The Park Slope Bike Lane: Active Transportation Under Attack

According to a 2010 study by Rutgers University, communities where people walk and bike to work have far lower rates of obesity and diabetes than communities where people use cars as their preferred mode of transportation.

And that is why I love the Park Slope bike lane.

Before the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) created the lane last summer, biking alone Prospect Park West meant taking your life in your ... spokes. Cars sped down the three-lane street with little regard for the two-wheelers in their midst. Now, however, the two-lane limits for cars keeps drivers to a reasonable speed, and bikers are protected by their own bike lane, separated with a buffer zone.

Biking to work, to run errands, or just for fun has never been easier or more enjoyable.

And that's the whole point behind creating more walkable and bikeable cities and streets -- it makes it easy for people to incorporate activity into their lives. This is a key component of prevention. As Larry Cohen, Executive Director of the Prevention Institute recently wrote in the Huffington Post, "Prevention is a 'significant cost control' because it stops people from getting sick in the first place. 75 percent of current health care costs are the result of preventable chronic diseases."

Cities are realizing that encouraging active transportation can help prevent traffic-related injuries while simultaneously cutting down on chronic diseases.

Cohen cites a study published in the American Journal of Public Health that finds that more than half the difference in obesity rates among countries is tied to walking and cycling rates. In addition, the study found that crosswalks, bikepaths and restrictions on car use can foster walking and cycling.

But some Park Slope residents are not so thrilled. They say the bright green bike lane mars the appearance of the historic Brooklyn district. And they argue that cyclists are gaining their safety at the expense of pedestrians, who they say zoom down the two-way bike lane without looking. (Cyclists point out that slower cars means safer walking, too.)

On Thursday, October 21, 2010, residents and cyclists in the neighborhood held two competing rallies over the future of the protected bike lane along Prospect Park West. The DOT is taking the future of the bike lane under consideration and has promised a decision early next year. Let's hope that Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan remembers that her responsibility is to the safety and well-being of all Slope residents, who are currently benefiting from a more active neighborhood thanks to the ability to bike, and walk, in peace.

Sign the petition to keep the much-needed bike lane, with all of its public health and safety benefits, in the 'hood.

Photo credit: merulu5