Inside the Park Slope Bike Lane Battle

Reporter Matthew Shaer talks with folks on both sides of the highly contentious lawsuit seeking to remove a bike lane from Brookyln's Park Slope neighborhood.

1 minute read

March 21, 2011, 2:00 PM PDT

By Tim Halbur


The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a group calling itself "Neighbors for Better Bike Lanes", which includes many powerful Park Slope neighbors, says Shaer. They argue that the city is exaggerating the benefits of the bike lane, and say they have hours of video footage that proves it.

Shaer shows that the lines are not as clearly drawn as one might think in this battle:

"In the prevailing spin, the bike-lane fight has two sides: the blue-collar New Yorkers who have to drive to work and the coddled creative-class types who live close enough to commute on their Bianchis. But the class dynamics are actually far more complicated, and the allegiances often defy expectations. The bike-lane opponent, for instance, is just as likely to be a well-to-do Manhattanite, and his main gripe the deliveryman who just pedaled the wrong way down a freshly laid bike lane, in a rush to unload a wood-oven pizza (which, on another day, that Manhattanite himself might have ordered). Simple nimbyism can't entirely account for the feud in Park Slope..."

Much of the article is dedicated to DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan's bike lane expansion policies.

Sunday, March 20, 2011 in New York Magazine

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

The Seat of Government

Good Planning Under Bad Leadership

Planners must sometimes work under bad leadership. Here are suggestions for responsive planning in challenging political environments.

February 3, 2025 - Todd Litman

Amtrak train with downtown Seattle in background.

Amtrak Cascades Line Breaks Ridership Record

The route linking Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, BC served nearly one million riders in 2024.

February 2, 2025 - Daily Hive

Close-up of Donald Shoup during interview.

Legendary Parking Guru Donald Shoup Dies at 86

Urbanists are mourning the loss of a dynamic voice for parking reform and walkable cities.

February 10, 2025 - StreetsBlog NYC

Top floors of blue and white apartment building with palm trees against sunny blue sky in Malibu, California.

LA County Leaders Seek to Increase Penalties for Rent Gouging

Landlords who raise rents sharply after disasters could face fines of up to $50,000.

February 11 - Los Angeles Times

Man and two children on bikes next to red and silver train on sunny day.

How ‘Anti-DEI’ Efforts Impact Sustainable Transportation Studies

Research into accessibility, transit equity, and traffic safety is losing federal funding at an alarming rate.

February 11 - Streetsblog USA

Man sitting in chair along River Seine in Paris with fishing pole.

River Seine ‘Teeming’ With Life

Decades of restoration efforts are yielding positive results as dozens of species of fish return to the once-polluted waterway.

February 11 - Reasons to Be Cheerful