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Bike Rack Proposal for Bushwick Corner Meets Fierce Debate

By Meredith Hoffman | October 18, 2012 3:30pm

BUSHWICK — Cyclists eager for new two-wheeler parking will get their wishes filled later than they'd hoped — if at all.

The bike rack proposed by the Wyckoff Starr cafe and the Department of Transportation for the corner of Wyckoff Avenue and Starr Street met fierce debate by Bushwick's Community Board 4 Wednesday, with some board members claiming the change might worsen risks for traffic accidents.

"The transportation will be disrupted...and anyone hit by a car or bike coming out of that parking lot for bikes has to fend for himself," worried Eliseo Ruiz, the transportation committee's chair. "It looks like this is just going to be storage for bikes."

Ruiz opposed the rack and said it was not necessary, but board member Anne Guiney argued vehemently for the proposal.

"The city's changing, there are more bikes, and this is trying to make the best possible accommodation for pedestrians, bikes and cars," she said. "This is a pretty sensible and low-impact thing." 

And Scott McGibney, the Wyckoff Starr's owner, has noted in the past that the budding cafe and health food strip needs more spaces for cyclists.

"My small bike rack is chock full most of the time," he told DNAinfo.com last month. "It will be great not to have folks shackle their bikes to trees and signs which can be troublesome to car doors and of course to the trees themselves."

Board members decided to postpone their vote on the rack — which would replace one car parking spot in front of the restaurant Mazelle — until November's full board meeting.