Bike Lane Clowns Give Marty Markowitz A Bike For Christmas
The Gothamist
December 17, 2010
By John Del Signore

http://gothamist.com/2010/12/17/bike_lane_clowns_give_markowitz_a_b.php

Last week Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz decried the increasing number of bike lanes in Brooklyn by singing a song for the City Council. The ditty, which you can watch Marty sing here, was set to the tune of “My Favorite Things,” and included lyrics like “Let’s not forget cars, it’s getting insane / Welcome to Brooklyn, the borough of lanes!” This week Marty also sent out his annual holiday card, which featured an illustration of a congested Prospect Park West divvied up into a lover’s lane, a sitting lane, a holiday-only lane, a walking lane, a bike lane, and a narrow auto lane. Inspired by Marty’s holiday spirit, a group of bike-riding clowns came to his office yesterday to give him their gift.

“Markowitz used his time last week to sing a song, rather than give any real facts to explain his opposition to the Prospect Park West Bike Lane,” said Barbara Ross of Time’s Up! in a statement. “Meanwhile, a packed house of New Yorkers in favor of more protected bike lanes waited for hours in below-freezing weather for their turn to testify. Many didn’t. If Marty wants to clown around, we can too. His stance is not shared by most New Yorkers. Marty does his constituents no favors by lacking both knowledge and a desire to be educated on the challenges faced by pedestrians and cyclists alike.”

As you can see in the video, the clowns’ attempt to give Marty a shiny new bike proved fruitless. (They did sing lots of carols, however.) His spokesman Mark Zustovich tells us, “The Borough President appreciated the offer, but we urged them to give the bike to a school or children’s group or donate it as a holiday gift for Toys for Tots.” But the holidays aren’t just about giving, they’re also about receiving. And the clowns want Marty. As one clown explained yesterday, “We’ve been doing bike lane clowning for years and we’ve felt like Marty should be one of the clowns with us.” BEEP BEEP, Marty, the clowns are coming for you! They ALL float down here. When you’re down here with them, you’ll float too!