Prospect Park West Bike Lane

The Prospect Park West bike lanes were developed last June to the delight of many citizens in a region well known to be a danger for cyclists. The once 50 m.p.h. stretch of road was thinned down and the speed reduced as well as parking restrictions put into place to accommodate for the new bike lanes. Residents and officials have labeled the project a success as more people are beginning to use the alternative means of transportation due to the fact that streets have become quieter and far less dangerous. But not everyone is feeling good about the creation of a double lane bike path in a congested area. Neighbors for Better Bike Lanes and Seniors for Safety, two groups of locals who were against the creation of the path to begin with, have filed a lawsuit to have the bike lanes removed and restored to their original form. These groups are claiming that the path creates a danger for pedestrians walking through the biking area and that the lanes overall make driving a car through the region much more difficult. More noise from honking motorists and increased fumes in the air have supposedly decreased the pleasant nature of the community they knew. On the contrary, crashes and accidents of any kind have decreased since the path was made and more bicycles on the road always makes for a greener, cleaner environment. Taking into account that the two groups combined create a grand total of 215 residents, only a tenth the amount of people that are now using the path on a good day, and that removing the now solidified lanes would cost three times the amount it took to create them in the first place raises questions as to the validity of these complaints and the agenda behind them.