Office of Borough President James P. Molinaro
Staten Island, New York
B.P. Molinaro asks City to stop ticketing motorists at Capodanno Blvd-Seaview Ave and re-evaluate bike lanes
“Why do we need two bike lanes from Fort Wadsworth to Miller Field?”
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – In response to the aggressive ticketing of motorists who drive in the new Capodanno Boulevard bicycle lane to make a right turn onto Seaview Avenue, Borough President James P. Molinaro today said he is reaching out to Mayor Bloomberg and DOT Commissioner Sadik-Khan to request an immediate stop to the ticketing and to re-evaluate the installation of bike lanes.
“These bike lanes interfere with traffic flow,” said Molinaro, noting that drivers are permitted to make a right on red at Capodanno and Seaview. “The point of right-on-red is to move traffic, but a bike lane in the right lane prevents that. This is not common sense.
“Currently, we have two bike lanes from Fort Wadsworth to Miller Field,” Molinaro said. “After establishing the bike lane in the lower portion of the Boardwalk at the expense of half-a-million dollars from my capital budget, people wanted an ocean view while biking.
“So the Parks Department created an additional bike lane on the Boardwalk itself,” Molinaro continued. “The two bike lanes are off the street and run parallel to the existing one on Capodanno, creating a massive headache for traffic and the people getting tickets. Which leads me to wonder if DOT is aware of the off-street bike lanes that exist.
“It’s absolutely wrong, and the ticketing should stop until we re-evaluate the Capodanno bike lanes as they relate to the off-street bike lanes,” Molinaro said. “This situation supports my argument for wider roads on Staten Island. If you’re going to put in bike lanes, you also need room for turning lanes.”
August 14, 2009