In what passes for planning in
this benighted village, Croton is once again backing into a deal in which it
lacks control of the ultimate cost or consequences.
I refer to the proposed drastic
overhaul of Croton Point Avenue to solve a traffic problem that arises briefly
five mornings a week and recurs on five evenings—the latter without the
pressure of having to catch a train.
The plan sacrifices on-street
parking for businesses on the north side of the avenue and designates a short
bike lane of doubtful utility along the south side. Typically, no study or
survey was made to determine (1) the effect of this arbitrary design on
businesses or (2) the potential number of users of such a bike lane.
It is imprudent to spend huge sums
and deny everyone the right to park on certain village roadways at any time to
create a fragmentary bike lane for a tiny number of seasonally commuting bike
riders.
The village board should consider
several other suggestions made at the recent public information session about
this project, many of which could alleviate the current situation without
expending millions of residents’ tax dollars.
A dozen years ago, recuperating
from replacement of both hips, I decided to return to biking to build up my
thigh muscles. An experienced cross-country bicyclist in my younger years, I
felt competent to resume the sport. I bought a sleek new bike and helmet and
set off on a daily ride through Croton’s streets. My skills quickly returned,
but I soon discovered hidden dangers.
Automobiles and bicycles are not a
good mix on Croton’s narrow streets. Parked cars make it impossible for
bicyclists to keep close to the right-hand curb. And Croton’s curbside drains
can be lethal for narrow-tired bicycles. Even more threatening were boorish
drivers who came up close behind me and sounded an impatient peremptory blast
of their horns for me to get out of their way.
The greatest threat came from
drivers who lacked the ability to pass a moving bicycle without endangering the
rider. After a couple of scary close calls with side mirrors, I decided to
resume stationary biking at the Premier Athletic Club.
Many states and communities have
passed bike laws that define bicycles as vehicles with rights to the roads and
set reasonable rules for bicyclists and motorists. Colorado ’s bike law, for example, requires
drivers to pass bicycles no closer than three feet. The League of American
Bicyclists recommends four feet.
Before it attempts to encourage
biking by scattering unconnected stubs of bike lanes around willy-nilly, Croton
should give some thought to protecting bikers from motorists or from
themselves. New York ’s
rudimentary helmet law, for example, only requires that a helmet be worn by
cyclists under thirteen years of age.
It should also make provision for
theft-proof storage of bicycles. Readers of the Croton police blotter in The Gazette well know how risky can be daily parking of a bicycle at the station.
