Okay, we finally have a fixed date and time for the Manhattan Community Board 7 meeting where the protected bike lane on Columbus Avenue is expected to be a hot topic. Mark Monday, November 8, on your calendars. The board’s transportation committee will be meeting and word is that bike lane opponents are massing for the occasion.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at 250 West 87th Street, on the second floor. Here’s a quick reminder from our first alert about why you should to make it out to the meeting if you can:

The Upper West Side Streets Renaissance gathered several hundred signatures in favor of this project before DOT proposed it and the CB voted in favor of it. As we’ve seen on Prospect Park West, it’s important for supporters to stay organized and committed after a project like this gets implemented.

The Columbus Avenue lane is a mile-long trial balloon for what could later be a pair of protected lanes on Columbus and Amsterdam, eventually linking up with the protected lanes on Ninth and Eighth Avenues. Defending it strongly now can only help when extensions come up for consideration