The Brooklyn Paper thinks there is a bike lane problem, and they have a solution – less bike lanes. They make their point with non-sequitors like this:

[…]in virtually every case, the lanes offer a false sense of security to bicyclists, motorists and pedestrians. Yes, accidents are down but no amount of paint can protect a cyclist from a collision with a menacing automobile or save a pedestrian from the two-wheeler who speeds through a red light.

So – bike lanes work, they are effective and increase safety for cyclists and pedestrians alike. But because bike lanes won’t stop the country’s most aggressive drivers from driving like assholes, and because they won’t stop cyclists from riding like assholes, we should get rid of bike lanes. I can think of a few other traffic measures that aren’t “working” – red lights, speed limits, stop signs, double yellow lines. Let’s get rid of them too.

The real impetus behind BP’s editorial seems to be the Fifth Avenue bike lanes in Park Slope. The editorial claims that “merchants along Fifth Avenue are complaining” about the bike lanes, but if you read their own article on the subject, its actually the merchant’s association that is complaining. When someone went out and talked to the actual merchants, they seemed far more open to bike lanes.