HELP SAVE CITY HALL PARK'S NORTHERN SPACE---
Move the new Bike Lane to Chambers Street

The recently re-opened area with the benches and chess tables by Warren Street, between the Tweed Courthouse and City Hall, now doesn't require bike riders to dismount. It is being turned into a new "Robert Moses Bicycle Expressway".

THE FOLLOWING LOG REFLECTS THE AMOUNT OF BIKE RIDERS TRAVELING IN THE PROPER DIRECTION (WEST TO EAST), THE WRONG DIRECTION (EAST TO WEST), THE AMOUNT OF RIDERS SPEEDING BY, AND THE AMOUNT OF TIMES THAT THE PEP OFFICER WALKED BY. The weather was pleasant during all of the counts.

MONTH & DAY, 2008	TIME OF THE DAY	RIGHT WAY RIDERS	WRONG WAY RIDERS	PEP SIGHTINGS	COMMENTS
Saturday, July 19, 2008	5 pm - 6 pm 1 HOUR	4	6	0	1 wrong way speeder; 2 dismounted. (RL)
Tuesday, July 22, 2008	10:45 am - 11:45 am 1 HOUR	3	2	1	No one dismounted. (RL)
Tuesday, July 22, 2008	8 pm - 9 pm 1 HOUR	8	3	0	1 speeding; no one dismounted. (RL)
Wednesday, July 23, 2008	7:53 am - 8:53 am 1 HOUR	1	2	1	(RM)
Wednesday, July 23, 2008	2:20 pm - 3:20 pm 1HOUR	5	3	0	1 dismounted, 738 pedestrians walked by. Minor accident occured.(AG)
Wednesday, July 23, 2008	6:15 pm - 7:15 pm 1 HOUR	15	6	0	1 dismounted. (RL)
Friday, July 25, 2008	7:35 pm - 8:15 pm (.75 HOUR)	4	0	0	174 pedestrians (BL)
Tuesday, July 29, 2008	9:15 am - 10:15 am 1 HOUR	3	6	1	PEP was there to tell wrong way bikers to dismount. All listened except for one who claimed to be a police officer. 3 west-east bikers dismounted on their own.(RL)
Wednesday, July 30, 2008	8:55 am - 9:55 am 1 HOUR	9	7	0	1 person walked his bike across in the wrong direction. (RL)
Thursday, July 31, 2008	8:15 pm - 9:15 pm 1 HOUR	15	1	0	The darker it got the faster the cyclist went. One cyclist had a hard time avoiding a rat that ran across the path, because he was riding very fast. Maybe this is a good way to ecologically cut down on the rat population? (RL)
Friday, August 1, 2008	8:45 am - 9:45 am 1 HOUR	4	7	0	3 rational cyclists walked their bikes across the park. 2 in the west-to-east direction. (RL)
Sunday August 3, 2008	10 am - 11 am 1 HOUR	24	5	0	No one walked their bikes, and since the Park was not too congested with pedestrians, the riders were going faster than during weekday times. (RL)
Monday, August 4, 2008	11:15 am - 12:15 pm 1 HOUR	4	0	0	(RL)
Wednesday, August 6, 2008	9 am - 10 am 1 HOUR	1	3	0	(RL and SB)
Friday, August 8, 2008	8 am - 9 am 1 HOUR	5	3	0	(RL)
Saturday, August 9, 2008	9:10 am - 10:10 am 1 HOUR	11	4	0	3 Bikers walked their bikes. (RL)
Wednesday, August 13, 2008	5:40 pm to 6:40 pm 1 HOUR	29	3	0	1 dismounted and 7 skate boarders came riding by in the wrong direction en masse. (RL)
Friday, August 15, 2008	11:00 am - 12:00 pm 1 HOUR	4	0	0	1 cyclist dismounted. (RL)
Monday August 18, 2008	9:30 am - 10:30 am 1 HOUR	1	5	1	2 cyclist dismounted when they saw the PEP officer, but more were riding in the wrong direction than right direction. Most riders were going to Chambers Street and not entering the crowded Broadway sidewalk. The Northeast Plaza was not crowded so bikes were riding in that way, unless the PEP officer was standing there. (RL)
Saturday August 23, 2008	6:30 pm - 7:30 pm 1 HOUR	10	3	0	No one dismounted (RL)
.	.	.	.	.	.
TOTAL TO DATE	19.75 HOURS	160 RIDERS	70 RIDERS	4 SIGHTINGS	CONCLUSIONS There is a high proportion of wrong way riders; they go faster as it gets darker or if it is a weekend when the Park is not congested; and most cyclists still use Chambers Street, which is a 24/7 path. The bike lane is not serving the majority of bike riders who require a more useful path, while still reducing the enjoyment of the Park by making way have to look out for riders and deal with all the signage.

LEGEND: The counters are: RL= Rick Landman, RM= Robert Mulero, BL= Bibi Lenchek, SB= Skip Blumberg, AG=Arthur Gregory, JG= Jean Grillo.

IF YOU WANT TO SIT FOR AN HOUR IN THE PARK AND COUNT BIKE RIDERS (right way, wrong way, PEP officer sightings, bike dismounters, etc.) PLEASE DO SO AND EMAIL YOUR RESULTS AND I'LL UPLOAD THEM ON TO OUR CHART.

Click here to send the results of your hourly count.

Survey by DOT from their website
Peak Hour Bicycle & Pedestrian Volume Estimation (DOT)
                 Bicycle* Pedestrian** Cyclist Frequency 
AM Peak (8-9 AM)    15      630         4 min/cyclist 
Midday (12-1PM)     20     1000         3 min/cyclist 
PM Peak (5-6PM)     95      950        45 sec/cyclist 
Weekend (2-3PM)     30      300         2 min/cyclist 
Off-peak Hours     10-15    200       4-6 min/cyclist 
* Bicycle Volumes projected based on 40% of September 2007 Brooklyn Bridge bicycle counts 
** Pedestrian Counts performed in May 2008

PERSONAL STORIES

SUNDAY NOTES: Four riders were observed going the wrong way (two on my watch, two by another sitter). This was around 4PM on Sunday, Aug. 3, 2008.

Three riders were seen almost hitting couple with baby carriage at that same time. See below.

I saw two men pushing a baby carriage getting stuck as THREE bike riders, going the "right way," headed straight for them, riding three abreast. The men were confused and angry and muttered "where are these bikes coming from?" as they tried to dodge one or two of the bike riders and the riders tried to dodge them and the baby carriage. I approached them and told them if they are upset about the city making this path a bike route then they could report those views by calling 3-1-1. They were upset and said they would call.

Jean Grillo

8/3/08

On Wednesday July 23rd I walked into City Hall Park on the Warren and Broadway entrance, at 2:18, I walked about ten steps and was hit by a biker's handle bars, he apologized and road off, I then turned around and had another biker stop inches from me, both were going in the right direction, but at the location this happened about 20 feet into the park from Broadway, there are Benches on the south side and Chess tables on the north side, with about 7 to maybe feet in-between. I stayed for one hour and 4 minutes, counted 738 people walking by me at the end table going east, there were 6 bikers of one was walking her going the west to east route, and three going the wrong way east to west.,

Note that this was 2pm in the afternoon on a Wednesday, not the prime time for this area, that is way to many people walking , some with strollers, many out of towner that reading maps and have know idea were they are going, just enjoying our city, with except for about 40 feet in the middle of the walk way conducive for that kind of mixed traffic. I think if the City was not self insured, no I 100% know that if there were insurance companies involved with the city, they would never allow this like of potential hazard be allowed.

Arthur Gregory

7/23/2008

It seems by declaring this part of the Park and the sidewalk as part of the official "Greenway" bike riders can ride across the sidewalk without dismounting.

New York City Administrative Code Section 19-176 Bicycle operation on sidewalks prohibited
- Bicycle Operation On Sidewalks Prohibited.

§ 19-176 Bicycle operation on sidewalks prohibited. a. For purposes of
this section:
(1) The term "bicycle" shall mean a two or three wheeled device upon
which a person or persons may ride, propelled by human power through a
belt, a chain or gears, with such wheels in a tandem or tricycle, except
that it shall not include such a device having solid tires and intended
for use only on a sidewalk by a child.
(2) The term "sidewalk" shall mean that portion of the street, whether
paved or unpaved, between the curb lines or the lateral lines of a
roadway and the adjacent property lines, intended for the use of
pedestrians. Where it is not clear which section is intended for the use
of pedestrians the sidewalk will be deemed to be that portion of the
street between the building line and the curb.
(3) The term "child" shall mean a person less than fourteen years of
age.
b. No person shall ride a bicycle upon any sidewalk unless
permitted by an official sign.
A person who violates this subdivision may be issued a notice of
violation and shall be liable for a civil penalty of not
more than one hundred dollars which may be recovered in
a proceeding before the environmental control board.
c. A person who violates subdivision b of this section in a manner
that endangers any other person or property shall be guilty of a
misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars
or imprisonment for not more than twenty days or both such fine and
imprisonment. Such person shall also be liable for a civil penalty of
not less than one hundred dollars nor more than three hundred dollars,
except where a hearing officer has determined that where there was
physical contact between the rider and another person, an additional
civil penalty of not less than one hundred dollars nor more than two
hundred dollars may be imposed. Such civil penalties may be recovered in
a proceeding before the environmental control board. Enforcement agents
shall indicate on the summons or notice of violation issued pursuant to
this subdivision whether physical contact was made between the rider and
another person. Any person who violates any provision of this
subdivision more than once within any six month period shall be subject
to the imposition of civil penalties in an amount that is double what
would otherwise have been imposed for the commission of a first
violation. It shall be an affirmative defense that physical contact
between a rider and another person was in no way the fault of the rider.
d. Where a summons or notice of violation is issued for a violation of
subdivision c of this section, the bicycle may be seized and impounded.
e. A bicycle impounded pursuant to this section shall be released to
the owner or other person lawfully entitled to possession upon payment
of the costs of removal and storage as set forth in the rules of the
police department and proof of payment of any fine or civil penalty for
the violation or, if a proceeding for the violation is pending in a
court or before the environmental control board, upon the posting of a
bond or other form of security acceptable to the police department in an
amount which will assure the payment of such costs and any fine or civil
penalty which may be imposed for the violation. If the court or the
environmental control board finds in favor of the defendant or
respondent, the owner shall be entitled forthwith to possession of the
bicycle without charge or to the extent that any amount has been
previously paid for release of the bicycle, such amount shall be
refunded. The police department shall establish by rule the time within
which bicycles which are not redeemed may be deemed abandoned and the
procedures for disposal.

f. The owner of a bicycle shall be given the opportunity for a post
seizure hearing within five business days before the environmental
control board regarding the impoundment. The environmental control board
shall render a determination within three business days after the
conclusion of the hearing. Where the board finds that there was no basis
for the impoundment, the owner shall be entitled forthwith to possession
of the bicycle without charge or to the extent that any amount has been
previously paid for release of the bicycle, such amount shall be
refunded.
g. Upon the impoundment of a bicycle, the rider shall be given written
notice of the procedure for redemption of the bicycle and the procedure
for requesting a post seizure hearing. Where the rider of a bicycle is
not the owner thereof notice provided to the rider shall be deemed to be
notice to the owner. Where the defendant or respondent is less than
eighteen years old such notice shall also be mailed to the parent,
guardian or where relevant, employer of the respondent, if the name and
address of such person is reasonably ascertainable.
h. In any proceeding under this section it shall be an affirmative
defense that the defendant or respondent was less than fourteen years
old at the time the violation was committed.
i. The provisions of this section may be enforced by the police
department or designated employees of the department, the department of
sanitation, the department of parks and recreation.