Park Slope Bike Lane Opponents Set Up 2nd Meeting

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — A group that held a contentious meeting against a bike lane that was put on Ninth Street last year has planned a second forum to speak out against the cycling path.

Myra Manning, who gathered more than 1,000 signatures against the bike lane earlier this year, will host the "Town Hall Meeting" at 6:30 p.m. at Church of Gesthemane on Wednesday.

It follows another forum Manning put together in January, where about three dozen people showed up and ended up squabbling over whether the bike lane has made Ninth Street safer or more dangerous.

Manning contends that the cycling path — part of safety upgrades added after the death of two children on the street last year — has caused businesses to struggle with deliveries, emergency responders to sit in congestion and her elderly neighbors to feel less safe leaving their homes.

"It has become worse and worse," Manning said. "Nobody in the community that I am listening to feels safe."

This time, her flyer focuses on the emergency responder concerns.

"What would you do if your house were on fire and ambulances and fire trucks couldn't get to you in time because of narrowed streets caused by bike lanes?" it reads.

The flyer has already drawn some pushback as it circulates online.

At the first meeting, Manning and a group she created called "Citizens United For Safety" faced pushback from those who contend the lane has made the street safer than it was before.

Advocates who went to the last meeting pointed out that before the bike lane was put in, there were 118 crashes, 158 injuries and three fatalities on a stretch of Ninth Street since 2011.

They contend that, like Department of Transportation data for other bike lane projects, the cycling path and safety upgrades will likely make these numbers go down. Bike lanes at six spots in Manhattan saw injury crashes reduced 17 percent, cyclist injuries down 2 percent and pedestrian injuries reduced by 22 percent within three years.

Manning said she is open to listening to those that disagree and hasn't necessarily made up her mind about whether she wants the bike lane altered or taken out altogether.

"This is peaceful civic protest," she said. "I want to have the other side come together with us because we can and must work together for the common good."

The commissioner for the Department of Transportation for Brooklyn, the Transportation and Policy Director at the Borough President's Office and Council Member Brad Lander have all said they will be at the forum, Manning said.

She has also sent out invitations to Assembly Member Robert Carroll, the public advocate and other elected officials, she said.

The church is found at 1012 Eighth Ave., between 10th and 11th streets. The meeting will last from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.