[East 9th Street at 1st Avenue]
Several EVG readers have pointed out that, after the milling and paving on East Ninth Street and East 10th Street earlier this year, the bike lanes have yet to reappear.
Says one reader: "We might still be waiting patiently except there was lane re-painting done on Ninth between First and Second but not for bikes!"
[East 9th Street looking east toward 1st Avenue]
So as far as we can tell, the bike lanes are gone on East Ninth Street from Avenue A to Fourth Avenue … and on East 10th Street between First Avenue to Fourth Avenue …
[East 10th Street looking east at 1st Avenue]
[East 9th Street looking west at 2nd Avenue]
The reader was particularly disconcerted about the lack of lanes on East 10th Street — "much more heavily trafficked by both bikes and cars."
P.S.
Who will be the first to note that the delivery guy in the above photo ran the light and nearly hit a pedestrian?
Every lane is a bike lane! The streets, the crosswalks, the sidewalks, up a tree....
ReplyDeleteOksy, I'll bite: Grieve, thanks for reporting on this vital piece of infrastructure. As far as your PSssst comment to the last photo is concerned, you present but one possible interpretation of this snapshot. I am beginning to worry that your, hopefully subconscious, effort to retain the loyalty of those pedestrophiliacs among your readers who regularly display cranky Citi- or other bikophobic tendencies, may have tainted your blogic and caused you to rush to judgment.
ReplyDeleteHere are two other interpretations of the scene unfolding in that photo: 1. The delivery cyclist came from the southbound lane on Second Ave and made a perfectly legal right turn when his light was green. 2. The delivery cyclist went through the intersection from east to west just before his light changed from green to red. During the few seconds it took him to cross 2nd Ave pedestrians, who had begun crossing the intersection when their light was still red, end up in his path. Happens to me every day, usually with one alert, brisk walking ped up front while others sheepishly follow, often bent over their little digital display screens.
The City remains a great place to practice tolerance.
FYI, those are the new all-black bike lanes to protest the bigoted and racist remarks of LA Clipper's crazy owner Donald Sterling.
ReplyDeleteAs Vogue magazine would say, "Bike lanes are the new black."
That is strange that the bike lanes disappeared, that's the best route from East to West. How can we look into this further?
ReplyDeleteHard to tell. The Hispanic delivery guys usually show a modicum of courtesy, even when they are salmoning and what not. The Chinese guys on their motorbikes on the other hand are ruthless, they don't give a shit about fuckall. You really have to watch out for them. That said there is no need to be paranoid about getting flattened by a bicycle--nobody, not even the biggest prick bicyclist, wants to collide with a pedestrian. Self preservation and what not.
ReplyDelete@ 8:14 AM
ReplyDeleteIt's all moot; Delivery people are not "cyclists".
@ 9:57 AM
Try 311
@ anon 8:14
ReplyDeleteThose are very probable scenarios!
In this case, I had been standing there taking photos at the intersection for about 5 minutes ... As I recall, he barely slowed down to check the traffic coming down 2nd Avenue and kept going through the light...
Noticed this yesterday while biking across 9th. It's totally nuts. WTF, DOT? It really struck me what a difference a stupid painted lane makes, even just biking those few blocks. Drivers reverted to believing that cyclists had no business there, tailgating them and honking at them and blowing aggressively past them. Meanwhile, some cyclists were riding on the right, others in the left (where they should be for visibility, but whatever), causing drivers to weave dangerously to pass them. Thanks for reminding me of this. I'm gonna go yell at some poor 311 operator about this now. Really, we need bike lanes separated from traffic, perhaps by parked cars, on every street wide enough to bear it. But while we're waiting for that to happen, the painted lines are an absolute necessity. Without them, cyclists don't know where they should be and motorists don't feel cyclists should be there at all.
ReplyDeleteGood riddance. Nuisance.
ReplyDeleteAlec Baldwin just got arrested for riding his bike the wrong way on 16th St. And 5th Ave. He was also arrested for being a jerk and mouthing off to the cops arresting him. But the new bike lanes in the Flariron district are already painted on the street, so its too bad Alec won't be able to blame a lack of bike lanes or signage for him riding the wrong way.
ReplyDeleteAllow me, a resident of 10th St to point out the obvious. Neither the crosswalks, stop lines or bike lane markings have been painted... yet. True, they should have been in place in short order following paving but the wheels of DOT can turn slowly.
ReplyDeleteThe intersections of 9th and 10th streets with 2nd Avenue are so dangerous. Between the sea of bikes coming from every direction, some obeying the rules, many not, and the people walking aimlessly into the lanes while talking on the phone, it's a small miracle nobody has been killed yet. I've personally witnessed close to a dozen accidents in this area over the past year.
ReplyDeleteHere's another scenario- Mrs. Peacock. With the candlestick. In the crosswalk.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good first step. Next let's reopen Times Sq and Herald Sq to traffic. Bike lanes only provide a false sense of security anyhow. Cycling in NYC is a patently unsafe activity, in the first place (too many cars, plus the aforemention lawless delivery bikers and zombie pedestrians),so it's better to have no illusions about that. You are gambling when you get on a bike in NYC and if your luck runs out one day, it's simply too bad. Anyone who's lived here long enough or rode a bike on these streets has seen their share of horrible accidents, I'm sure; I know I have and that's why I gave up everyday riding. If you want to ride, by all means, ride, just realize and accept that it's not very safe. In closing, we got along fine without bike lanes for how many decades? This ain't Copenhagen.
ReplyDeleteNo, it sure isn't Copenhagen. Nobody pays any attention to 9 and 10 Street bike lanes anyway. And the lanes on 1st and 2nd Aves that intersect those streets are Death Alleys. I am super careful crossing them, and even so have almost gotten hit several times by cyclists ignoring lights and traffic rules. Next time I jab their spokes with my umbrella.
ReplyDeleteanon 8:17
ReplyDeletewalking out your front door in NYC is "a patently unsafe activity". In my decade plus living here I've heard of more cabs jumping curbs than I have serious bike accidents--no exaggeration. Get off your high horse.
Those lanes made me safer, as cars respected them. No lines, cars all over the road. Simple as that. Someone made a choice...to move the city transport infrastructure backwards.
ReplyDeleteI agree with "No Lane" post...a thin white line suggests NOTHING to motorists..... as cyclists, we represent Fourth Class Citizens...
ReplyDeleteYeah, wtf with these 2nd-world conditions here. How many cross streets have sat stripped and unfinished for weeks waiting to be repaved. Of course it's going to take another few weeks for them to repaint the lines now. What were we thinking. For all the talk about gentrification, blandification etc. a lot of city services and infrastructure remain broke down and decrepit as ever.
ReplyDeleteI called 311 this afternoon and passed on a complaint to the DOT. I'm not convinced it will go anywhere's but I'd encourage anyone bothered by this to do the same--maybe numbers will help.
ReplyDelete