Victory

Back in November, when I first blogged about the Henry Street bike lane being blocked every Sunday, by worshipers from the First Presbyterian Church, I was hoping the coverage would shame them to park somewhere legal, or failing that, get the cops to enforce the law — but neither happened.

Talking to the pastor, speaking (repeatedly) with Captain DiPaolo at the 84^th Precinct Community Council Meetings, and calling 311 nearly every weekend, produced no results either. In fact, I was told ‘off-the-record’ that I was tilting at windmills, because the policy of non-enforcement for worshipers came from ‘up above’ (1 Police Plaza).

I kept trying to figure out next steps I could take, what people/groups I could enlist, etc. Nothing panned out, but when I get the bit between my teeth... Besides, I live around the corner, and as summer started and the bike lane saw more use, it irked me every time I saw a cyclist have to swing into traffic to avoid the parked cars.

Then I got a newsletter in the mail from my Joan Millman, my assemblywoman. It highlighted a bill she sponsored, mandating fines for parking in bike lanes. I figured she might be interested.

I called Millman’s office, and spoke with Claire Hudson, her community liaison. She said she’d contact Captain DiPaolo to discuss the situation. I related how I had been blown off by him, but she assured me that she’d find out what was going on.

A few weeks later, Ms. Hudson told me that after speaking with the captain, he had scheduled a meeting to talk with the pastor of the church...and the result (wait for it) — a car-free bike lane! It isn’t a fluke, I waited to see it two weeks in a row. Yes, a few cars do remain, but Ms. Hudson tells me that those are the cars of choir members, and they are “working on that”.

Big thanks to Ms. Hudson, Assemblywoman Millman, Captain DiPaolo, and the First Presbyterian Church.

Comments

[bb]

seriously joanna - this is america, and much more pointedly, this is nyc. dont pull this religious garbage here. feel free to go to a southern state where archaic religious views still pervail. if you live in nyc here with the rest of us, try realizing that bikers have the same rights as everyone else and religious services deserve zero special attention compared to anyone else's rights and obligations.

[PS]

I ride down this stretch of Henry Street almost every Sunday, and it's always really irritated me to have to have to negotiate this stretch when the bike lane is filled with cars parked in this dubiously legal manner. I really appreciate your efforts towards getting this resolved.

A bike lane is a risk mitigation strategy, and if the risk being mitigated is really going to be taken seriously, then, as Millman suggests, there simply can't be any tolerance for any sort of misuse of it.

In more personal terms, I find it really galling that commenters here and on Gothamist think that their parking convenience is worth putting others at increased risk of injury. It's terribly unchristian.

[PBK]

Joanna,
What exactly is precluding them from attending church services?

And who are the 'people', and who are 'you folks'?

I'd point out that parking metering is already suspended on Sundays, so people who happen to worship on that day have a benefit not afforded Jews, Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses, Wiccans, or anyone else who needs to go somewhere on a Saturday.

[Blossom]

Joanna--ever hear of separation of church and state? Since when do Christians get to ignore laws they don't like?

[Joanna Polson]

You can't give up your precious bike lane for a few hours a week so people can attend services? No wonder people can't stand you folks.

[PBK]

Hi Kelly,
You're very welcome. I've blogged about the MD stuff, and was quoted in the New Yorker piece you cite.

That issue I suspect, is going to be a tougher egg to crack. It may not get fixed until (and unless) enforcement returns to DOT, rather than the NYPD.

[Kelly]

Thank you so much. I live on Willow Street and am constantly annoyed by the parking in the bike lanes. Maybe next you can do something about the Dr's who (illegally) use their MD license plates to park on Clark street between Willow and Columbia Heights. The New Yorker actually covered the story some months back.

[Dave 'Paco' Abraham]

nice work! stinks that you had to repeatedly voice the problem, but glad it paid off and safety prevails.

[PBK]

While Calvary does have 3 vans which block the lane, it is Presbyterian that would take up the length of the block with people attending their morning service.

[CFB]

To be fair, the street blockage was not caused by the Presbyterian Church, but by the Calvary Baptist Church which uses their space in the afternoon.