New Yorker's Anti-Bike Lane Blog Creates Uproar

The Economist did not take lightly to reading The New Yorker's economics writer blast Manhattan's bike lanes so he could park his Jaguar for free. Ironically, Cassidy may have annoyed his fellow economists more than the 'bike lobby' that he targets.

1 minute read

March 15, 2011, 7:00 AM PDT

By Irvin Dawid


The Economist's R.H. Washington blogs, "I almost feel bad for the New Yorker's John Cassidy, who is currently being skewered by much of the blogosphere for writing a profoundly wrongheaded blog post bashing New York City's bike lanes. But it really is a doozy of a misstep."

Cassidy is a big supporter of the "lawsuit challenging a bike lane on Prospect Park West" and clearly has a beef with what he refers to as the city's bike lobby.

Cassidy writes, "I view the (Mayor) Bloomberg bike-lane policy as a classic case of regulatory capture by a small faddist minority intent on foisting its bipedalist views on a disinterested or actively reluctant populace."

A NYT blog takes the criticism of Cassidy's piece a step further, noting that his reasoning "mirror(s) the rhetorical tactics of the Tea Party".

Thanks to Len Conley

Wednesday, March 9, 2011 in The Economist

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

Mamdani behind a microphone, in front of a snowbank

Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge

A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.

November 6 - CNN

A road in north eastern Nebraska with power lines on either side, and grassy fields.

Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity

Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.

November 6 - Grist

People board a bus in Seattle.

Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion

Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.

November 6 - KOMO News

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.