Transit Cops Park In Bike Lane-Again!

Once again Transit Police stationed at 145th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue are parking their cars on the bike lane between 146th Street and 145th Street. Last summer Transit Police painted over the bike lane and set up angle parking in its place. The bike lane was reinstalled after many protests, including an article in the NY Post, complaints from T.A. and pressure from Councilmember Stanley Michels. As of mid-April, though, angle parking across the width of the lane is back.

To highlight the illegal obstruction of the lane and symbolically reclaim the space for cyclists, on April 15 T.A. used toilet paper to re-stripe the lanes over the parked cars. This elicited extreme anger from an officer who quickly removed the paper. He told the group of ten cyclists that "the police have special permission to park here and the next time the cars are touched everyone will be arrested." Another officer was more understanding. He sympathized and recognized the safety hazard, but noted, "they need somewhere to park." Sadly, the officers appear uninterested in respecting the excellent bike lane that runs by their precinct, or in even utilizing the mass transit they work so hard to make safe.

Contact Councilmember Stanley Michels: thank him for helping to get the bike lanes re-striped back in July, and request his help in clearing the lane of parked cars permanently.

Write to:
Councilmember Stanley Michels
425 W 144th St.
New York, NY 10031
Email: michels@council.nyc.ny.us
Phone: 212-788-7700
Fax: 212-788-7712

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