If brownstone neighbors thought challenges to the Prospect Park West bike lane were a nuisance—they point to community board votes and supportive surveys—it has turned out to be an expensive one at that. According to documents obtained by The Brooklyn Paper, the riotously named Neighbors for Better Bike Lanes has so far cost the city $140,000 in legal fees defending the lane, a price that will no doubt rise now that the suit has been appealed.

Just as NBBL believes it is its right to have the bike lane removed from “its backyard,” it believes it has a duty to spend the city’s money.

Jim Walden, a lawyer for the bike lane opponents, says critics of the Prospect Park West path have the right to appeal — and the case is more than worthy of one — because they aim to expose a government agency of wrongdoing. He described criticism of the appeal as Kafkaesque. “This is America,” said Walden. “Get real.”

Ironic for a group stocked with current and former politicians.

mchaban [at] observer.com | @MC_NYC