Bike Share station in New York City targeted in lawsuit

WEST VILLAGE

"The concern is the street is so narrow with bikes sticking out into it, it's really going to cause traffic problems," resident Sal Manzella said.

Manzella's West Village Coop building is suing the city over the nearly block-long bike rack that now sits near its front entrance along Bank Street.

Residents argue their needs were never considered in the placement of it.

City lawyers told us that "bike share station sites were chosen after an extensive and thorough selection process. We are confident the process was completely proper and that the court will agree with us."

Overnight, a portion of the bike rack that had been blocking the entrance of 99 Bank Street was removed. A photo, taken on Monday, shows a longer rack.

"At least we got some access, but this whole thing needs to be removed," resident Dianne Weyers said.

Of course, not everyone in the neighborhood views the bike station as a negative addition. Meme restaurant sits just across the street.

"For me, I think as the owner of a business, it will work really well," restaurant owner Jacob Cohen said.

"The loss of parking is probably an inconvenience for some people, and I'm sure tenants are upset about it, but you do anything in New York City, somebody's going to be upset about it," neighbor Matthew Healey said.

This is believed to be the first lawsuit over the bike share stations, but people in this neighborhood seemed convinced it won't be the last.

"I'm not just saying i don't like it here. It's my front yard. I really don't like it anywhere. They're ugly as can be," resident Nancy Friedman said.

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