New York City isn't perfect either?

I write stuff in this blog, reasonably critical of stuff often in DC, and people will comment to me that DC functions pretty well all in all. I thought about that in terms of how I sometimes think of things in NYC, reading Streetsblog or emails from Transportation Alternatives--after all, compared to DC, New York City's doing a lot more in terms of sustainable transportation, especially in biking.

But the reality is that it's all relative, and we always have to sstrive for greatness and "better-ness" in our own communities.

So I was struck by this entry in the latest issue of the Transportation Alternatives e-letter:


The NIMFY Problem ("Not In My Front Yard")

As a grassroots, member-supported organization deeply invested in community-based planning, we're all for friendly neighborhood discourse -- even the occasional furious disagreement -- but lately a group of Park Slope residents has embarked on a campaign of misinformation and slander that seems right out of Karl Rove's playbook.

"Not in my front yard!" they're screaming about the new Prospect Park West bike lane, while claiming it was forced down the neighborhood's throat, installed without warning and that it's a "danger to pedestrians and cyclists."

Yikes. Where to begin?

The Department of Transportation installed the two-way traffic-protected bike lane as a pilot project on Prospect Park West from Grand Army Plaza to 15th Street with the encouragement of 1,500 petition signatories, the local Community Board, two well-known neighborhood groups and both of the area's City Councilmembers. T.A. trumpeted the lane for months, and it received a good deal of media coverage long before this brouhaha, so if people were unaware or felt uninformed, it is more likely a product of their own inattention than some sort of malevolent cabal.

As for safety concerns, the DOT's study is still underway -- that's part of the pilot program -- but if other bike lanes around the city are any indication, the street will get a whole lot safer. On Manhattan's 8th Avenue, the installation of a bike lane reduced crashes by over 50 percent and reduced injuries for all street users -- cyclists, pedestrians and drivers, by 51 percent. Anecdotally, the rave reviews from cyclists, pedestrians, pundits, neighborhood cranks and motorists that have appeared on message boards, in local papers and on the wall of a quickly growing Facebook group indicate that the lane is doing its job. If it's not, the City will soon find out.

In the meantime, we urge you to join this Facebook group, sign this petition and contact Councilmember Brad Lander about the Prospect Park West bike lane. Tell the Councilmember what you think of the lane and be honest. Informed facts, hard data and community input are an essential part of any good planning process. Absent those, you've got yourself a NIMFY problem.

Making improvements in places is hard everywhere, and everywhere, people's inclinations are to oppose. And the opposition generally doesn't focus on facts and figures, but impressions. And impressions are often very subjective.