Bike Rack Switcheroo: Remsen to Hicks

By on May 11, 2013 7:01 pm in Brooklyn Heights, News, Traffic, Transportation

As the photo shows, racks for the Citi Bike Share program have been placed along the west side of Hicks Street going south from Montague, in front of Heights Cafe, Dellarocco’s, and J McLaughlin. According to BHB Ten 2012 honoree Sahmi Rum, who mourns the loss of parking spaces, the racks were moved from Remsen Street because of complaints from residents of 60 Remsen, at the corner of Hicks and across the street from the racks’ previous location. As the photo below shows, that stretch of Remsen is now bike rack free.

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  • Joe A

    More dangerous than cars? Silly little NIMBYs.

  • James on Jeralemon

    Not sure what any of these statements – “that is overkill!” “too many of these racks!” – is based on, Heights Observer. Is this your internal sense or do you have some experience implementing civic programs of this type?

  • James on Jeralemon

    Most of the cities that have the kind of “modern, integrated systems” you say we need, Tony, have expansive bike share Programs as one key element of those systems. Bike share has proven effective and popular in many cities with characteristics far more like NYC than Amsterdam.

  • Joe A

    The current bike riders riding on the sidewalks and creating havoc are for the most part delivery/messenger people. Those that use their bikes regularly for commuting do not engage in such behavior for the most part. There is no reason to believe that the users of the bike share program would be any more inconsiderate/dangerous than auto drivers.

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlsiLOnWCoI Arch Stanton

    You never hear of it because it is not a real problem.

  • Joe A

    In the event of general weather conditions that may make cycling hazardous, NYC Bike Share will temporarily shut down the system and lock down and/or remove the bicycles as necessary. The system will reopen as soon as the weather permits. NYC Bike Share is responsible for all station cleaning and snow removal.

  • Joe A

    A lot of the objections to the bike share program seemed to revolve around the safety aspect. I believe some factual information is in order:

    Today, cycling has never been safer in New York City. Since 2007, DOT bike counts on key routes have more than doubled, while cycling injuries and fatalities have fallen or remained flat. Overall, the risk of injury to cyclists in New York City has decreased by 75% since 2000. The City has added over 270 miles of bike lanes in the city since 2006, which has made streets much safer for cyclists. There are now more than 700 miles of bike lanes city-wide, including parks and greenways. Data from London and Washington show that people riding shared bicycles are involved in fewer crashes and receive fewer injuries than people riding their own bikes.

  • petercow

    Boy – based on that, you’d think hundreds of NY’ers are killed a year by bikes.. oops. that’s by cars and a FACT.

    There’s a reason you don’t need insurance for riding a bike, but do for a car.

    Also, FYI, over 5,000 people have signed up for Citibike so far.

  • petercow

    And even if every single cyclist in the NYC was to ride blind-drunk, it wouldn’t equal the carnage that happens every single day in NYC with cars.

  • Wiley E.

    If only that statement wasn’t fiction.

  • Wiley E.

    Let’s put the bike stands in underground lots. That way nobody will be bothered.

  • cat

    There should be steep fines for bike riders going the wrong way. I was almost hit by a bike as I was crossing Montague Street. (Yes, I was jaywalking.) The guy was going the wrong way on Montague. This was not a messenger or a delivery rider. He was wearing a suit and he was going so fast and got so close I could feel the wind as he went by. He did yell out “I’m sorry” as he sped by, but I am 68 and if I had taken another step or two, I’d still be in the hospital with a lot of broken bones. I have a habit of not looking both ways while crossing a one way street, and why should I have to? And, Clinton Street in the morning is so dangerous with riders running red lights on their way to the Brooklyn Bridge. I also don’t understand why the racks were moved to Hicks Street. There goes the photo ops of the corner which does have some charm. Why can’t they be on the sidewalk next to the Bossert? There seems to be plenty of room there.

  • petercow

    A couple of points – I agree cyclists should always ride in direction of traffic.

    Riders often cross through the red in order to get a ‘jump’ on cars.. rules that work for cars don’t work so well for bikes. Some places have a ‘biker’s green’ that could help.

    Any injury – whether caused by a cyclist or vehicle is unfortunate – but the reality is a) cyclists cause essentially zero deaths, and are as likely to be as injured as the person they strike – so they’re usually pretty ‘aware’. Not so in either case with cars.

    As for why the dock shifted around the corner – I don’t understand either – I thought Remsen was a good spot.

  • Clarke

    Over 8,500, actually.

  • yoohoo

    Has any of the posters ridden one of these bikes when they were demonstrated in Dumbo? You’d be surprised about their weight and they have no gears. Just try riding them uphill and on cobblestone streets.

    And as to helmets, use some common sense. They’re not provided because the department of health would not allow it for sanitary reasons. Would you want to wear a helmet that has been worn by hundreds of others unknown to you?
    ,

  • Wiley E.

    stuart…. Are you posting from Ohio these days?

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlsiLOnWCoI Arch Stanton

    Apparently you haven’t ridden the bike either, because they do indeed have gears.

    http://citibikenyc.com/meet-the-bike

  • LISA

    .. Why do these bike racks have to take away from our VERY VALUABLE parking spaces? Why can’t the cars park on the
    street, & the bikes on the sidewalk?

    Also they are ALWAYS filming movies/TV shows/adds here-
    -probably more then any other section of the city-, and many of the filming are ‘period’ pieces, like from different centuries. These bike racks will be a big turn off for the ‘location scouts’,
    and will decrease our income.

  • petercow

    You’re right.. the spots are valuable.. perhaps the city should stop giving away this valuable commodity for free.

  • http://www.facebook.com/john.kimbrough.1238 John Kimbrough

    We all have much to be thankful in our lives……………..

  • Joe A

    Because it will serve MORE citizens. Got a problem with that?

  • Joe A

    I would imagine that the discouragement of filming in the neighborhood would be a plus not a minus for most residents.

  • Tony

    I would like to hear from the supporters of this program if they actually intend to use it. I can’t imagine why anyone would say, “I think I’ll spend $30 and ride a bike around Brooklyn for a few hours.” This is not a fun place to ride a bicycle (trust me, I’ve done it). It’s very hilly, and once you’re on Court or Atlantic you have to contend with lots of traffic and double-parked cars. The bike-share program makes people feel good, but this is not a smart plan.

  • Joe A

    You obviously do not understand the purpose of a bike share program. It is not to rent a bike to ride around for a few hours. It is not for recreational riding, although I imagine some will use it that way but rather it is to commute to work or to shopping or to a restaurant or to the movies, etc.. Instead of getting into a subway train or bus, we can now hop on a bicycle to get where we want to go, park the bike and be done with it. In other words it is an alternate means of transportation not a recreational vehicle.

  • Tony

    People use mass transit because it’s cheap and easy. These bike shares are neither. Again, a few are OK, but filling this neighborhood with them is nonsensical. It makes people feel righteous to rejoice at people losing parking spots, but it’s an important thing to many – when they have friends and relatives visit, etc.

  • Brixtony

    So you’re saying that you are a “bucktoothed, inbred imbecile”? Your honesty is impressive, but striking you would be going a bit too far.

  • PB

    I’m not sure how cobblestone streets matter. They make up about 0.05% of city streets. Heck, even in our charming historic neighborhood they make up a single block.

  • PB

    The bikes are by far the cheapest form of transit in NYC. Monthly pass for subway and bus? Over $100. Monthly pass for the bikes? 1/12th of $95 or a mere $7.92 — roughly 8% the cost of the subway.

  • PB

    The street is for vehicles. The sidewalk is for pedestrians. Bikes are vehicles. Therefore bikes belong on the street.

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlsiLOnWCoI Arch Stanton

    Okay you asked for it. I am a supporter of the program and I intend to use it; I bought a year pass the first day they went on sale. I am also an avid cyclist who owns 3 bikes, I ride several century rides every year. I also own a car that I park on the street. As Joe A said, It’s not meant for recreational rides. It is intended for commuting, and that is just how I will use it. There are many situations I would love to take a way ride, Example; I want to ride to meet my girlfriend after work for drinks and dinner, i don’t need to deal with the bike afterwards, we can hop on a train or cab it back home.
    And you are so wrong about “Brooklyn not being a fun place to ride” Brooklyn is a great place to ride with miles of greenways, parks and countless places places to discover.

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