As I pay more attention to bike-related issues, I keep hearing mysterious tales about a brief foray into separated bike lanes in New York in 1980s. At first I discounted the rumors – they just seemed inconceivable. But the other night I had the pleasure of talking with someone who actually lived in New York at the time and he confirmed the rumors were true. I decided to do some research.
The story goes like this: in 1980, following a visit to Beijing, then-Mayor Koch was inspired to direct the city to invest $300,000 ($846K in 2007 dollars) in bicycle projects on Broadway, 5th, 6th, and 7th. Unfortunately, due to a confluence of poor design, poor education, and chicken-and-egg issues, the lanes drew loads of criticism. Pedestrian-Bike conflict was actually perceived to increase because crowded pedestrians took over the bike lanes. Koch himself bemoaned that bicyclists didn’t use the lanes.
The assistant commissioner of the DOT at the time makes the argument that the problems could have been overcome with an education campaign and by giving people time to get used to the lanes. But criticism of Koch was overwhelming, and he decided to back down. The story of how Koch disarmed his opponents by admitting failure has become a case study in how admitting a mistake can be politically expedient. Just months after being installed, the separated bike lanes were removed. Koch went on to become such an enemy of bicyclists that he tried to ban bikes from mid-town.
So I can’t decide: is this just depressing story, or is there some uplifting moral to be taken about the importance of change being gradual and grassroots-based?
Read More:
Mobilizing the Region – On Ninth Ave., Ghosts of Bike Lanes Past?
New York Times Editorial. Rolling Thunder Written in 2006 by the DOT assistant commissioner at the time.
Charles Komanoff-led protest of shutting down of Queensboro Bridge bike lane in 1991. (Gothamist)
