Rally for Houston Street Buffered Bike Lanes

IMG_0520.jpgIf you’ve seen those eerie white "ghost bikes" on Houston Street, you may know that three cyclists have been killed on "the Boulevard of Death" during the past two years: Derek LakeBrandie Bailey and Andrew Morgan. In the wake of this loss of life, members of Community Board 2’s Traffic & Transportation Committee are holding a rally on Wednesday to ask the DOT to install buffered bike lanes as part of the street’s reconstruction, which is taking space away from pedestrian islands to create left-turn bays for cars.

The rally is being organized by Ian Dutton, an airline pilot from SoHo who said he is jealous of the great urban transportation systems he sees all the time in cities like Copenhagen and Amsterdam. Dutton said he feels that New York City would benefit from increased cycling safety, even though he does not own a bike (yet, but does own a car). 

Streetsblog is told that three elected officials have said they will rally for the bike lane:

We also hear that three elected officials have said they support the idea of a bike lane and will send staff members to the rally:

The CB2 group that is sponsoring the rally has set up a website, bikehoustonst.net, which is announcing the following details for the rally:

  • Date: Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2006
  • Time: 4 p.m.
  • Location: South side of Houston Street between Greene and Mercer Streets

[UPDATE Sunday, 8/27/06 11:53 a.m.:] Courtesy of Ian Dutton: Add State Senator Martin Connor to the list of elected officials who will attend the rally.

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

Survey Finds That Buffered Bike Lanes Are Better

|
A buffered section of Manhattan’s 8th Avenue bike lane. Bike lanes that separate bicyclists from motor vehicle traffic are safer and encourage more bicycling, according to a recent survey by Transportation Alternatives. The survey of 147 cyclists was conducted along the 8th Avenue bike lane in Manhattan, one of the few bike paths to integrate […]

This Week: Protected Bike Lanes, Crash Maps, Bike-Friendly Biz

|
The week kicks off with community board meetings about protected bike lanes in Brooklyn and Manhattan today, followed on Tuesday by a panel on bike-friendly business districts. On Thursday, the City Council’s transportation committee considers a bill that would create a traffic crash map, while the State Senate’s transportation committee talks MTA budgets. Thursday afternoon, […]

DOT Planning Buffered Bike Lane on Lafayette Avenue in Fort Greene

|
DOT plans to install a buffered bike lane this summer on Lafayette Avenue in Brooklyn between Fulton Street and Classon Avenue. The project, which the Brooklyn Community Board 2 transportation committee voted for unanimously last night, calls for a five-foot bike lane protected by a three-foot buffer zone [PDF]. It will be an upgrade from the current shared lane […]