They have started putting in the new bike lanes on 2nd Avenue, and as I've complained elsewhere, I don't think these are a good thing. These lanes are going to be up against the curb on the left side of the one way avenue, with a row of parked cars separating the lane from the traffic. I've already seen 3 things happening.

First, since it is up against the curb in the busy east Village there are pedestrians in the lane, especially at the corners as they wait to cross. Just look at the Broadway/Times Sq lane which is useless. Other sections are less busy but will still have the same problem.

Second, left turning cars turn across the lane without looking. Just yesterday the guy riding directly in front of me was almost hit by a truck doing just that. I think there are going to be left turn lights as on 9th Avenue, but I'm not sure. It isn't there now. In any case this brings up the third thing. On a bike you can't get around a left turning car that blocks the lane anymore. We will be walled in. I always just shift right around the left turning cars when I ride on the left on an unmarked street.

Let's face it, bike lanes are great but they sometimes impede our normal reactions to the traffic around us and our desire to keep moving. If everybody obeyed all the signals and rules this would work, maybe, and it would effectively slow the cyclists down a lot more than the cars. But this is NYC and you know this won't happen. I'd rather just have a painted lane the way 2nd Avenue was before and most others still are.

And one more thing. The new buses that have started running on 1st and 2nd as part of the "Bus Rapid Transit" that is going in along with the bike lanes are HUGE. They are bigger than the older articulated buses. Why don't they just build that damn subway already.