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Prospect Park Loses A Car Lane, Gains A (Bigger) Bike Lane
By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 28, 2012
Modified Feb 28, 2012
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By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 28, 2012
Modified Feb 28, 2012
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After two pedestrians suffered head injuries after collisions with cyclists in Prospect Park, a special task force has come up with a new design for the 3.3 mile loop. The plan will be officially shared with the public tonight at 6 p.m. at a public meeting in the Prospect Park picnic house. The new design would replace a lane of car traffic with a dedicated bike lane intended to keep cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers out of each other's way. (The bike lane would be halved in two to accommodate different cycling speeds.)
"We decided that the only workable solution was for each group to have a lane and only one lane, throughout the day," Emily Lloyd, the Prospect Park administrator and the leader of the task force, tells the Times. “There was consensus — I would say enthusiastic consensus." We'll see about that—aside from Marty Markowitz, there was nobody on the task force defending motorists' sacred right to rumble through a precious urban oasis spewing noise and air pollution. Despite many campaigns to banish them, drivers are still allowed to use the park from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on the East Drive, and from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the West Drive. An average 700 cars per hour pass through the park in the morning.
Markowitz tells the Times he feels it's "important to keep in mind that none of the accidents that spurred the creation of this task force involved an automobile, so I am not convinced these changes are the solution." And it gets worse for drivers: the study found that during the morning rush, the loss of that extra lane could cost them as much as seven seconds. They'll have to run a couple of red lights just to make up for that lost time! Of course, the bike lane will probably just end up doubling for a passing lane.
Tagged
bike lanes
brooklyn
cyclists
park slope
prospect park. @main
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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