Is it Still a Bike Lane if Cops Are Parked in It?

Plus: The 14th Street busway had a successful first week. [View this email in your browser]( It's Not Really a Bike Lane if You Can't Ride a Bike in It Plus: A week in, the 14th Street busway is a success. Elsewhere in the city, smashed-together bus stops are slowing down service. And those $200 helicopter rides to the airport are horrible for the enviornment. By [James Ramsay](mailto:james@wnyc.org?subject=We%20the%20Commuters) John Tomac There's technically a bike lane in the above photo. See it? It's covered by a fleet of police SUVs. Which, incidentally, is something cyclists warned would happen back in 2018, when the city announced the coming installation of this bike lane on 4th Avenue in Brooklyn. The fact is, police precincts and fire stations have a lot of vehicles. And as Mayor Bill de Blasio has indicated, those vehicles need to be parked somewhere. "We have to come up with a system that actually accommodates these employees," de Blasio told reporters earlier this year. "If it takes leasing a parking lot or leasing spaces in a garage or whatever the heck it is, we’re going to find a way." But as you can see from [this video]( taken by a cyclist outside the NYPD's 72nd Precinct, they haven't found a way. And nobody seems surprised. "Everyone who rides a bike around this city knows that any time you're around a police station, a firehouse, basically any government building, you're dealing with cars on the sidewalk and in bike lanes," said John Tomac, a Bay Ridge resident and cyclist who posted the video. "It's a disaster to get around." What is surprising — or at least curious — is that in the 24 hours since that video was tweeted at City Councilmember Carlos Menchaca, the cop cars have disappeared. Now, if you cruise past the precinct, there should be a clear bike lane. Until you hit 29th Street, where a giant construction dumpster is parked in the lane. — [Reporting by Jake Offenhartz]( You Love to See It Stephen Nessen/[Twitter]( Gotta be fair: When I hit send on this newsletter last week — complete with its [glowing review]( of the 14th Street busway — the change had been in effect for exactly one morning rush hour. Now, a week later, we can report that this has been a smashing success...for a whole week. ✔️ Buses are moving [extremely fast](. ✔️ Traffic on sidestreets is [not bad](. ✔️ And businesses are not suffering, because contrary to what some have apparently claimed ([?]( most patrons of Manhattan pizza parlors and drug stores don't drive to get there. We're all about that [🚌](. Best of the Week From Gothamist and WNYC ColbyC/[Twitter]( If you're flying in or out of LaGuardia over the long weekend, prepare yourself. The Port Authority is warning that "peak construction" work and extremely high volumes of travelers will make LGA hairier than usual between now and October 14th. If you don't want to end up walking across a highway to make your flight, [plan extra time and seriously consider not driving](. The MTA's task force on homelessness released a 9-page report, a month late. The agency announced back in July that it was creating a task force to come up with a plan — within 30 days — to "measurably reduce homelessness and panhandlers on the subway." Last Friday, [that plan was finally released](. Its main recommendations: Assign 500 cops to patrol stations (which had already been announced), and "do more to publicize longstanding MTA Rules of Conduct." A 10-year-old boy was hit and killed by a driver while biking home from a Brooklyn mosque last Saturday. This marked [the 24th cyclist death in city traffic this year](. The driver, who ran over the boy while making a left turn through a crosswalk, was charged with unlicensed driving, failure to exercise due care, and failure to yield to pedestrians. He pleaded not guilty, and is due in court next month. Dozens of New York City bus stops are so close together that they don't meet the MTA's own standards for spacing. While the MTA says stops should be at least 750 feet apart, there are currently [32 pairs of bus stops placed less than 260 feet apart](. While some riders insist on having frequent stops, most transportation advocates argue that putting more space between stops will speed up bus trips. What Else We're Reading Even if the MTA's five-year capital plan gets final approval, it's not certain the agency will spend all that money and achieve all its goals in five years. A recent audit found that the MTA has so far spent less than a third of the budget for its 2015-2019 plan. The 2020-2024 plan, which is 70 percent larger than the previous budget and includes billions for signal upgrades and station repairs, is now before a state review board. ([The City]( The mayor of Paris banned cars in certain parts of her city, fanning the flames of a culture war. Working-class men (drivers are mostly men) are peeved. Mass transit users and middle-class bohemian environmentalists are pleased. And all the while, Paris is heating, and Mayor Anne Hidalgo is desperate to do what she can to curb emissions and replace roads with green spaces. ([The New York Times]( The ban on rush-hour marine traffic under the Portal Bridge is now permanent. The 109-year-old Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River in New Jersey has to open up to allow large boats to pass. So, in order to keep train traffic moving, the Coast Guard has agreed to uphold the ban on marine traffic between 5-10 a.m. and 3-8 p.m. ([NJTV News]( Spending $200 for a 6-minute helicopter ride to JFK is relatively reasonable, except for the fact that it burns an outrageous amount of fuel. Here's why Blade, Uber Copter, and the fantasy of "flying taxis" are ushering in an environmental disaster. ([Jalopnik]( Seasons be damned, we suggest you commute home to Vivaldi's "Summer" Concerto from The Four Seasons. Just kidding! It's time for Autumn, parts 1, 2, and 3. They're all in this week's Classical Commute playlist, which you can [stream for free on Spotify](. Weekend Service Changes: Night of October 11th – Early Morning on October 14th This is a partial list of major service disruptions scheduled for the weekend. For a complete list of the MTA's Weekender updates, [check here](. Downtown trains will skip 86 St , 79 St, 66 St, 59 St and 50 St in Manhattan. train service between Franklin Av and Flatbush Av in Brooklyn will be replaced by free shuttle buses, and on Saturday and Sunday, downtown trains will skip 86 St , 79 St, 66 St, 59 St and 50 St in Manhattan. train service between 181 St and 207 St in Manhattan will be replaced by free shuttle buses and trains at nearby stations. Jamaica-bound trains will run via the line from Jay St-MetroTech, Brooklyn to W 4 St, Manhattan. On Saturday and Sunday, train service between Broadway Junction, Brooklyn and Jamaica Center, Queens will be replaced by trains and free shuttle buses. [Check here]( for complete details about the Long Island Rail Road. For NJ Transit, [check here]( for the latest service advisories. Upcoming Meetings and Events Saturday, October 12th NYU Tandon School of Engineering's Annual Transportation Camp NYC 6 MetroTech Center, Brooklyn — 9:00 a.m. [Register, and more info]( (I'll be there!) Monday, October 21st Joint Metro-North & LIRR Committee Meeting — 8:30 a.m. NYC Transit / MTA Bus Committee Meeting — 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, October 23rd MTA Board Meeting — 10:00 a.m. Registration for two-minute public speaking slots opens 15 minutes before the start time for official MTA committee meetings. To speak before an MTA board meeting, you must register 30 minutes early. All meetings are held in the MTA's Board Room at 2 Broadway, on the 20th Floor. James Ramsay always welcomes your tips and feeback! He's james@wnyc.org. (Photo by Amy Pearl) Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential transportation coverage and more. [Donate]( Copyright © 2019 New York Public Radio, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: New York Public Radio 160 Varick Street New York, NY 10013 [unsubscribe]( [update preferences]( [privacy policy](