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West Village Apartment Building Sues Over Bike Share Racks

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - The big gray bike share stations popping up around Manhattan and Brooklyn have started countless not-on-my-block battles.

There have been press conferences and angry flyers slapped on Citi Bike racks, but one West Village apartment building is apparently the first legal challenge to them.

"I think it's a clear, clear danger," Joseph Schwartz told WCBS 880 reporter Alex Silverman. Schwartz is on the co-op board at 99 Bank Street, which has sued the city over the racks.

West Village Apartment Building Sues Over Bike Share Racks

"It's on a cobblestone street," he said, wondering why you even put a rack on such a bumpy street. "That forces bicyclists to ride on the sidewalk. This is a situation we already have."

LINK: Citi Bike (Official Site)

He added that when you exit, it's a blind exit.

"Which means you could be hit by bikes as they're on the sidewalk," he said. "We've had some very very near misses here already."

In addition to the danger, some at the building told 1010 WINS' John Montone that fear cyclists will gather under their canopy when it rains.

West Village Apartment Building Sues Over Bike Share Racks

A judge rejected the building's first filing, but it seems the city did take notice.

"Even though they haven't verbally responded to our complaints. They just send a truck in the middle of the night to remove a section of this bike share station," Schwartz said.

The part that was right in front of the building's doors has disappeared, but the rest will stay for now.

City lawyer Gabriel Taussig said they're confident the site selection process was completely proper and the court will agree with the city.

In fact, not everyone who lives in the building opposes the rack.

"I mean I would rather see people on bicycles anyway, than cars, which are also zooming through a residential neighborhood," resident Jan told Montone.

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