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Part of Franklin Street Is Now Closed to Cars
Those complaints that Citi Bike NYC racks are taking up too many parking spaces look quaint compared to this: The Department of Transportation has evidently—and unilaterally?—decided to close the block of Franklin that’s directly in front of Pécan. There are bollards blocking vehicular traffic and signs reading “Street closed” and “Do not enter.”
This certainly doesn’t bode well for turning W. Broadway between Franklin and Leonard into a pedestrian plaza. On the other hand, maybe the whole triangle in front of Pecan—subway station included—can become a park?
One caveat: There were no doubt many Community Board 1 meetings about Citi Bike NYC that I didn’t attend, so it’s possible this was public knowledge. But I can’t imagine a street closure—even a tiny block like this—didn’t involve the community more. Anyone who wants to serve alcohol has to post signs on the establishment, but the DOT need not do anything even remotely as public for something as substantial as a street closure? It’s cavalier, to say the least.
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“””One caveat: There were no doubt many Community Board 1 meetings about Citi Bike NYC that I didn’t attend, so it’s possible this was public knowledge.””””
dont delude yourself. there were no cb meetings. or if they were, they were held in a closet and the attendants were on the citi payroll.
LOL! There must have been a lot of meetings, but you didn’t go. I went and so did a lot of others! You have to participate, dude.
Red Zephir: it’s a shame you couldn’t go online and look at the Community Board meeting minutes from last year before making such a boneheaded statement. Of course, if you did that at all, you might have also known about the meetings beforehand and participated in the process like other community members did.
@BT: If you really did go, then please tell us what the discussion was like. I’ve long said I can’t and won’t go to every CB1 meeting, because I value my sanity. But I find it hard to believe that no local news source would have mentioned it.
@BT and @Chris: If either of you would be willing to go through the archived minutes to locate any discussions about the closing of Franklin Street, I imagine a lot of us would be grateful. They’re at http://www.nyc.gov/html/mancb1/html/archives/minutes.shtml.
My bigger issue is that even if the closing of that block of Franklin Street *was* discussed at a CB1 meeting, it would have been listed on the agenda as “Bike Share — discussion” or something like that; in other words, there was no way of knowing about the street closure. There are a million ways to get the word out to communities these days, but for something like this, you had to proactively get yourself to a long, claustrophobic meeting that was also about a bunch of other topics? The DOT pretty clearly didn’t want to people to know, because they would have objected.
I don’t have an issue with Citi Bike per se, but I do think the DOT has behaved incredibly cavalierly in the implementation of the program, which shouldn’t be a surprise at this point, because it has behaved that way in many other matters around this neighborhood.
This seems like an obvious and easy way to improve the neighborhood. That section of Franklin went no where. It would require you have to turn s. on Varrick which then just merges back into W. Broadway 100 feet further South.
Does anyone actually have a complaint about closing this section of Franklin (which is a temporary closure, by the way). Or is the complaint rather about process (“No one told me!”). I think it benefits the neighborhood to have bike share stations as close to train stations as practicable, no?
It does raise the question about whether it still makes sense to close W. Broadway south of (east bound) Franklin for a pedestrian plaza.
@Erik T. “but I do think the DOT has behaved incredibly cavalierly in the implementation of the program” See page 21 of the pdf below.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/bike-share-outreach-report.pdf
That is how station locations were selected. They had hundreds of those meetings. And something else to remember is that all these locations are temporary. So once it gets started, if a station location stinks, it can be easily moved.
@Nathaniel: I still don’t understand why the street had to be closed; the racks could have been placed against either sidewalk, and if there wasn’t enough room for the full 50 (or whatever) bikes, then they could’ve turned a corner onto W. Broadway, or placed along the curb of any of the neighboring streets — keeping them within sightlines of anyone exiting the subway station.
If the Franklin station really is temporary, then great. But I’m not sure just because a station can be moved means it’s temporary.
Maybe closing that block of Franklin Street does make sense; maybe it’s the best solution. Discussing it after the fact—and no, I don’t think the DOT’s outreach was adequate—strikes me as not the best way to go about it. Reducing the issue to “No one told me!” is, I think, unfair, given that if I hadn’t heard about it, covering this area pretty obsessively, that how could anyone reasonably have expected to do so?
“I still don’t understand why the street had to be closed.”
The street GOES nowhere! It’s redundant. Get over it. Tribeca gets a nice Citi Bike station right next to its subway stop. Perfect location for it.
This is America, so your not attending meetings doesn’t forfeit your right to complain, but your complaining is lame.
I feel duty-bound to point out that at least two of the commenters in this thread don’t live around here (based on their email addresses), which may be one reason why they’re not especially sensitive to the question. Their contributions certainly make me appreciate the tone of regular commenters to this site.
Why are Citi Bike proponents so incapable of handling *any* criticism about the program? The Kool-Aid must be mighty strong. (And I’m onboard! I’m a Citi Bike member! I paid my $95!)
I think it’s fine to criticize the program, but if you’re admitting that you never attended a community meeting about it, that does temper how people are going to take your criticism.
@BT: But do I get points for honesty?
In any event, I still think that residents shouldn’t have to attend a meeting to learn about something as substantial as a street being closed; the meetings exist so that the DOT could *say* it listened. I’ve followed the program online since it was announced, and the station map shows no indication that the Franklin station would be in the middle of the street. Here’s how the map looks now: https://tribecacitizen.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/bike-map-franklin.png
The Citi Bike program seems great in theory but the scale of it is obnoxious and the locations seems as haphazardly determined as the Hudson BID boundary. These stations are on every other block down here. Erik’s question is a legitimate one: When was this presented to the CB? I’ve been to every board meeting since I can remember and read the minutes of those I don’t attend from this and other sources. I never remember seeing this plan and given the CB’s reluctance, nay refusal, to even rubber stamp so much as a sidewalk cafe on a side street I have a hard time believing they reached a consensus on this issue without it being a bigger deal. Someone show me the minutes reflecting that this issue was discussed and resolved. That’s all anyone is asking right now.
Also, the answer, “quit complaining. They can be moved.” is a lazy response to the honest question. If you can’t answer the question of when the issue was broached before the CB, don’t weigh in.
@Erik Torkells
“I feel duty-bound to point out that at least two of the commenters in this thread don’t live around here (based on their email addresses), which may be one reason why they’re not especially sensitive to the question. Their contributions certainly make me appreciate the tone of regular commenters to this site.”
I don’t regularly comment on Tribeca Citizen but I was quoted last year as a concerned resident in the Tribeca Trib regarding the proposed siting of a bike share location outside my apartment (which is now outside my apartment though without bikes). I actually live in Battery Park City and so I care about the streetscape of Tribeca as it’s right next door and home to many restaurants and train stations that I regularly frequent.
Why did they close that portion of Franklin: I am not DoT or Citibikes so I can only speculate. I think it’s probably because it was a portion of road that went no where and they saw an opportunity to increase the subway station “foot print” in a manner that is safer for vulnerable street users, as such vulnerable street users will not have to worry if a car will zoom around onto Franklin (since there’s no stop sign or light to force cars to slow down turning right there – just physics).
I think your suggestions re: along the curb is reasonable. By why make a bike share station share road with cars when a suitable location for just bikes and peds right next to the station is already available?
Re: Implementation.
I give them a lot of credit. They really did a ton of outreach (hence, how I heard about people complaining about the location by my apt and which inspired me to send a letter to the CB1 Transportation Committee). They’re putting in hundreds of stations through out the City. It’d be virtually impossible to please nearly everyone (and remember, many people’s complaints are really complaints about losing free street parking, something that’s understandable but shouldn’t be a priority from a public policy concern). My concern is seeing the program actually launch and then letting them modify locations as appropriate. And given the sheer volume of locations, I think it should be expected that they might not notify every local CB about every minor change to the streetscape, such as this.
Glad to hear you’ve signed up!
@Nathaniel. Thanks for the thoughtful response. For what it’s worth, you were not one of the two commenters I was referring to (as being from elsewhere).
That spot, while sacrificeable as a street, is right at the heart of Tribeca in many ways, certainly geographically. The station is one thing — logoed bikes may or may not help — but the bollards and traffic signs are worse. Maybe the DOT will rethink it at some point; maybe another city department will step in; maybe Tribeca Trust or Friends of Finn Square can find a way to make it look better.
So we’ve got our sh@tty racks, and they lie empty taking up valuable parking spots and creating a wonderful trip hazard.
Does anyone know when the sh@tty bikes are actually going to be available for use? Seems odd that they would be installed so many weeks before bikes are ready.. Right?
Erik, are you aware of anybody that we can contact regarding the placement? We just got one on Fulton Street (on a narrow and congested part of the street directly in front of a residential building), that is supposed to be on the other side of the street according to citi bike’s own website. Even their own materials show no clarity or precision in terms of the placement. How can we express our concerns when the information they are giving out is misleading? I looked carefully at the site and was shocked at the nearly 40+ bikes, 1 block long stand that they erected today. What is going on??? I like the idea of fewer cars on the road as much as anyone, but the stands are blocking traffic, taking up precious sidewalk space in already congested lower Manhattan.
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/05/06/let-the-lawsuits-begin-legal-actions-filed-against-nycs-citi-bike-share-program/
Waiting for Tribeca lawsuits to begin!
@Alex:
“How can we express our concerns when the information they are giving out is misleading? I looked carefully at the site and was shocked at the nearly 40+ bikes, 1 block long stand that they erected today.”
I’d recommend replying by e-mail to the contact us portal on the Citibikes website. You may get a form response but your comment will be read. In what way was the description off and/or misleading? It says 39 stations on the north side of the street in a parking lane. Are they on the south side? Did it replace parking?
Re: shocked about 40 bikes. There aren’t actually going to be 40 bikes. They purposefully design the racks for “over capacity” so as to minimize the likelihood that people arrive at racks that are full. They will also move bikes around throughout the day to balance the system.
” We just got one on Fulton Street (on a narrow and congested part of the street directly in front of a residential building)”
I don’t disagree that Fulton Street is narrow and congested but that’s by design. Cars drive slower and more carefully on streets that are narrower than otherwise. If streets are too wide, then cars feel comfortable going faster and we can end up with situations like this UPS guy who was killed on the sidewalk on Beekman street (which is actually a narrow street and it’s particularly appalling that the driver wasn’t even charged with a crime) http://www.streetsblog.org/2012/04/26/mike-rogalle-killed-by-curb-jumping-driver-in-manhattan-no-charges-filed/.
Further, according to the CitiBikes map, it’s replacing street parking. So I don’t see how it’ll make the road narrower than before. Further, congestion, while annoying, is an issue that solves itself over time (as in, don’t take Fulton, it’s always congested), so it can hardly add to the congestion. And in this instance, they’re providing residents with options to minimize the inconvenience from the congestion as in (i) less people in cars, because more in bikes and (ii) you can bike around the congestion.
Re: Residential. Locating stations near residences is by design as the system is geared towards residents making short trips (as opposed to tourists). I’m glad a station is in front of my apt. So, for example: There aren’t a lot of great grocery options in FiDi. We have Jubilee Market and some Gristedes. But suppose you want to go to the Whole Foods in Tribeca. Right now it’s about a 15 min walk from that station. Soon, it’ll be a 5 minute bike ride away. So that’s 20 mins round trip you save right there (with a nice basket and bungees to help carry). Might not seem like much but I get out of work pretty late usually and whether I have enough time to go shopping can be the difference between a home cooked meal and another night of seamless web takeout.
” I like the idea of fewer cars on the road as much as anyone, but the stands are blocking traffic, taking up precious sidewalk space in already congested lower Manhattan.”
I though Fulton Street’s station’s on the street not the sidewalk? So I’m not sure if it’s possible for this station to block the sidewalks (which I agree are precious, especially in FiDi) and also block traffic? Further, they’re replacing street parking, so it shouldn’t be thought of as narrowing or blocking the street anymore than the parked cars were previously, right?
I forget the exact stats but the vast majority of stations are in the street as that was the overwhelming preference from the meetings. But in some instances, like the plaza in front of Brown Brothers Harriman, they’re on the sidewalk.
Please be patient as the system is rolled out. I am confident, once implemented, it’ll be a huge success, like everywhere else. Boston, Paris, DC, Montreal etc . . . . all had their kinks as well as concerns about locations, parking, traffic etc . . . . what ends up happening is residents end up wanting them to be closer and the proximity to the station increases property values. I kid you not.
Thanks @Nathaniel, your response is very helpful. The answer is yes, according to the website, the stand was supposed to be on the north side of Fulton, but it is in fact on the south side of the street instead. Some of the issues would present themselves regardless of which side of the street, though the south side of the street is already more crowded as it is the main exit/entrance for the Fulton St. 2/3 station. Also, though I have been following the siting for the stands, the citi bike site is misleading and gave the incorrect location for this block long rack, so it is only now after installation that I am able to contact them re my concerns.
And yes, the stand is located in the parking lane, I haven’t seen the way the actual bikes fit the stands, so I imagine that some part of the bike could still be on the sidewalk and that regardless people unlocking/locking, paying, loading their bikes will all happen on the narrow sidewalk rather than in traffic, so I believe it will definitely further congest this limited resource.
Additionally, although it is technically a “parking lane” (legal for parking only on Sundays) it is mostly used for trucks loading and unloading into the various stores and restaurants. As it is, there is barely room for cars to squeeze in between the trucks and many times you have a complete blockage resulting in angry/honking drivers. This is not going to make things better.