Thompson is pandering (a venerable political tradition ) and a few of the locals are exhibiting the usual NIMBYism (another ancient tradition). Not that every cyclist is a well-behaved model citizen, but really, I don't see any valid cause for complaint here.

Per the NY Times,The lane is apparently quite well-used (1,000 cyclists per day), and contrary to claims that pedestrians are at more risk, accidents in that area dropped 29%. This at a time when bike ridership is up. And best of all, it was approved prior to construction by the local community board.

And I may be wrong, but Grand Street seems like a logical choice for a bike lane. It's far less congested than nearby thoroughfares, and goes through the park on Forsythe, so it's a good cross-town lane. Where else is a bike lane going to go? Delancey? East Broadway for 5 blocks?