Its been no secret that the Hasidim in South Williamsburg hate the bike lanes. There have been complaints since the moment the paint hit the asphalt. But now, they have hit on an incredibly misguided line of attack in hopes of ridding their neighborhood of bike lanes – modesty. Yes, according to this Post article, the Hasids are now complaining about the immodest attire of the bikers riding through their neighborhood.
Lets get one thing straight here – we are talking about people riding bicycles on public streets. The Hasidim have every right to be offended, but the bikers also have every right to ride on those bike lanes (or even to ride on those streets absent bike lanes).
Lets get another thing straight – in the year or two of complaining about bike lanes in South Williamsburg, most recently this past Monday at CB1, all of the complaints have been about parking and congestion. Basically, the bike lanes eliminate the availability of (illegal) double parking, and cause traffic to stop behind buses. Even the safety issue (bicyclists riding through red lights) is a new line of attack (and at least a plausibly legitimate one, though not a reason to eliminate bike lines).
By the way, for a more humorous take on this tempest, check out Williamsburg is Dead. Oh, and Curbed is up to 121 comments.