The creation of a bike lane on Prospect Park West in Brooklyn has led Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz to protest that "New Amsterdam is not Amsterdam," according to an article in today's edition of The Brooklyn Paper by Stephen Brown.
"Prospect Park West was one of the most beautiful, scenic, majestic thoroughfares in Brooklyn and the bike lane has destroyed its beauty," Mr. Markowitz declared, the article said.
"But," the article continued, "the Beep's aesthetic concerns - which echo the criticisms of other opponents of the lane - were only the beginning. '[Pedestrians cannot see bicycles on the other side of parked cars [on Prospect Park West,' said the Beep. 'When you cross the street children often break from their parents and there is a danger that a cyclist won't see the kid in time - or a senior citizen!'"
"They're using Brooklyn as a guinea pig!" said Markowitz, citing the absence of a similar two-way lane near Central Park, the article said.
The article said that Mr. Markowitz said that "Nobody asked for this! This is the vision of the DOT! Their belief! Their ideological approach!" adding that "It's the objective of the DOT to, frankly, stigmatize the owners of cars."
The department has recently created not only bike lanes but pedestrian plazas in many locations in the city such as Times Square and Herald Square and the article said that Mr. Markowitz maintained that the department needs to be reigned in as it is "not accountable to anyone."
"This issue of where to place bike lanes, it's worthy of review by the City Council," said Markowitz. "What is our objective in this city? To stigmatize the use of cars? To make it difficult to park? Do we want Brooklyn to replicate Amsterdam? These are legitimate policy issues."
"Prospect Park West was one of the most beautiful, scenic, majestic thoroughfares in Brooklyn and the bike lane has destroyed its beauty," Mr. Markowitz declared, the article said.
"But," the article continued, "the Beep's aesthetic concerns - which echo the criticisms of other opponents of the lane - were only the beginning. '[Pedestrians cannot see bicycles on the other side of parked cars [on Prospect Park West,' said the Beep. 'When you cross the street children often break from their parents and there is a danger that a cyclist won't see the kid in time - or a senior citizen!'"
"They're using Brooklyn as a guinea pig!" said Markowitz, citing the absence of a similar two-way lane near Central Park, the article said.
The article said that Mr. Markowitz said that "Nobody asked for this! This is the vision of the DOT! Their belief! Their ideological approach!" adding that "It's the objective of the DOT to, frankly, stigmatize the owners of cars."
The department has recently created not only bike lanes but pedestrian plazas in many locations in the city such as Times Square and Herald Square and the article said that Mr. Markowitz maintained that the department needs to be reigned in as it is "not accountable to anyone."
"This issue of where to place bike lanes, it's worthy of review by the City Council," said Markowitz. "What is our objective in this city? To stigmatize the use of cars? To make it difficult to park? Do we want Brooklyn to replicate Amsterdam? These are legitimate policy issues."
Architecture Critic
Carter Horsley
Since 1997, Carter B. Horsley has been the editorial director of CityRealty. He began his journalistic career at The New York Times in 1961 where he spent 26 years as a reporter specializing in real estate & architectural news. In 1987, he became the architecture critic and real estate editor of The New York Post.
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