Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Vernon Ave bike lane hurting businesses

From CBS 2:

Riding into trouble – bike lanes are causing a controversy in a Queens neighborhood, where parking and traffic safety have become a major concern.

On Vernon Boulevard, bike lanes could only be squeezed in by eliminating parking on one side of the avenue.

That's put the squeeze on area businesses.

"It took away all of our parking," business owner Jose Cobian says. "The city gives us a hard time to unload on the sidewalk."

"Now we get tickets," shop owner Irwin Rolon says. "We have to park three blocks [away] sometimes."

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Those lanes are for the massive liberal outsiders..........living in this city for a few years doesn't make you a New Yorker!

Anonymous said...

Has anyone seen those new subway grates?

The people that control this city are not only out of touch, but out to lunch.

There is no space for parking, bike lanes, and traffic on the streets western Queens.

linda said...

bike lanes does anyone even use them? do they own a bike on vernon blvd? what a waste of our tax dollars... too much traffic in queens to start adding bike lanes. next you'll hear someone got hit.

dim witman said...

i'm a cyclist who moved to new york more than 15 years ago. does that make me a real new yorker yet? or do i have to spew ignorant hate first?

anyway, i hate bike lanes too. they're for wussies. just ride in traffic and obey laws.

Anonymous said...

"We have to park three blocks [away] sometimes."

Awww poor baby. Are we suppose to feel sorry? The exercise will do you some good.

Anonymous said...

The previous comment is a good reason why people hate bike riders. If your customers have to park 3 blocks away to visit your business, they'll go somewhere else. If you have a business that sells large items or bulk quantities, parking 3 blocks away is not an option. If your vendors are going to have to put up with tickets every time they deliver to you, they'll drop you.

Anonymous said...

Its those Tower People, again. They have balls because our politicans told them not to worry about us - indeed to ignore us.

Aferall, we are Archie Bunkers and therefor the butt of jokes and patronizing behavior.

Anonymous said...

All those "green" people.

Instead of revitializing our community, taking back our waterfront, and bringing new information so that we can step up, they are the tools of politicans and developers and are part of the process to marginalize us.

The bitch is they don't seem to care.

Anonymous said...

All of these "green" people.


Very complicated thinking there. Must be nice to live in a black and white thinking world. I dont care for most of the bike lanes either over there. They tried that in the 1980's and took them out again.
In Chicago its not a opportunist load of garbage about bike lanes or solar panels like here with bloombergs so called green plans. Its not a movement, its been going on for over 20 years way before self important Gore. Other cities have some courtesy for bike riders most of the time.

NYC drivers even on less busy streets in Queens and Brooklyn are sick puppies who will drive right up behind a bike rider and not be afraid to ignore someone biking out of their way up against the curb. I dont need some "I own the city" ass telling me I cant lock my bike up to a city pole for 5 minutes who takes up way too much space with his SUV that doesnt seem to be hauling any large materials.
In meantime keep driving over the speed limit drivers all the time,running red lights,talking on the phone,make quick turns, and crying when you walk a block after parking.
Go ahead and take out some of those bike lanes on parts of Vernon if you want. Use a dolly when hauling maybe to your car.

georgetheatheist said...

Just curious. Are motor vehicles allowed to drive in the bike lanes? If not, what's the penalty?

Anonymous said...

I have lived in this city my whole life and I ride my bike at least 6 hours once a week whenever the weather is above 60 degrees.
We need the bike lanes, and all of you that makes comments similar to this....
"Anonymous said...
Those lanes are for the massive liberal outsiders..........living in this city for a few years doesn't make you a New Yorker!"
....can go fuck yourself.
Fat, ugly, Archie Bunker embarrasing motherfuckers.
Leave my neighborhood and move to West Virgina already!! *(They think just like you out there in redneck country)

Anonymous said...

Wow, you know he's on the end of a losing argument when he resorts to "Archie Bunker" name calling so early.

A very small percentage of the population uses bike lanes. So small that you usually can look down the length of Vernon for blocks and not see a bike. So why not save the millions and put it toward mass transit instead? The City should pay more for it, anyway.

Anonymous said...

"Those lanes are for the massive liberal outsiders..........living in this city for a few years doesn't make you a New Yorker!"

No, throwing candy wrappers and other trash on the sidewalk makes you a New Yorker. Using double negatives probably makes you a New Yorker, too.

This Vernon Ave bike lane is a non-issue. Much of the "bike lane" is actually a shared use lane, which means cars have the same rights as bikes. And UPS and other trucks unloading in a full bike lane never get ticketed.

Anonymous said...

In some cities around the world they have special "car lanes" and I think that's a great idea.

I have a car and use it for work and leisure but try to use mass transit whenever I can and would ride my bike more if it was safer.

It would be great if we had more bikers and fewer cars polluting the City. I can't tell you how many times I see some massive SUV or truck or coasting down Queens Blvd. taking up almost two lanes of traffic with no passengers and no cargo late in the evening trying to show off like. It's like the driver is stuck in the 1950s.

Anonymous said...

Such a waste of money. You need a lane to ride your bike? Just ride in the street, wear a HELMET (it's the LAW) take out your iPod buds (also the LAW) and pay attention. Duh.