Slope street is ground zero for latest bike-lane battle
A stretch of Ninth Street in
Park Slope where a driver hit and
killed two children last year is
now more dangerous to pedestrians
than ever, following a redesign
that brought new protected
bike lanes to the road, locals alleged
(“Slope’s new Ninth Street
bike lanes make road no safer for
pedestrians, residents say,” by
Colin Mixson, online Jan. 28).
The new bike lanes on either
side of Ninth Street between Prospect
Park West and Third Avenue,
each of which are separated from
traffi c by a parking lane, embolden
cyclists to speed, according
to Ninth Street residents.
One local on the block claimed
her elderly neighbor nearly died
when a bike rider almost hit him
as he attempted to cross the lanes.
And another Ninth Street resident
told the room that a trucker turning
onto Sixth Avenue almost hit
his 13-year-old son as he skateboarded
to school within one of
the bike lanes — which locals previously
argued would do little to
improve safety if the city did not
simultaneously crack down on
truck drivers who illegally use the
residential block as a thoroughfare
into Southern Brooklyn.
The complaints stirred controversy
among readers:
Anyone surprised that Councilman
Brad Lander and Assemblyman
Robert Carroll were missing?
Lander and his lap-dog Carroll
never want to be criticized. It’s
against the law in Park Slope to disagree
with them. Once these two
make up their mind, anyone who
doesn’t tow their line is kind of
excommunicated by others in the
neighborhood.
Lander acts more like the Castro
brothers than he does an American
politician. At least Lander and
Carroll owe it to those in the community
to hear them out and see if
their opinions are valid. But like
the Cowardly Lion in “The Wizard
of Oz,” they both lack the courage to
have any dialect with anyone with
an opposing view. Bud
from Park Slope
Everyone is entitled to safe
SOUND OFF TO THE EDITOR
LETTERS AND COMMENTS FROM OUR READERS
streets. That includes pedestrians,
bike riders, and motorists. New
York is essentially lawless, with
pedestrians, motorists, and bikers
being equally lawless. Protected
bike lanes need getting used to, and
riding a bike the wrong way takes
more time to get used to. Frank
from Furter
What’s worse, the city installed
meters on the corners near Sixth
Avenue and Eighth Street, making
the intersection more dangerous
by having cars come and go so near
the crosswalk. The city used a tragedy
— the accident on Ninth Street
and Fifth Avenue — to make more
money, and make the whole street
more dangerous. Sad and outrageous.
Charles from Bklyn
Unfortunately, the bike zealots
don’t care about anyone other than
themselves — even if placing protected
bike lanes makes the streets
more inconvenient, and sometimes
even more dangerous, for others.
Tal Barzilai
from Pleasantville, NY
It’s easier to read these articles
now than it was fi ve years ago,
when they’d make my blood pressure
spike. I’m happy that elected
offi cials like Eric Adams and Brad
Lander are sick of the entitled car
people and the danger and killing
they bring with them. Now it’s down
to two dozen jerks gathering in a
church to complain to each other.
May I suggest that those who
are truly committed to and addicted
to car culture move back to
Ohio where they can drive to their
hearts’ content? If they can’t deal
with an urban environment and an
urban lifestyle, GTFO. Mike
from Williamsburg
“Whom she described as a
93-year-old World War II veteran,
nearly died when a bicyclist almost
hit him as he recently attempted to
cross one of the bike lanes.” How
about all the times they almost die
while just crossing a street fi lled
with cars?
“His 13-year-old son was skateboarding
to school in one of the
protected bike lanes in December,
when a truck driver turning onto
Sixth Avenue struck him.” Safety
goes both ways. When his son
reached the corner, he still had to
make sure it was safe to cross, bike
lane or not.
“Other locals, of course, blasted
COURIER L 30 IFE, FEB. 1–7, 2019 DT
the Department of Transportation
for removing 26 Ninth Street parking
spaces to accommodate the redesign,
claiming the agency scheme
to make the street safer came at car
owners’ expense.” And there it is,
the real reason. Everyone’s safety
should be put on hold so cars have a
place to park. Jack from Brooklyn
Nice touch equating parking with
“putting everyone’s safety on hold.”
No, parking spaces are removed as
a passive aggressive act towards removing
cars, since they don’t have
the political power to enact an outright
ban, and because some cranks
go into full blown psychosis at the
sight of a parked car on a street.
There can be safe lanes to bicycle
in with little impact on parking, but
that’s not the point for the cranks.
Also, how dumb did people
have to be to not realize that bikes
were going to fl y down the hill on
Ninth Street on an open roadway?
You pretty much have to ride your
brakes to stay under 30 miles per
hour on a bike between Prospect
Park and Fourth Avenue if the
street is empty. Henry Ford
from Bay Ridge
I am so sorry that rich people
(on average, car owners in Brooklyn
are far richer than those who
don’t own cars) lost their free parking.
As someone who “donated”
those spaces to rich car drivers,
and who is himself a poorer non-car
driver, I’m glad you lost your parking
spaces. I’m glad my money was
reallocated to a shared, useful, and
safer bike lane.
Go take your 5,000-pound sportutility
vehicle to Long Island or
maybe Dutchess County, and drive
and park to your heart’s content.
And leave the majority of us in
Brooklyn who don’t have and can’t
afford cars or their insurance-registration
fuel costs to enjoy a cleaner,
less-polluted city. Robert
from Brooklyn
Two children got hit by a car and
died. No matter how much the parking
preservation crowd howls, protected
bike lanes have signifi cantly
improved pedestrian safety on every
single street they have been installed.
The selfi shness displayed
here is unconscionable. Brandon
from Park Slope
I doubt that people cycle faster
with the bike lane than before,
when they were pressured to keep
pace with auto traffi c due to not
having any usable bike lane. I doubt
the vast majority of people cycling
are speeding. How fast do the bikehaters
think people cycling are going?
ItsEasyBeingGreen
from UWS
‘Murder on the bay’
To the Editor,
Weren’t we all traumatized recently
by the deeds of a maniac on the
waterfront? (“Third man dies after
gruesome hammer attack at Sheepshead
Bay restaurant,” by Kevin Duggan,
online Jan. 24.) The following
was an attempt at catharsis, which
goes greatly wanting today:
Horrible was news
few weeks before
favorite Chinese Buffet
near the shore
“Buffet Of The Bay”
not a bad name!
but it is “Seaport”
that was brought ill fame
not of itself
but by the will of another
with “ill health of the mind”
a headshrink might say
who hammer-slew one
out of blind hate
striking also two others
the very same way
who lasted only some days
never again to stay.
The man caught and now held
to account for his crimes:
deaths of chef, manager, owner
the end of their times …
So, here we are, on the 24th eating
at the Seaport again,
to support with sympathy
and comfort — why not?
Hate the Chinese?
Out of his mind!
Twisted! Sick! Morally blind!
Where’s justice in this case?
“Due Process?” sounds good
but in its right place.
Forget about a jury
it’s not their task;
and leave the deciding
to family and friends
for making what should be
a satisfying end!
Why must they wait
till his life sentence is done?
And a parole-board committee
judges fi tness to be free
after being contained
under lock and key.
The family and friends
know better than the courts
to exact in fairness
the correct rewards.
J. J. Lauria
Sheepshead Bay
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