STUDY: WS BIKE LANE BLOCKED

bicyclists throughout the city have long complained about the painted sections dedicated to them. the lanes offer no protection from double parkers, pedestrians and motorists, who regularly drive through them, forcing bicyclists to veer into moving traffic.

a bike lane on the upper west side is especially bad for bicyclists, according to a new study by hunter college.

the observations by hunter students show that the west side's bike route ranks as one of the most obstructed lanes.

on a tuesday morning, between 8 and 9 a.m., there were 17 obstructions on the west 106th street lane, between riverside drive and central park west.

cars made up 30 percent of bike lane blockage, according to the study. small trucks and taxis made up 17 and 14 percent, respectively.

however, one bike lane, central park west from west 79th to 85th streets, had no obstructions during an observation on a wednesday from noon to 1 p.m.

wiley norvell, communications director for transportation alternatives, said the report confirms what bicyclists throughout the city see first-hand.

"our bike lane network is, in many cases, rendered dangerous or unusable," norvell said. "there's some hope around the corner. we encourage the city to expand the number of protected bike lanes."