According to the City of New York, the Prospect Park West bike lane is in the perfect place.
In court documents filed earlier this month in Kings County Supreme Court, the city has mounted its first official defense against a by Neighbors for Better Bike Lanes and Seniors for Safety calling from the removal of the controversial two-way, parking-protected bike lane.
The groups have argued that the lanes are not only dangerous and “arbitrary,” but that the Department of Transportation skewed statistics in the bike path’s favor.
In the 39-page response to the lawsuit, the city claims, among other things, that the lane couldn’t have been located anywhere else in Park Slope, that it was installed based on industry guidelines and that all analysis of the lanes has been correct and sound (see the entire document ).
The document refuted NBBL and SFS’s accusations that the city did not accurately analyze lane data and that the lanes are dangerous.
Furthermore, the defense argues that none of this really matters anyways, because the suit was filed after the statute of limitations on the lanes had run up.
Earlier this month, Councilmember Brad Lander and former Community Board 6 Chairman Richard Bashner filed a supporting the bike path, arguing that the lane’s installation last June was ultimately the result of years of public process.
Proponents of the lane, including the DOT, have maintained that the lane has improved safety on the pretty boulevard. The DOT has even planned to make further to the lane to enhance lane safety and aesthetic even further – which Community Board 6 also approved, unanimously. They argue that it has been continually supported by the community board, civic institutions, and the majority of local residents – as found in twice in separate independent studies by and .
The matter will next hit the courts on Wednesday.
