Bikes Lanes Must Have Community Support: De Blasio

Written by Aaron Short on . Posted in Campaigns/Elections, Features, Heard Around Town, News, Transportation.




Public Advocate Bill de Blasio

Public Advocate and mayoral hopeful Bill de Blasio emphasized tax increases for the wealthy, early childhood programs, paid sick leave and increasing minimum wage in a polished stump speech to a friendly crowd of young progressive Brooklynites at a New Kings Democrats meeting on Tuesday night.

But in response to a question about bike lanes, he criticized the Bloomberg administration’s implementation of them throughout the city. He said he questioned the Prospect Park West lane during its construction but did not oppose it, and signaled that future traffic changes would not be implemented without community support.

“Bill is reaching out to Democrats in all five boroughs who want to see a change in leadership from the last 12 years,” said a de Blasio spokesman. “He was thrilled to talk with the New Kings Democrats – an increasingly important force for reform in this city – about what is at stake in 2013.”

Councilwoman Letitia James, who is eyeing de Blasio’s current job, told the crowd that she also favored a minimum wage increase and paid sick leave, that she had stood up to the developers of Brooklyn’s Barclays Center arena, and wants to have more power to sue government agencies for documents.




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  • Steve

    Bike lanes, especially the PPW one to which Mr. de Blasio refers, have community support. Can Mr. de Blasio name a bike lane that was installed without community support? CB7 on the Upper West Side just conducted its third vote in support of the Columbus Avenue bike lane. PPW was the result of community meetings dating back to 2006.

    I believe Mr. de Blasio is not telling the truth about how the DOT conducts community outreach.

  • Eric McClure

    Can Mr. de Blasio point to one example of a bike lane, or public plaza, for that matter, that was implemented WITHOUT community support? The Prospect Park West redesign, for example, was implemented after more than four years of public process, and has been supported, repeatedly, in several votes by the local community board.

    • 1spresident30

      Many, many miles of bike lanes were installed without ANY prior notice to the community. It was only after the people openly objected and the City Council passed legislation that the NYC DOT got the message and follows a legal procedure of notification. Of course, no one wants to acknowledge there was a time before now when DOT carried out its own agenda and ignored the public.
      Why do you think de Blasio safely repeats his claim? He’s got the facts behind him.

      • Pedestrianite

        That’s not true at all. Under Sadik-Khan, the DOT has conducted more public outreach than any other department. The City Council legislation was enacted because a few specific council members in driving-dependent districts objected, not because the general city population at large did.

        You are right about one thing. There was a time when this was not true and that’s when Iris Weinshall was the DOT commissioner.

        If Bill has the facts behind him, he should state openly and honestly which parts of the community process and which bike lanes he feels like haven’t worked. But he won’t do that because that’s not the point – the point is to gain the support of wealthy people like the members of NBBL.

        • 1spresident30

          This sounds dictated. And where at NYC DOT do you sit?

          • Pedestrianite

            This sounds dictated. And where in 9 PPW do you live?

        • Downtowner

          Nonsense.

          In my neighborhood, SoHo, the Prince St bike lane was installed despite the CB request for a Houston St lane instead.

          Other DOT projects – done deals – were stopped on their way to fruition, only because of intense community operation.

          Other neighborhoods objected to the Grand St bike lane, as did folks on the UWS and Gerritsen Beach.

          Only after being embarrassed publicly and repeatedly, has DOT and JSK changed their behavior.

          • Uptowner

            So if certain projects were stopped because of community opposition, then it sounds like DOT listened to the community. Nice try, Sean.

  • Parent and Voter

    There isn’t a single bike lane or pedestrian plaza that has been put in without “community support.” Would Mr. de Blasio like to share with the public the name of a bike lane or pedestrian project that he believes wasn’t installed without proper consultation?

    Bill absolutely opposed the PPW bike lane. In fact, he held private meetings with Norman Steisel and Iris Weinshall, two heads of Neighbors for Better Bike Lanes. As a member of the public, I would like Mr. de Blasio to advocate for safer streets. Too many New Yorkers are killed in traffic and this man doesn’t do a thing about it. I’ve not heard him utter one word on the subject.

  • ohhleary

    “Community support” is double-speak for “I want to have veto-power over these projects when party bosses and campaign donors don’t like them.” There’s no other way to explain his claims that bike lanes were installed without consulting the community, since they were – just not in the way that DeBlasio wants.

  • dporpentine

    “Community support” = well-connected people who will or will not support Bill de Blasio based on whether he does their bidding.

  • HamTech87

    De Blasio campaigns as a liberal, but is blind to all the deaths and injuries on our roads caused by motorists. Before running for mayor, it would be good to see the “Public Advocate” start advocating for these victims.

  • http://twitter.com/JaredRodriguez Jared Rodriguez

    The PPW lane was built with a huge swelling of grass roots support, from conception to construction. The road was dangerous for everyone before and now it is livable. Mr. de Blasio is pandering to wealthy and politically connected PPW-ers that want to usurp the public process. It’s sick and gross and symbolizes everything wrong with NYC politics. He is not a public advocate.

  • KeNYC2030

    de Blasio is playing a dangerous game. By and large the same people who support tax increases for the wealthy, early childhood programs, paid sick leave and increasing the minimum wage also want safer and more progressive, less car-dominated streets, and he’s losing their support with this strange stance.

  • Jim Gennar

    the only thing good about this clinton maanger guy is he is not Deputy Mayor Quinn…. Liu is a millions times more impactful, that is why the real estate/developer/media are gunning for him