Cyclists, not jerks, just want to share the road. AM New York. July 5, 2006

Recently, Community Board 2 in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, narrowly voted against recommending a Department of Transportation plan to install bicycle-friendly street features along a heavily traveled corridor between central Brooklyn and the popular Manhattan Bridge bike path.

Chief among the arguments against the proposed DOT plan was that of CB2 member Anthony Ibelli, who repeatedly referred to bicyclists as "jerks" as the main justification for his opposition to the plan. Tell that to the family of Derek Lake, who died on June 26 when he lost control of his bicycle amid the construction boondoggle on Houston Street near West Broadway. An 18-wheeler ran him over.

Surely Mr. Ibelli, if confronted by Mr. Lake's family, would say, "Well, not all bicyclists are jerks," but the result of this supposedly community-based vote could mean that all bicyclists would continue to risk their lives on the streets of Fort Greene commuting to work, visiting friends, going to the supermarket, or riding for pleasure.

Some loud and obnoxious bicyclists do indeed yell at pedestrians and drivers alike, but usually their voices are drowned out by rumbling diesel engines and blaring taxicab horns.

Cycling in the city is exhilarating, but it requires concentration.

With a moment of distraction, a metal construction plate or car door could be deadly. I find the required focus to be cathartic. It cleanses the mind of less pressing, workaday worries. But I do not wish for a more dangerous city.

Bike lanes are no panacea to the city's transportation ills, yet I just cannot understand why anyone would vote against their installation. If CB2 members are afraid that "traffic-calming" measures will slow them down on their way home from work, I suggest they themselves ride bikes. Trust me, it's a cleaner, faster, healthier, and cheaper alternative.

Yes, I admit that, on a small scale, bicyclists, frustrated at the lack of consideration their fellow New Yorkers occasionally display, can be rude.

But, on a large scale, it is the city government and groups like CB2 that deserve the label "jerks" for not encouraging safer streets.

With increased enforcement of the laws of the road and special attention paid to the dangers cyclists face, as well as widespread implementation of traffic-calming measures and bike lanes, the city could change, and perhaps extend, many lives. Then maybe New York City's bicyclists wouldn't be so frustrated all the time.

But we might still occasionally have to holler at tourists.

Stuart Schrader, a bicyclist, is a Brooklyn-based freelance writer.