The ongoing Wiliamsburg Bike lane wars, which have pitted bicyclists agains the Hasidic community, will take an interesting turn on Wednesday when Bike Clowns show up to protest. This Wed (12/17) from 8:30-10am, clowns will be riding amuck through the streets from the Williamsburg Bridge and following a route South on the new Kent Ave bike lane, and loop thru Williamsburg? Why? To defend their turf!!! It seems a number of people are thinking the new Kent Street bike lanes are there for their own personal double parking needs, and they’re just getting in the way!
The Bike Clowns will ride on Kent Street and clear the bike lane of motor vehicles so that the bike lane is safe for cyclists commuting to work. The Bicycle Clowns will use theater to comically draw attention to the serious danger faced by cyclists without safe, protected bike lanes. They will educate bike lane opponents that removing bike lanes only encourages more people to drive, which further clogs our city’s streets and taxes our country’s oil resources.
Hipsters and bicycle riders high and low, come forth and straddle your bike in full clown garb (as modest or immodest as you like) to say “Out of our way!” to those parkers and anti-bicyclists who are trying to steal the Kent lanes, force cyclists into the dangerous street and just all-around ruin your peaceful, environmentally responsible lives.
TIME’S UP! BICYCLE CLOWNS DEFEND KENT STREET BIKE LANE AGAINST THREATS FROM MEMBERS OF THE HASIDIC COMMUNITY
Cyclists dressed as clowns will theatrically clear vehicles illegally parked in the bike lanes and educate residents about the benefits of city-wide bike lanes
When: Wednesday, December 17th, 8:30 to 10:00 AM; Where: 8:30 AM, starting at the Brooklyn side of the Williamsburg Bridge; Route: South on the new Kent Ave bike lane, followed by a loop through
Williamsburg. **Exact location available by calling 917-494-8164
Brooklyn, NY (December 14, 2008) — On Wednesday, December 17th, the Time’s Up! Bicycle Clowns will ride to defend the new bike lane and future greenway connector in Williamsburg. The Bicycle Clowns will also be kicking off their year-long “Love Your Lanes” campaign to keep the focus on protecting and celebrating bike lanes.
A small but vocal group is spreading anti-bike sentiment in Brooklyn at a time when non-polluting transportation is on the rise in NYC and is recognized as essential to a sustainable future. Bike lane opponents, including some members of the Hasidic community who protest cyclists’ “immodesty,” along with Council Members Diana Reyna and David Yassky and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, are trying to remove the newly installed Kent Street bike lane. Some opponents have even publicly
threatened to illegally block the bike lanes with their private-school buses, which will force cyclists into traffic to avoid crashing into the obstructing vehicle and risk being struck and even killed.
“An injury to one bike lane, is an injury to all bike lanes,” declares bike lane clown Benjamin Shepard. “Enforced, protected bike lanes save cyclists lives, improve the landscape and make better use of public space for most of the community.”
—Vaduzuvunt
25 responses so far ↓
1 Gari N. Corp // Dec 16, 2008 at 9:53 am
They should dress up as dinosaurs. Really annoys Torah literalists.
2 chef // Dec 16, 2008 at 10:19 am
This is a democratic free society.
The rebbe claiming that he will use his influence to have school buses clog the bike lanes is an absolute imbecile.
He should not be allowed to speak for the community. So he would allow school children to be used as his pawns in a twisted effort to insulate the Hasidic community from bicycle riders.
I was under the impression that this is a democratic and free society.
If the Hasidic Community think this will insure a peaceful and quiet neighborhood where they never see a racy billboard or suffer having to see non-hasidic people dressed in other than head to toe black robes, they are living in a bubble.
One day that bubble is going to burst.
Someday this war is gonna end.
3 If There Were 25 Hours In The Day… // Dec 16, 2008 at 12:41 pm
[…] ‘Burg Bike Clowns gather tomorrow to defend their turf [Gowanus] […]
4 great idea // Dec 16, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Let’s ride topless!!!
5 alyssa // Dec 16, 2008 at 9:21 pm
this behavior is actually antithetical to jewish law; you’re supposed to follow the “laws of the land” and not make trouble, or, worse, commit a chillum hashem (an act that makes jews look bad in the eyes of others)
6 LOOK AT THE FACTS // Dec 17, 2008 at 1:14 am
Its not about how modest u go dressed its about a neighborhood that doesn’t drive bikes at all. So u can trash the hasidic guys how much u want, it doesn’t take away from the fact that’s UNFAIR to put in a NEIGHBRHOOD that doesn’t use bikes 4 bike line (whyte, berry, bedford, kent) when there is a huge problem of parking and traffic in the neighborhood. So if the HASIDIC have a problem with it they r 100% right they have tall bldgs a lot ppl on 1 block and there is a major problem to them.
Its not about the modesty, its about parking and traffic in a place were there isn’t a handful of people driving bikes, I understand that other people need to have a lane to pass by the hasidcs, but y 4?? Set up a bike detour and make it on 1 of them…….
The best
A HASIDIC dude
7 LOOK AT THE FACTS dont be an idiot // Dec 17, 2008 at 1:21 am
Its not about how modest u go dressed its about a neighborhood that doesn’t drive bikes at all. So u can trash the hasidic guys how much u want, it doesn’t take away from the fact that’s UNFAIR to put in a NEIGHBRHOOD that doesn’t use bikes 4 bike line (whyte, berry, bedford, kent) when there is a huge problem of parking and traffic in the neighborhood. So if the HASIDIC have a problem with it they r 100% right they have tall bldgs a lot ppl on 1 block and there is a major problem to them.
Its not about the modesty, its about parking and traffic in a place were there isn’t a handful of people driving bikes, I understand that other people need to have a lane to pass by the hasidcs, but y 4?? Set up a bike detour and make it on 1 of them…….
The best
A HASIDIC
8 mitch hank // Dec 17, 2008 at 2:22 am
b
9 mitch hank // Dec 17, 2008 at 2:35 am
, it looks like you have no idea what the issue here is.
1. It does not have to do with hasids. im not jewish and this bike lane has caused significant damage to me and my family
2. David Yassky, Diana Reyna, and Marty Markowits are all big supporters of the bike lane, so what happened here ?!?!
No one is against more bike lanes. but the problem is the way they planned and installed it,
in the letter David Yassky sent to the DOT he asks them to sit down with his office and come up with a creative solution that both the bikers and drivers will be happy.
but 2 months have past and there is no answer from the DOT office
So clowns are coming to protest whom? what? who organized it? why?
get your facts and then arrange a protest
10 mitch hank // Dec 17, 2008 at 2:38 am
HERE IS ANTHER LETTER WE HAVE SENT TO THE DOT:
12/1/08
Joseph palmiere,
Brooklyn DOT commissioner,
The DOT does not want to meet with the residence, business owners, and
elected officials of Kent Avenue. They ignore us and just say that they
are working to resolve this matter,
We want to make sure that you know that this will not be resolved just by
replacing the “no stopping signs” to “no standing”
The least that we will agree on is as followed:
1. Remove immediately the “NO STOPPING” signs on the west side of the street. (the
side of Schaefer building, replace with alternate side parking)
2. On the east side of the street paint the bike lane, first conduct a real study
if its safe for a 2 way bike lane on that side, if not then just 1 lane going
south (the opposite way then Wythe ave.)
3. Restore as much day time parking on south 11 and Wythe ave.
4. Dismiss all tickets that was given due to this unfair bike lane.
We are waiting for your response
11 mitch hank // Dec 17, 2008 at 2:40 am
HEY MR. ORGANIZER OF THIS PROTEST, ARE YOU SURE U STILL WANNA BRING DOWN SOME CLOWNS HERE?
12 BOB // Dec 17, 2008 at 3:01 am
Bicyclist, not resembling a moose , will be as safe as the pedestrians they encounter on there daily law breaking meanderings through these city streets. Issue tickets to peddling law breakers as well as require that all adult bicyclist have registrations, licenses and insurance for there bicycles. Share the city streets and share the cost of maintaining these streets. Drivers add more than six hundred and fifty million dollars, in tickets alone, to this city’s coffers. Every commercial vehicle pays a two hundred dollar tax, annually, for the privilege of operating in this city. Every car pays an eighteen percent tax on their parking fees to be able to park in this city. Parking meters generate more than sixty million dollars in revenue for the city. Can someone tell me how much the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, Verrazano Bridge, Queens Midtown Tunnel and the Triboro Bridge tolls add to the city’s coffers? Can someone out there tell me how much money, out of town motorist, spend in this city? What on this God green earth, do bicyclist contribute to this city? Zip, zero, none, nothing and nada! When a bicyclist with no health insurance, injures themselves (no car involved) where do they end up? Oh yes, silly me, in a city hospital! Who pays for that? Why are people trying to turn this city into something it’s not? Cities have cars, pollution, muggers, junkies, noise, bars and rats. If you don’t want those things, MOVE! Move to Maine. Move to Colorado. Move to Kansas! Take your bikes and find a nice place to live. Please, just go!
13 greg // Dec 17, 2008 at 3:06 am
AS A RESIDENT OF KENT AVE, AND A SUPPORTER OF BIKE LANES, I GOT INVOLVED IN THIS ISSUE.
HERE ARE SOME REAL FACTS:
ABOUT 2 MONTHS AGO, WHEN THIS BIKE LANE WAS PAINTED, ANYONE THAT SAW IT WAS SHOCKED..
THEY REMOVED 1000 PARKING SPACES, THERE IS NOWAY TO PICK UP DROP OFF A PASSENGER, MAKE A DELIVERY, EVEN A CAR SERVICE THAT STOPS TO PICK UP A PASSENGER GETS TICKETED.
THE BIGGEST SUPPORTERS OF THE BIKE LANE, INCLUDING COUNCILMAN DAVID YASSKY, BOROUGH PRESIDENT MARTY MARKOWITS CONGRESSWOMEN NYDIA VELAZQUAZ, ALL SAY THAT THIS BIKE LANE IS POORLY PLANNED, AND THEY ALL TRY TO HELP US TO ARRANGE A MEETING WITH THE DOT TO FIGURE OUT A WAY THAT SHOULD WORK FOR THE RESIDENCE AND BIKERS,
BUT HERE IS THE PROBLEM, THE DOT IGNORES OUR CALLS AND EVEN ALL OF THE ABOVE ELECTED OFFICIALS CANT GET THEM TO SIT DOWN TO TALK ABOUT THIS ISSUE, INSTEAD THEY FIND ALL KIND OF NONSENSE REASONS WHY THEY DON’T WANT TO MEET.
14 bob // Dec 17, 2008 at 3:08 am
Bicyclist, not resembling a moose , will be as safe as the pedestrians they encounter on there daily law breaking meanderings through these city streets. Issue tickets to peddling law breakers as well as require that all adult bicyclist have registrations, licenses and insurance for there bicycles. Share the city streets and share the cost of maintaining these streets. Drivers add more than six hundred and fifty million dollars, in tickets alone, to this city’s coffers. Every commercial vehicle pays a two hundred dollar tax, annually, for the privilege of operating in this city. Every car pays an eighteen percent tax on their parking fees to be able to park in this city. Parking meters generate more than sixty million dollars in revenue for the city. Can someone tell me how much the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, Verrazano Bridge, Queens Midtown Tunnel and the Triboro Bridge tolls add to the city’s coffers? Can someone out there tell me how much money, out of town motorist, spend in this city? What on this God green earth, do bicyclist contribute to this city? Zip, zero, none, nothing and nada! When a bicyclist with no health insurance, injures themselves (no car involved) where do they end up? Oh yes, silly me, in a city hospital! Who pays for that? Why are people trying to turn this city into something it’s not? Cities have cars, pollution, muggers, junkies, noise, bars and rats. If you don’t want those things, MOVE! Move to Maine. Move to Colorado. Move to Kansas! Take your bikes and find a nice place to live. Please, just go!!!
15 Streetsblog » Today’s Headlines // Dec 17, 2008 at 9:17 am
[…] Bike Clowns to Confront Kent Ave Bike Lane Opponents This Morning (Gowanus Lounge) […]
16 alyssa // Dec 17, 2008 at 9:30 am
i don’t know why the spewing of hatred and nastiness in these comments in shocking me.
bob: what do people who walk contribute to the city. particularly, if you want to talk about the hasidim, an entire community that doesn’t use public transportation for 24 hours each week. your “bicycling doesn’t contribute to the city’s coffers” argument holds no water
mitch hank and “a hasidic”… that it’s not about keeping the lanes out of these neighborhoods is insane. they put some in park slope, and people were very unhappy with the way they were done. NOBODY stood in the lanes en masse to keep the bikers from riding through. nobody tried to play “chicken” with the bikers. the community didn’t drive illegally to stop the bikers from riding.
why is that happening in williamsburg?
17 Gary // Dec 17, 2008 at 11:49 am
It is all about a few parking spaces. Every real city has recognizes it must modernize and encourage bicycling if it is going to function in the 21st Century. New York must grow and change and a little less parking is inevitable if it is going to accommodate a growing population (and permit people to move around), and not be completely congested/polluted and unlivable. Get on a bike and take a ride. It might change your perspective a little.
18 Abel // Dec 17, 2008 at 11:52 am
Oh you haters BOB & MITCH & Other Anonymous commenters…- Bike riders DO NOT create pot holes DO NOT create POLLUTION and DO NOT KILL PEOPLE with their wheels like you. We are entitled to commute safely to work/home, we live in this city and we are not going away! The D.O.T. knows this and are preparing the city for the ever growing cyclist population. So CRY ME A RIVER, waaah…
19 bk // Dec 17, 2008 at 12:17 pm
this bike lane has been YEARS in the making. there have been many many many community meetings, communty board meetings, community board committee meetings, community board subcommittee meetings, blog posts, emails, flyers, you name it. For the residents of Kent to *now* be up in arms about it is absurd and disengenuous. They had every opportunity to be involved in this process.
20 frank // Dec 17, 2008 at 12:25 pm
10 loosers dressed like clowns are dancing on the streets around a truck that delivers our grocerys in front of my house…is this normal?!?!?
21 len // Dec 17, 2008 at 12:28 pm
http://www.vosizneias.com/24410/2008/12/17/williamsburg-ny-the-clowns-protesting-the-dislike-of-bike-lanes/
22 greg // Dec 17, 2008 at 3:19 pm
gary,able,
do you get UPS deliveries?
can a car service pick you up in front of your house?
do you get cable or verizon to service your home?
well, my grocery is not delivering any more to my building, when i call a car service he tells me to wait him blocks down so he wont get a ticket.
and its only a matter of time when a UPS truck will get towed and they wont service our building either….
23 rtg // Dec 18, 2008 at 4:06 pm
With the exception of the first day when the DOT totally disengaged their brains and ticketed after putting up the new signs, has anyone got a ticket?
I live on Metropolitan Ave, work on Kent Ave, and basically cruise the bike lane all day between client meetings all around the neighborhood, my house, and work and have never seen anyone getting tickets or any enforcement going on.
What I have seen is:
the MTA buses parked in the bike lane @ Kent & Metropolitan while the driver took off for a break.
construction trucks parked all day over by the Edge
cars parked on and off all throughout the north area
car service dropping and picking up people over by northside piers
ups and fed ex making deliveries
SERIOUSLY, i havent seen any enforcement. None. (And i have never ever heard of or seen a car service driver be scared of using/blocking the bike lane. That claim is laughable)
I can also say that the traffic blockage that usually came up when any construction deliveries were going down or traffic pick up in front of schaeffers landing is over. Now that there is no parking, those trucks use the bike lane, and the flow is much better.
I’m not a “radical biker” so i dont particularly mind sharing my bike lane with people who need to drop off/unload as long as they are courteous and keep an eye out for me AND as long as the traffic behind is courteous while i swerve into the car lane to go around the blockage. It makes it a little unsafe but I can comprehend how to share the road. Why cant u?
I spent 2 years of my life going to meetings about this bike lane. Not my fault if you didnt bother. If I was the DOT, i wouldnt have a meeting with you either. They were here in this neighborhood tons of times. You should have showed up!
Clearly, we still need to work on educating everyone how to share the road, but i give big props to the DOT for finally making Kent Ave a little safer. ( Not to mention that i am glad that the construction workers arent having their daily lunch smoke out sessions on the ave anymore. It was a bit ridiculous walking by them while the puffed their spliffs in their parked cars across the street from the job they were working…..)
But I am left with 3 questions:
Since when was free parking a guaranteed right in NYC?
When is all the enforcement going down because I have yet to see any…..
If you are so hot and bothered, why didnt you go to any of the meetings? There were plenty!
24 AlexB // Dec 19, 2008 at 1:05 am
This is New York City. If you think you have a right to travel by car or have something delivered by car, you are mistaken. You are living in the past. Move to another city. Cars take up many times the amount of space of a bike or pedestrian, damage the streets, create injuries, and pollute the air. The less space devoted to cars, the more tickets they receive and the more tolls they incur, the better. I am a radical bicyclist. I think you, car driver, are immoral and I want you taxed and regulated out of my city. Period.
25 bob // Dec 19, 2008 at 3:47 pm
rtg,
MTA buses
DOT cars
DEP vans
UPS trucks
they still park and block the bike lane…
u wanna know why?
because they don’t get ticketed/towed or they don’t pay the fines (UPS has a deal with the city about their parking tickets)
but all other delivery company’s they cant afford to pay a fine or be towed, so they refuse to come to our block..
and yes my car was towed and I don’t park here since..
Mary Christmas