walk several blocks to cross. It's ridiculous."
"We're in dire straights in this City when it comes to money and [Commissioner Sadik-Khan] uses a New Jersey-based company to paint [the bike lane]," says Pat Halpin, another lifetime Park Slope resident. "It's brazen enough for the trucks to park here with their New Jersey address on them and we're running out of money. Give us a break. I'm completely in favor of [the lawsuit]. It's one thing to have changes made that the community supports, and bikers are very militaristic, they go crazy if you question them. Fundamentally, it needs to be questioned. It was never discussed well. [DOT Commissioner Sadik-Khan], the way her attitude is, she just does whatever suits her."

The DOT's study (which the lawsuit claims is bogus) found that speeding and accidents have decreased since the bike lane was installed. Of the three cyclists we persuaded to stop, 100% declared unequivocal love for the lane. One cyclist told us, "Ever since [the lane] has been here it's been really, really nice. I drive too and every time I've been here it's been totally empty, there's always plenty of room for cars. I don't really understand why there's a problem. There's still room for parking on both sides!"

Meanwhile, at City Hall in Manhattan, Councilman Brad Lander and other cycling advocates rallied in support of the bike lane. Lander told the crowd of protesters and media, “A small group of opponents have chosen to bring a baseless lawsuit in an effort to block further safety improvements, to eradicate the lane, to go back to three lanes of traffic on Prospect Park West, the speedway that it was before, and essentially to impose their will on the community through a lawsuit."

Tagged

bicyclists

bike lane

bike lanes

cyclists

park slope

ppw

PPW bike lane

prospect park west

Prospect Park West bike lane

Nell Casey

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

MORE news

Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn

Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.

Rosemary Misdary

Published Oct 16, 2026 at 4:22 p.m. ET

Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say

A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.

Samantha Max

News

Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say

A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.

Samantha Max

Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time

David Brand

School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year

Jessica Gould

NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them

Clayton Guse

Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .