So, we now have the first batch of solid data showing that the Prospect Park West redesign has drastically reduced motor vehicle speeding and injury-causing crashes. It has tripled the number of cyclists who use PPW on weekends and doubled cycling on weekdays. It has almost completely eliminated bicycling on the sidewalk. And it has not impacted overall motor vehicle travel times in any substantial way. The redesign of PPW is working. No bottlenecks!
We also have the results of a massive community survey by Council members Brad Lander, Steve Levin and Community Board Six. Nearly 3,000 people responded, 78% of them expressing support for the new design of Prospect Park West. Even among residents of the blocks between 8th Avenue and Prospect Park West — supposedly the opposition bastion for this “controversial” project — 57% expressed support. Most people, it seems, believe the redesign of PPW has not been an inconvenience. Most people are happy with it.
So, when is Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz going to admit he was wrong?
Back in April, WNYC’s Andrea Bernstein sat down for a lengthy interview with Markowitz. In addition to calling New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan “a zealot” and urging cyclists to ride on the sidewalk, here’s what the Borough President promised:
I think the two-way bicycle lanes will cause a great inconvenience to the residents of Prospect Park West… I hope that the commissioner and the department is right. If they’re right, and in fact it causes no bottlenecks, no inconvenience, and if it works, I’ll be the first to say I was wrong. I would.
Well?
Why is half of the Prospect Park West bike still covered in ice and snow?
I’ve been calling 311 and nagging various people in city government to find out why the Sanitation Department, three full days after Thursday night’s snowfall, has not yet plowed and salted the Prospect Park West bike path (Deputy Mayor Stephen Goldsmith says he’s a big fan of social media if you want to get in touch). City government apparently believes that the Sanitation Department did, in fact, plow and clear the PPW bike path on Saturday. Yet, Sunday morning I was still hearing complaints that the bike path was covered in snow and ice. So, I went up to PPW after the Jets game on Sunday at about 10:45 pm to check it out for myself. As CBS2′s Marcia Kramer can tell you, nothing beats good old fashioned shoe leather reporting. Here is what I discovered:
The Prospect Park West bike path is exactly half-plowed.
From Bartel Pritchard Square to 7th Street, the bike path is clear and free of snow and ice. Then at 7th Street there is a big mound of snow in the middle of the bike lane where the plowing stopped. From 7th Street to Grand Army Plaza the bike path is covered in ice and snow, one to four inches thick. It is icy, treacherous and not at all safe or functional for biking. Still, there were quite a few bicycle tire tracks in the icy, snowy bike path near Grand Army Plaza. There are also lots of footprints at the pedestrian crossings and where drivers are trying to access their parked cars. Whomever decided that it’s a good idea not to plow and clear the Prospect Park West bike path is putting cyclists, pedestrians and motorists at risk. Meanwhile, the sidewalk along Prospect Park and the two lanes of PPW’s roadway have been plowed and clear since Friday morning.
Below are photos taken with my Blackberry, Sunday night at about 10:45 pm. This first photo is taken standing at 7th Street looking south toward Bartel Pritchard Square. The bike lane is cleared just like this from here all the way down to 15th Street. Not bad, right?…
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