Citi Bike 3 – Opponents 0.
A Manhattan judge on Tuesday threw out a challenge to a block-long bike-share station in front of the landmark Plaza Hotel, ruling for the third time in five months that the city conducted adequate reviews before installing the racks.
“Specifically the Department of Transportation found that the Grand Army Plaza was an appropriate location as it is centrally located, safe and convenient for the public to use,” Kern ruled in the latest case involving a 147-foot-long bike station between W. 58th and W. 59th streets.
Plaza attorney Steven Sladkus had argued that the bright blue station, festooned with Citibank advertising, created an eyesore when it was plunked down between the 22-foot fountain in Grand Army Plaza and the marble facade of the Fifth Avenue hotel.
But Kern countered that the rack “does not significantly affect the scale, visual prominence or visual context of these landmarks.”
She added that the bike station is smaller in scale than nearby bus stations and vendor kiosks.
Kern also tossed suits against the placement of racks by a Greenwich Village co-op and a Soho neighborhood group.
Sladkus said he was still reviewing the decision.
Nicholas Ciappetta, senior counsel for the city Law Dept. said, “We are very pleased with this decision, which keeps in place one of the most popular Bike Share stations in the City.”