As the District was working to convert 50 miles of roadway to bike lanes over the last five years, New York was building a 250-mile maze of lanes for the city’s cyclists. But the fast-tracked initiative to the north has created a backlash as business owners protest the loss of parking and truck-loading spaces throughout the city.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his administration are now beginning to pave over a few miles of freshly installed bike lanes in areas where opposition is particularly vocal.
The administration last week paved over a 2.35-mile bike lane on Staten Island after business owners complained that they couldn’t receive early morning truck deliveries. Some store owners also complained they were losing customers because the bike lanes were driving customers to more parking-accessible stores.
New York police also have begun cracking down on bicycle-related traffic violations as a growing number of pedestrians complain about cyclists’ driving tendencies.
Some business owners in D.C. are beginning to grumble about new bike lanes downtown, but the District has far from an organized opposition to the project, said Gerry Widdicombe, director of economic development for the D.C. Business Improvement District.
“I know in New York they are having a bike lane revolt,” he said. “I don’t think we’re there yet.”
Widdicombe said the District’s bike lanes could use some improvements, such as more signage for cyclists. He said he is working with the D.C. Department of Transportation to implement those improvements quickly as the city’s commuters acclimate to sharing more roads with bikes.
– Hayley Peterson
