There is justice — for a chosen few — when it comes to fighting off a Citi Bike station.
Officials at Manhattan’s Appellate Division courthouse claimed victory last week in their behind-the-scenes battle to keep a bike rack off East 25th Street and away from coveted parking spots.
While New Yorkers have gone to court to try to block Citi Bike stations from being placed in front of their buildings, those in charge of the court only had to pick up the phone.
The city posted signs for the pending bike station on Monday, and Citi Bike tweeted about the location. But by week’s end, they were in full retreat, leaving both Citi Bike opponents and proponents fuming.
“Accommodating private parking needs for the court is only the latest,” said Georgette Fleischer, president of Friends of Petrosino Square, a group that has sued to get rid of a bike station in the small Soho park. “Here’s a tale of two cities indeed, and we hope the de Blasio administration eschews the culture of privileged access which was so rampant during the prior administration.”
Susanna Rojas, the clerk of the court, “threw a tantrum” when she saw “No Parking” signs indicating the station would be placed just outside the courthouse doors, an insider told The Post.
The station would displace prime parking for Presiding Justice Luis Gonzalez — who has his space blocked off daily with orange cones by a court officer — and other workers.
Rojas ordered court officers to take down the Department of Transportation’s “No Parking” signs, the insider said. Then signs went up again across 25th Street from the courthouse.
Meanwhile, Citi Bike’s twitter feed announced the relocation of a station at 24th Street and Park Avenue to 25th Street and Madison Avenue, the main entrance to the courthouse. The tweet said the station would be in place by last Tuesday.
But that day, a new tweet announced, “Correction: We will NOT be moving the station at 25th and Madison today. We will update when this move is rescheduled.”
Court officials wielded their influence to block the bikes, calling Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman in Albany and the city Law Department, the insider said.
For most New Yorkers, persuading the city to move a Citi Bike rack is notoriously difficult. Last year, a West Village co-op sued to remove a docking station from outside its entrance and lost. The Plaza hotel is also suing to remove a bike-share station in front of the hotel. Last spring, Manhattan churchgoers fought kiosks near Our Lady of Victory Church in the Financial District and St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral in Little Italy.
Bike advocates were incensed. “It’s disappointing the [court clerk] didn’t look at Citi Bikes as an amenity rather than an obstacle,” said Eric McClure, a bike advocate and board member of StreetsPAC. “The tantrum shows they’re fighting against the inevitable. The future is going to see more sustainable transportation options.”
A court worker said the issue was less about lost parking spots than about the bright blue bikes emblazoned with the bank’s logo marring the look of the landmark courthouse.
“In this particular debate, the court is on the side of good, truth and justice,” the staffer said. “This is about desecration.”
A court-system spokesman said the Appellate Division did not receive any notice of the coming bike station and was given permission by the DOT to remove the “No Parking” signs while the matter was being settled.
“Several phone calls were made, and cooler heads prevailed. I think a better plan was orchestrated, and we’ll move forward from there,” spokesman David Bookstaver said.
The DOT would only say, “No relocation has been finalized.”
Additional reporting by Kate Briquelet