Around 2:00pm today the  e-mails started flying regarding a recent backtracking by the Mayor’s office. On Friday afternoon, the Mayor had acknowledged that he supported the Bike Plan. This afternoon we learned that the Mayor has new questions for the drafters of the plan and would like to conduct further “senior staff” review.  Consequently, the Mayor has requested that the Assembly continue the public hearing to March 23rd.  The Assembly will still hold a public hearing on the Plan tomorrow but BCA will not testify until the 23rd, so we can be fully apprised of the outcomes of the “senior staff” review. That said, BCA will attend the hearing tomorrow and provide bicyclists with posters and answers (to the extent we can).

We are disappointed by this latest development. To hear of this at the 11th hour is disconcerting from a public process standpoint. It is sure to create confusion and frustration with the public. It is unclear why the Mayor’s office elected to wait until the 11th hour to continue the hearing to the 23rd.  The Plan has been available for review for many months and all questions or concerns could have been addressed in a timely manner to avoid this unneeded delay that only frustrates the public and raises  questions about how we can meaningfully involve the public.   However, we still remain encouraged by the support the Assembly has shown for the adoption of this Plan.

If you are unsure about whether you can make the 23rd Assembly meeting, please come tomorrow and testify (you can only testify once). We will be on hand if you have any questions.  Due to the change in events, BCA encourages any interested party to testify before the Assembly to show their support for the Plan and its implementation.

If you have specific questions please use the comment board.