Brooklyn Heights based blog Ink Lake is irked about parishioners of the First Presbyterian Church blocking the Henry Street bike lane every Sunday. He claims that church brass told him that they have an “understanding” with the 84th Precinct:
Ink Lake: Every Sunday, the members of the First Presbyterian Church park their cars for several hours down the length of Henry, between Clark and Love Lane. You would think that would be a lot of revenue for the city, right?
Wrong.
Apparently, they have some ‘understanding’ with the 84th Precinct, whereby if they put a sign in their window that they are attending church, they don’t get ticketed. Last year, I traded some e-mails with the interim pastor, to no avail, and in June I raised the issue at the community precinct meeting. The captain agreed that praying to God in a specific building on Sundays does not confer special parking privileges, and he would ‘talk to them’. Well, you can see the results.
Calls to 311 produce nothing either, and meanwhile, cyclists on this busy stretch of street are forced to share their lane with cars.
The video is from this past Sunday, when more than 20 cars blocked the lane. I shot it a few minutes after services had ended, so there were actually a couple of empty spots.
Wow. So some douche biker’s right are being infringed by a community’s desire to practice its religion in a communal setting. I guess they should all go to the parking garage on Montague and wait for their cars to be warehoused one-by-one over the span of 8 hours.
Get bent.
Yeah what a dickbag. So ride around the f-ing cars take an alternate route, or wait til church is over to ride. It is very common in communities all over the country for the local police to bend the parking rules on Sundays near churches to allow parishoners to park nearby. Many parishoners are elderly too, and need to park closer.
AMEN brothers and sisters!
Riding around the cars endangers the biker’s safety. Can the parishioners use public transportation? The Clark Street subway exit is less than 1 block away.
Would people feel the same way if it was another religion, on another day? People that go to temple on Saturday should also be allowed to park in the bicycle path. I’m sure that there are other religions which practice their faith on other days of the week. Shouldn’t they also get the same privileges? Let’s just let anyone park anywhere and completely forget about the rules. Three cheers for anarchy!
meh, I’m on the cyclist’s side on this one. is it also ok for elderly brownstone owners not to salt their sidewalks?
I can’t believe people’s reactions to this. In my mind, this is a serious issue. These people should have every right to practice whatever religion they wish, but violating NYC parking rules and blocking a bike lane is a different issue. Why do they need to drive?
I do many things on a weekly basis, including going to the supermarket, but in no instances do I think it is in my right to illegally park while I do it. Just because someone is choosing to worship does not give them the right to illegally park.
Also, why, in a boro with denominational churches nearby all neighborhoods, can people not worship closer to home? And why, if they wish to worship far from home, can’t they take public transportation?
Going around the cars is not an option on that street. Henry is very tight and going around the cars means that you are directly in front of honking motorists. It will likely take some kind of bad event, like a biker being hit, or a firetruck responding to a call not being able to fit down the block between illegally parked cars for this policy to change.
also, it’s not just about going around cars, it’s also about getting doored, which sucks.
I’ll be the first to say that cyclists are one of the most over-entitled acting segments of the NYC population. But I agree with this guy 100%. Going to a religious service should not make you immune to parking laws. As someone stated there is a subway less than a block away. There is no reason for people to drive into this neighborhood and park illegally. If, as a practicing Buddhist, I chose to meditate in Central park, could I pull up on Central Park West and double park my car? I doubt it. What if members at the Mosque on State street decided they wanted to double park every time they went for prayers? Something tells me there would be complaints. We have a separation of church and state in this country. Going to religious service doesn’t entitle you to break the law.
I’m surprised that this is making a bigger splash than the Maronite church goers parking on the #$%#ing sidewalk every Sunday. I’ve noticed they have the same little placards saying they are at church so they are allowed to impede non-Lebanese pedestrians all morning. Our neighborhood has a ridiculous concentration of religious institutions that mostly attract non-resident parishioners. Take the train!
The same situation exists at every church on every Sunday. Assumption, Plymouth, Maronite, Unitarian, Grace, all of them. The fact that the Presbyterian Church happens to be along the bike lane makes it no worse or better than any of the others.
I’m the author of inklake. First, I picked this institution because they are the ‘worst’ offenders, and the dialogue I had with the pastor and the precinct captain. I tend to walk more ‘north’ than ‘south’, but this would be ‘ditto’ for the Maronite church.
As for ‘my2cents’, who says “take an alternate route”. What part of the words “bike lane” are you having trouble with? That’s what the big green stripe means. That IS the route.
Bike lanes are for bikes. The car service guys on Henry street are just as guilty of blocking the lane as the church people. Do they have a similar “understanding”?
Just to be clear. I have a problem with any church, synagogue, mosque or temple being granted special parking privileges. Whether they are double parking, parking on sidewalks, or parking in bike lanes. I don’t see any justifiable rationale why going to a religious service should give you special entitlements. Take public transportation like the rest of us, or find a parking space.
Perhaps you should take the matter into your own hands by leaving notes on the cars instead of whining to the police about it. I’m sure they have better things to do than make sure the bike lane on Henry St is car free for any yuppie who’s too scared to ride on a quiet street. If this is the biggest problem you have in your life you should be in the church yourself on Sunday morning, thanking God for the blessed life you lead.
Yeah, god forbid you ask a police officer to enforce the traffic laws. Give me a break!
Anyway, check the NYC Criminal Procedure Law- a summons is issued at the discretion of the police officer. If the police choose not to enforce the double parking rules because the church and its people are upstanding members of the community, then it is what it is. Whining to a cop to “do his job” and write someone else a ticket is 9 times out of 10 a waste of breath.
I’m not sure how to even respond to that. Basically you’re saying you get to decide who the laws apply to. And I wonder how you would respond to a mother who’s children have to veer out into traffic to ride around illegally parked cars.
Rules are important, but the fabric of society is maintained when civil authorities make reasonable accommodations to citizens acting in good will. Made-up counterfactuals are fun stoned in your dorm room, but the only people involved in this dispute are yuppie bikers vs. churchgoers — no Zoroastrians asking for parking exceptions on Tuesdays and odd Thursdays. Is it ideal? No. But people are coming with elderly family members, multiple children, etc. The fabric of these communities should be strained for your F—ing bike riding smug a–?
I’m not even a religions person (ranting atheist, in fact). But, Jesus, get. bent.
I’m not saying it. The CPL says it. Cops must enforce misdemeanors and
felonies, not violations. Can you imagine what would happen if we took
away their discretion? If every single person who jaywalked or crossed
against the light or spit on the sidewalk or signaled a turn 2 feet below
the VTL minimum was required to receive a ticket? This is great coming
from bikers who break more traffic laws as a group than any one else in
the entire city.
I don’t even own a damn bike! I just don’t think it is safe to have cars blocking bike lanes. I hake arrogant bikers as much as the next pedestrian. But I also see families out riding their bikes on Sunday afternoons that have to veer around those cars. I don’t think going to church should give you a pass on traffic laws. I understand the need for discretion, but I disagree with the choice and think this “agreement” is endangering people in order to do a favor for a religious organization. In a sense endangering the people that live in this neighbor so that visitors don’t have to walk a couple blocks. And before you start shouting about old people, I can tell you I’ve seen plenty of able bodied folks sauntering out of that church and right into their cars.
Uh is right again. This sort of thing happens all over the city and in other cities too. If you go up to Harlem, the cars are often 3 deep on Sundays outside the churches. In Philadelphia, people park (unrelated to church) in the median strip overnight even though it is technically illegal. If you go down to cobble hill on a tuesday, people double park for the 2 hour period when street cleaning is done. People also double park when picking up and dropping kids off from schools. In other words this is not about religion. This is city life with cars and bikes and pedestrians and it is messy. The police decided that making reasonable accomodation for people with regards to church parking one day a week for a few hours is better than alienating a whole neighborhood or population. In Philly they tried cracking down on the median parking and there was a major public outcry. So “P”, stop being such a self-righteous meddler and take another street. You could ride down willow, or monroe place both of which are practically devoid of traffic. Just wear green glasses and the whole road will be your bike lane.
Henry Street is a one way street. Presumably you have to get back from wherever you came from. So if you take Hicks back, you have to ride with traffic because there is no bike lane on Hicks! How is that any less dangerous than riding with traffic on Henry Street? I don’t see anyone pushing their bikes home on the sidewalk on hicks.
Nothing like a conversation about bicycles and parking to get people all hot under the collar!
Maybe we should just get off our bikes and high horses one Sunday and actually participate in one of the services at the various churches in the nabe. Sounds like it might do us a bit of good.
Religious institutions shouldn’t be exempt basic traffic laws no matter where they are. Whether or not you like bicyclists (and I do find many of them to be difficult people) it’s beside the point. They have a right to that lane and the church-goers don’t.
I guess, like Hebrew National hotdogs, those church-goers are answering to a higher source.
That church is always posting anti-worr stuff…they’re not real Christians….
Wow, it’s not many comment chains that can veer so quickly from pretentious philosophizing (“the fabric of society”!) to ad hominem attacks (“dickbag” “self-righteous meddler”).
The original poster is right, of course. Attending a religious service does not make one immune to parking violations. Is this the biggest tragedy in the world? No. But it does create a dangerous situation for bikers (not all of whom are the screaming maniacs) who have a reasonable expectation to be able to use bike lanes safely.
For me, who neither rides a bike nor attends church, the argument that one group of people should receive a special accommodation because of their individual beliefs stinks of entitlement. What’s worse, the tacit agreement with the police that they will look the other way for this violation but not for others seems arbitrary and discriminatory. Applying Kant’s categorical imperative, anyone who attends a religious meeting of any kind should be able to expect to receive the same accommodation, but good luck trying to explain that to your local traffic cop.
Flippancy aside, uh raises an excellent point. It’s not like churches are conducting their services at random and varying times (like TV/movie shoots). It’s 2 hours, every Sunday morning, every week. Given that, is it so difficult to adapt and adjust your route and try to be a thread in the fabric of the neighborhood rather than a self-entitled narcissist who invokes the law to justify a position that smacks of intolerance?
Yeah, Chuck, 2009 years of entitlement. Kinda sets a precedent.
+1 what nabeguy said….
In the end, it’s a hundred meters of peddling a little faster to stay ahead of traffic, or walking your bike, or waiting for the red light at Clark so you can pass this obstruction with no one behind you. There are bigger issues out there. Why give yourself agitta? (sp?)
Dear Willowtown,
FYI, the ‘northbound’ bike lane is on Clinton, though I don’t think it has the ‘green’.
Laws can, I suppose, be bent. But, to my mind, the need to worship anywhere, and in whatever way, isn’t a justification for doing so.
If I opened a house of non-worship for atheists, I doubt whether the local constabulary, much less the plain ol’ locals, would support the clogging of a bike lane (or any lane) to allow my “service” to be conveniently attended.
Separation of church and state isn’t a discretionary thing, you know.
PS, let’s not get into the classism/out-and-out discrimination of declaring bike riders don’t count because their form of transportation MIGHT appeal to a certain part of the population.
As I pointed out in my last comment, this isn’t about religion. But it is sort of about “getting by” as a group. There are analogous situations with parking laws being bent that are nonreligious (like in Cobble Hill on Tuesdays during street cleaning). I think nabeguy’s comment about being a “thread in the neighborhood fabric” hits the spot. If you are really concerned about bike safety in this town, there are much better places for you to focus your efforts rather than picking on churchgoers whose cars aren’t even moving.
If this isn’t a religious issue, my2, then what is the justification for allowing cars to park–at least, in the mind of the police?
This isn’t about clearing a street to allow maintenance–nor is it about making a one-time exception. The choice to allow cars to park is completely bound, in this instance, to the notion–no, to the facilitation–of worship.
For those interested, I’ve posted a little more on Inklake:
http://inklake.typepad.com/ink_lake/2009/12/he-really-said-that-about-mrs-graham.html
This is clearly about church goers. If any other group parked illegally for any reason, they would be ticketed. Why shouldn’t the alcoholics anonymous groups who meet at these churches be allowed to park illegally as well? Where does the line get drawn? What about communions, should they get special parking too? Someone said it best, it is because “upstanding citizens” are the ones going to church. Ha!
And for those who say this is just a minor issue that people should just deal with as it is predictable and only once a week, I hope that it is not your apartment burning down as a fire truck gets stuck going down that block (as I have seen happen before). As much as I hate many traffic laws, they are there for a reason and that reason is our safety.
I don’t even see why this is a conversation, this should be a petition to fix the problem, not bickering about “yuppie bikers” or “churchgoers.” Everyone’s self-righteousness is best summed up in uh’s first comment, where he calls the poster a “douchebag biker” because he is concerned about a safety issue. Following this line of thinking, I guess cops, crossing guards, and the CDC are “douchebags” as well.
Mike, your “any other group” comment again fails to recognize that there ARE other groups of people who park illegally for specific brief instances and it’s considered ok. I am now mentioning for the third time the example of people in cobble hill who double park (2 deep) blocking most of the road for just 2 hours once a week so that they don’t lose their spots during street cleaning. Those people aren’t churchgoers. They are just motorists in the neighborhood. The neighborhood just functions that way and it is a system that seems to work, odd as it looks. As for your fire truck argument, i don’t buy it. First, no cars in the video are parked in fire zones, and second, most of them are parked half on the sidewalk so as to maximize space on the street.
Why don’t they park in the car lane instead of “half on the sidewalk” and half in a bicycle lane? I’m sure other motorists will not mind taking an alternate route so that the fabric of our community can transport the aged to church in motor-coaches, as God intended.
They should cut down those stupid trees so they can park 2 deep on the sidewalk.
It does seem pretty unfair, however, I did notice not one bike rode past the camera while filming.
They also park on the “Tuesday only” side on Remsen, which is also illegal. Seems fine though as it does not block the bike lane as well as the sidewalk…perhaps they should find additional “Tuesday only” or “Wed only” sides of the streets to park on. Also, are these the only churchgoers that park on our sidewalks?
The issue really is safety. Not just the biker’s safety but the communities. I’ve seen fire trucks having to slow down and inch along Henry Street. Bikers can learn to take a different path but should the fire trucks? Should they learn to go down Willow Street as well to get to a fire? The churchgoers don’t even bother to look for a legal parking spot. They just pull into an illegal spot and place the illegal placard on their windshield. I’ve seen this happen with legal spots open on the other side of the street. There’s a reason Brooklyn Heights only allows one side of the street parking on most blocks…they’re too narrow for both sides of the street parking to allow fire trucks to pass. I don’t care what happens elsewhere, we’re talking about our neighborhood.
The double parking in cobble hill during street cleaning is outrageous too. Are you kidding me?? Everywhere else you have to find another space or stay with your car. Who do these people think they are??
I am now mentioning for the third time the example of people in cobble hill who double park (2 deep) blocking most of the road for just 2 hours once a week so that they don’t lose their spots during street cleaning.
my2cents still doesn’t get it. If the police look the other way for street cleaning, that’s the state making an accommodation for a state maintenance issue. If the police look the other way for church services, that’s the state making an accommodation for church.
Apples and oranges, my friend.
nathan_h – by far the best comment.
Thank you, Drew.
The police may make other exceptions to parking regulations, but the fact in this instance is that they’ve done so in deference to a particular religious practice.
Where would Jesus Park?
AEB, that wasn’t mike’s point. Mike’s point was that the police are only doing this for churchgoers, and mine was that they do it also for other people, which I have proved by my example. Let’s not get into a church/state thing. And the fire truck argument would possibly be a valid one if that was what this blogger was originally complaining about. But he isn’t. So the firetruck argument (i don’t hear the FDNY complaining..they could stop this if it were a hindrance to them) is only a secondary way to attack something you don’t like for the primary reason that you can’t ride your bike in the bike lane for 3 hours once a week.
Wait’ll David Byrne gets wind of this!
ride around the cars, jackass.
At least this is only on Sunday mornings. What about all of the illegal placard parkers and those with MD plates who park on the NO PARKING side of skinny Pierrpont Street betweeen Hicks and Henry? They are there all the time including the “doctors” who live on the street and use Pierrepont as their driveways. A traffic cop told me they were given a new order not to ticket any doctor plate on a block including a dr. office…even if a different dr….even when they know the doctors aren’t affiliated with the office. A disgrace.
Regarding the “sense of entitlement” argument, I think the church goers are also exploiting their own sense of entitlement to drive their cars everywhere since they are coming from further out in Brooklyn or other boroughs where more people drive. Most New Yorkers don’t own a car and get along just fine. The question here is, whose sense of entitlement is more valid. Answer: the bike riders and pedestrians.
It is a bike lane. It it open for safe travel of cyclists. which is what it should be. I think the cops eating at Fascati are worse then the car service. They are always double parked. Even with their “cop in a boxes.” Riding up Henry is frightening when it resembles a war zone with cars doubling up everywhere and delivery dudes running stop signs. For all car drivers getting upset, the law in NYC is that cyclist have the right of way. They just never want to go up against a 1 ton vehicle cause they will die. Maybe if more cyclists stopped at red lights, and if less pedestrians stopped walking when a street had a green light; if people stopped parking in a bike lane people would calm down more.
I live on Pineapple St and as a cyclist I am very dismayed by the total lack of consideration shown by people who feel they are literally “holier than thou”. I’ve seen riders with very young children in bike seats and bike carts in tow who’ve been forced to ride in the middle of the street with cabbies tailgating them the entire way, horns blaring.
One day in the beginning of August I saw a stretch limo parked in the bike lane, waiting for a wedding to conclude. When I asked the drive why he felt he had the right to park in a restricted lane, he showed me a printed windshield card which read:
+——————————————–+
| First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn |
| 124 Henry St |
| Brooklyn, NY 11201 |
| |
| Passengers of this vehicle are attending a |
| WEDDING |
| |
| Parking Pass |
+——————————————–+
There was no indication anywhere that this is an official NYC or NYPD document. I have photos of the limo in the bike lane and a closeup of the “Parking Pass”.
What is really irksome is that there is a very long driveway on Church property right next to the chapel. It would take very little effort for the weekly vans and other vehicles that obstruct the bike line to park there. What it shows is just how little respect and concern the people who use this facility have for the rest of God’s children.
Bike lanes are not a convenience, but provide an essential level of separation between a 25 pound bike and a 2,000 pound taxi or 3,000 pound SUV. I wonder if these pious folks will dismiss it as “God’s will” if someone is injured or killed due to their thoughtlessness and lack of consideration.
Funeral processions can go through red lights, handicapped people (or people with placards) don’t have to move their cars on alternate side days. I think placards are abused like crazy in this city (esp. doctor placards), but one also needs to recognize there are so many oddball situations (like loading and unloading when you are moving, or the wedding limo) that you can’t make laws to fit each case. Be flexible and you will be a lot happier.
You’re mostly talking about special one-off situations, not weekly infringements on the proper rights of others.
For whatever its worth, I understand that places of religious worship in NYC each have a special “no parking” location at each location. I don’t know about this particular church, but many (excluding small storefronts) have “no parking at any time” signs at or near their location. I raise this because there is a church near our house with these special signs. At the time I parked on the street and these approximately 6 spots were never used, always sitting empty on a stretch of empty street and calling out to be parked it (a ticket hazard to those who gave in to their siren song). I inquired with the appropriate local officials to try and get the signs removed so as to allow parking, just like on the rest of the block. I was informed by the appropriate local officials that churches, like synagogues, get special “no parking” locations—no parking on Saturday, Sunday or any other day at any other time. The spots just remain empty and unused. Basic efforts to remove the “no parking” sign all failed and they sit there empty. It is not a bike lane location, but I thought I’d just share some basic facts on street parking and religious locations.
As long as I am getting ticketed for a loose inspection/registration ticker on the wind shield, waiting in the drivers seat for someone to carry up the groceries, get my car towed because the tow truck driver cannot read the signs properly, been a minute over the parking meter time, switching seats at a bus stop with no bus insight, I think anyone who parks their car unattended for over an hour outside a church or any other religious institutions in a “No parking/standing/stopping anytime” zone should get ticketed.
The same is valid for some of the MD’s on Pierrepont considering that the kids and the wifes are driving the cars, as well as cops and DA’s. As a DA you go after me in court for breaking the law, yet you cannot even park your car legally? As a cop you give me tickets, yet you park your car illegally every night and get away with it? You pray to god for forgiveness for your sins yet you are commiting one parking your car illegally? What happened to setting an example as a law enforcement officer?
I love that short MD who parks his Mercedes Benz alternating next to the intersections of Columbia Heights at either Clark or Pierrepont and walks home to his mansion on the West Side of Columbia Heights. I assume he thinks nobody will notice. I guess Columbia Heights is too narrow to park on the wrong side of the street.
There are parking garages around. I pay for it. So can they. There is also sales tax on parking garages. Yes, you can call me being bitter about it.
ZZZ I totally give an amen to the MD thing. That is clear abuse of the MD placard and it really bugs me too as someone who pays for parking and isn’t “special” enough to get a placard.
Ha. I’m sick of people getting a pass because they are religious. Religious people are like little children who haven’t grown out of the boogeyman in the sky thing. Just smash their windows With a ulock next time you ride by. They will “turn the other cheek” right?
The underlying problem is that the police and other law enforcement agencies are failing to apply the law equally and are abusing their discretion by creating entitlements based on religious practice which is a blatent violation of the doctrine of separation of church and state. Every single Sunday morning, the No Parking side of Remsen Street, between Hicks and Henry, is blocked by illegally parked cars, including the fire zones at the corners, that have placards indicating that the owner is “attending liturgy” at the church on the corner. There are other cars, including large SUVs, parked in the bike lane on Henry Street from Montague to Joralemon, with the same placards. And, there are a cars parked on the sidewalks, with the same placards, not only blocking pedestrian traffic but destroying the sidewalks. which the property owners are charged with maintaining at their own expense. The members of the church’s congregation are being provided a benefit that residents of the neighborhood are not given, nor should they be. I have personally observed police officers ticket cars that are parked on the No Parking side of Remsen Street, that may belong to a resident of the street who is loading or unloading their car, but not ticket cars in front or in back with the placards. When I have questioned the officers, they indicate they are not allowed to ticket cars of people in church, even though they acknowledge that those cars are causing the same degree of harm as the ones that don’t belong to church-goers. Complaints to the police, 311, the mayor’s office, and the public advocate go nowhere. Additionally, the same holds true for the Brooklyn Law School professor and her husband, a lawyer in private practice, who have been parking their SUV in front of their house on Remsen Street, on the No Parking side, abusing the parking permit that they have from the Kings Co. DA’s office. Clearly neither of them are on official business when they leave their car in front of their house. Unfortunately, this breeds contempt for the law and bitterness for those who try to park legally. It is truly unfortunate that the police and the DA’s office do not think it is appropriate to enforce the parking rules fairly and equally and that some people are so arrogant that they believe they are entitled to privileges that others are not.
This is not a Sunday or a church issue. It’s weeklong parking abuse. The parking problmes were really not an issue until a few years ago when parking enforcement moved from DOT to the police. There were never any cars on the other side of Pierrepont until then. Now it is full of placard abusers and doctors. You can’t even stop in a cab to get out as other cars cannot get by since the street is often completely filled on both sides.
“If this isn’t a religious issue, my2, then what is the justification for allowing cars to park–at least, in the mind of the police?”
I suspect I’m the only cop posting on this thread so I’ll try to explain what the reasoning is. It’s the same reason the cops on Staten Island look for Jersey plates to bang out- if I work in a certain neighborhood all the time, it doesn’t pay for people in the community to feel like you’re harassing them with tickets. These are people you see all the time, people whose houses you have to go to, people who need to help you in some situations. I don’t work in this neighborhood- I live here- but it works the same where I work. You don’t write double parkers in front of the post office, in front of the deli, when there’s alternate side parking on certain blocks, etc. It doesn’t matter if it’s a church, a mosque, whatever. It’s not an official policy or anything- you just feel like a scumbag for lurking around for those types of tickets. If you really want them written, tell a traffic agent- those vultures would write their own mothers.
To BH Cyclist:
Re the ‘long driveway’. The church does use that area, but it’s not a driveway. There is no curb-cut, though the church has hung a ‘no parking’ sign on their gate, in attempt to fool people. That’s chutzpah.
I wrote about this in an update to my original post. You can read it here:
http://tinyurl.com/yapv3mx
Thanks for the perspective, WC.
I still would say that this practice isn’t right, safe or fair.
This could make a great platform for the next CB candidate! :)
@ WillowTownCop,
Are you saying I got a ticket as a white male sitting behind the wheel in a Guaynese neighborhood while watching my Guyanese friends car? And if she would have watched the car she would NOT have gotten a ticket? I get your point to a degree.
XXX, I never brought up race, you did, and I don’t think it’s fair to blame racist cops for giving you a ticket because you were a white person in a black neighborhood. You admitted you were breaking the law, which is actually why you got the ticket. But to answer your question, I can’t speak for all cops, and I can’t know someone else’s motivations, but chances are there were other factors at work. It’s hard to tell someone’s race by looking at part of the back of their head while you’re driving and they are in a car 20 feet in front of you with the windows up. There are some cases where it’s important to look, too- not to single people out for enforcement, but if a description goes out over the radio for a white male who just robbed a bank, guess who I’m looking for? Other much more important factors include: How long have you been idling? Is there space, legal or not, for you to pull in so you don’t block traffic? Are you blocking a lane of a busy street? Are you honking and annoying everyone? Did he see you earlier driving like and idiot? Is someone actively moving heavy things out of the car or helping someone elderly or disabled get in or out of the car? Is the car in the cop’s sector, or has he gone a few blocks from where he’s supposed to be for some reason and would have to justify being where he was to write the ticket? What is his assignment for the day? Does he have any tickets left in his book? And the most important factor, beyond all others, has he met his quota for the month yet? There are reasons to hit the number exactly and not go over or under it.
As some have correctly argued, blocking bike-safety lanes, whether you are attending church, delivering a package or a cop eating in Fascati’s, presents a serious safety issue. Concerns regarding safety are exactly why the city, in seeking to promote the goals of decreasing traffic and increasing physical activity, has spent millions installing these lanes. Vehicles of any sort parked in the bike lanes for non-emergency reasons create a dangerous situation, and not just for “yuppie bikers” – but for everyone who rides a bike – including delivery persons, people trying to be environmentally conscious and those, like me, that are simply trying to stretch a meager paycheck by avoiding expenses such as public transportation. The answer is certainly not encouraging bikers to break the law themselves, and create additional safety hazards, by riding on sidewalks or the wrong way down one-way streets. I’m also not sure how the argument “well, other people break the law so why can’t we” is appropriate, especially for those that purport to be subject to a “higher” moral code.
As to Sunday Church-goers, when, in the past, they objected to Sunday meter rules on the basis that it interfered with Sunday worship, they made a formal petition and got those meter rules suspended. (A privilege, by the way, not afforded to Jews on Saturdays, Muslims on Fridays or any other religious group on their holy days.) If Church-goers feel that the prohibition on bicycle lane parking is interfering with their right to worship, why not seek to formally get that prohibition suspended on Sundays as well, rather than flat-out breaking the law? Let the legislative entity that enacted the laws in the first place decide whether and when they should be suspended. In the meantime, people can park in the free meter spots on Sundays.
Infuriating!! I saw the whole thing including bikers forced to dismount to make their narrow way between trucks or cars and the holy parkers.
Later on Sunday, I approached a pleasant looking older gent in front of First Presbys who was overseeing the loading of three oversize white vans with Baptist Churdh markings on them. They had been parked there in the bike lane, of course. The pleasant, older gent explained to me that they have a “right” to park there. I protested but could see that God was on his side when it came to hazardous, illegal parking.
Let’s keep up the pressure on the 84th to eliminate this dangerous parking abuse.
I’m only a carist and neither a biker nor a churcher; but I would actually engage in some sort of effort on behalf of bikers if they would use only bike lanes, where available, and never, EVER travel the wrong way on our one-way streets. I cannot tell you how many close calls there have been (as just one example) while I’ve been turning left from Sidney Place to Joralemon and almost taken out a delivery guy tearing east.
Nabeguy, Are you saying the Christianity’s 2009 years of existence sets a precedent that the church has some sort of entitlement to impinge on the rights of others? If so, you are right 2009 years of brainwashing, murder, torture genocide, war, oppression, rape, pedophilia, lies and hypocrisy….
Eddy, you take me a bit too seriously. And I seriously doubt that the Presbyterians have engaged in the kind of activities you mention. Don’t confuse the faith with the church that tenders it.
Nabeguy, I thought you meant all Christian churches, being that the Presbyterian church has only been around for a like 500 years and you stated 2009 years… I am not confusing faith with the church… I merely wanted to illustrate the churches general disregard for law and those not of their faith.
WillowtownCop: My friend stopped outside a bank to deposit a check in an ATM, I was getting into the driver seat waiting as it was something like a “No parking anytime” zone and was in nobody’s way. Did nothing else, that guy just came out of nowhere, sprinting to scan in the VIN #, did not even ask me either to move the car or anything else. He saw me and I can tell you he clearly gave me the ticket for a specific reason. At least I was sitting in the car and waiting unlike Mr. Shynebox (license plate) from the 75th precinct who constantly parks his car overnight outside the German church on Henry. I have watched other cars in front of him just being towed early in the morning while he escapes unscathed. I have an expectation that cops who are supposed to be upholding the law follow the law and I am holding them to a higher standard than the rest of us. I think it is quite ironic that cops write tickets when they park illegally outside their homes.
And how is singling out NJ license plates any different than singling me out?
Living in NYC actually has gotten me to the point where I do not have much respect for Cops. Being a former member of a foreign police force it does not come easy to admit to that. I also recall times in the 90s where I saw cops going down Montague with sirens and then just stopping at the Bagel store to get food.
How did the story go in Animal farm? All animals are equal, just the pigs are more equal? Maybe it is time to join the PBA or PAL to get the “get-out-of-jail-free”-cards.
If the bike lanes had never been installed, this situation would have been nothing more than an annoying footnote in the history of BH residents. Now it’s turned into a deep-thinking, soul-searching debate about the separation of church and state. Good job, Mike! You took a forward-thinking environmental stand and regulated it into a mandate that has not only divided pedestrians, two-wheelers and four-wheelers from each other, but fomented a holy war. Only in NY.
:) u cant argue with jesus freaks!
XXX- if he scanned the VIN he was not a real cop. He was a traffic agent. AKA a brownie, a vulture, etc. They may have NYPD patches so the public thinks there are more cops on the streets (note the new cars are white like ours) but they are not. Real cops don’t have the scanners. Those people are the scum of the earth. They took a job that doesn’t involve helping people at all, just writing them tickets.
Bike lanes are a positive addition to our city and bike ridership is increasing as a result. More people using bikes means less people driving cars, less traffic, less pollution and that’s a good thing… Thanks Mike.
If the church wants parking for their members, they should buy or rent a lot for people to park in.
We ALL know churches have the most money in this country.
That church needs to get some bikes for everyone.
Traif Bike Geschaf is doing just that (or trying to) in Williamsburg.
http://www.forward.com/articles/112918/?FORM=ZZNR2
Can’t We All Just Get Along?
You guys are missing a very important point — and I KNOW because I live right next to the church. The parking fiasco is not just for one weekly hour-long service. The Calgary Baptist Church rents the Presbyterian church Sunday afternoons, and their four vans are parked in the bike lanes for another four hours — effectively closing the bike lane for one of the two days per week that it is most used. I have to side with the cyclists on this one. Those folks should take the train or park in a lot somewhere.