Protected Bike Lanes Coming to Upper West Side

DOT

After a close Community Board vote of approval, the DOT will soon begin installing protected bike lanes on a stretch of Columbus Avenue between 96th and 77th Streets. The changes [pdf] are very similar to those made to parts of Eighth Avenue, Ninth Avenue, and Grand Street in Manhattan. The three 12 feet wide driving lanes will be narrowed to 10 feet wide, which is the standard for Manhattan, and a buffer lane of parked cars will protect the bike lane from traffic. At high-traffic intersections, the city will install "pedestrian refuge islands" with separate bike traffic signals and left turn lanes. If successful, it's likely that the protected bike lane model will be expanded all the way down to Ninth Avenue.

After facing resistance from the Community Board transportation committee, the full board approved the changes in a close 23-19 vote. The meeting was packed with bike lane advocates, including Matthew "Private Joker" Modine, a longtime cycling advocate who told the board, "Biking is something this city has fallen in love with. If I hadn’t had a bike I don’t know what I would have done. I had no money. I couldn’t even afford a token." And though local businesses have been worried about being able to receive truck deliveries, the board sided with Modine, and a cheer rose up from the crowd of more than 100 people who sat through the debate, the West Side Independent reports.

In a thorough analysis, Streetsblog writes that "the fact that the vote came down to the wire is also a testament to the sheer stubbornness behind many board members' opposition to bike lanes... According to CB 7 chair Mel Wymore, the board received 'an overwhelming amount of support' for protected lanes. Letters, e-mails, and phone calls in support of the lanes had poured in, while the opposition was silent. Noting how few opponents of protected lanes had spoken at any of the board's public meetings, Wymore observed that 'there were more people opposed on the community board than in the community.' "

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on June 3, 2010 5:18 PM

Comments [rss]

Erk

know what's gonna happen here? same thing as everywhere else they put in these stupid lanes; it becomes a sidewalk extension. When will they figure out they need to install "protection" between the sidewalk and the bike lane? The biggest annoyance/danger on my commute is zombie pedestrians and their electronic leashes, not cars. think about it... the difference in speeds is far greater between that of a bicycle and that of a pedestrian than a bicycle to a car. Cyclists who know what they're doing will still just ride with the cars as always...

It's accommodating, but only to the lowest common denominator of cyclist who needs to be coddled by silly crap like this to stoke his/her courage.

HTFU

djkampos

20 blocks? Big deal. Good start but isn't it a little silly to do this piecemeal? I think most cyclists besides idiot delivery guys tend to bike more than 20 blocks. If it's piecemeal you end up trapped and surprised in the Port Authority taxi lane as RatherBeBiking mentions. Developing every little lane shouldn't be such high drama necessitating a John the Baptist, Matthew "Private Joker" Modine.

John L

How much is this going to cost? I thought we were in a fiscal crisis? I don't get it. We're laying off teachers, closing firehouses and senior citizens, etc but we have money for this? Shouldn't we but a freeze on all non-essential expenditures, till things get better?

I'm not against cyclists but at this time is this the best way to spend this money?

MrManhattan

The real question is: "How much will this make"?

Increased sales, commercial rent and property taxes in the improved areas far outweigh the cost of paint. Not to mention the gains in employment (payroll taxes) and quality of life.

whitecastlerock

Hahahhaaa how much will this make? Do you have factual evidence to support this theory? The area where this bike line is proposed is already a good area-the high rent district. There are stores closed along this route because RENTS are too high. TAXES are too high. You think a bike lane will revitalize this area?

MrManhattan

New York University researchers have recently interviewed hundreds of shoppers along the East Village segment of the Select Bus Service corridor. They have focused on: preferred modes of transportation; pedestrian compared to automobile driver spending; and how shopping habits might change if parking were reduced and/or bus access improved.

The results are striking. Among the 500 customers surveyed, 7 percent came to the area by car, 45 percent arrived by public transportation and 43 percent arrived by biking or walking. Spending habits were even more lopsided. Automobile drivers constituted less than 4 percent of the total weekly spending. Those using sustainable modes of transportation — biking, walking and public transit — represented 96 percent of weekly spending.

JenChungsBaby

This new bike lane will run directly in front of my building. I don't oppose it if the bikers obey traffic laws. But seriously, if you can't bike down that stretch of Columbus without a cordoned off and protected bike lane there's something wrong with you. The parking lanes are so wide on either side of the street that you have around 5 or 6 feet of space between the parked cars and the traffic where you can easily ride.

If the bikers using this new bike lane don't respect pedestrians and stop at red lights then there's going to be a whole lot of nails showing up on the ground.

JenChungsBaby

Which means absolutely nothing since it doesn't tell us what percentage of people came by bike or how much money they spent. The figures you provide could mean that 43 percent came by bike or zero percent came by bike.

MrManhattan

http://www.thevillager.com/villager_370/eastside.html

John L

It isn't just paint they also plan on installing "pedestrian refuge islands" and as with anything with the city this will end up costing 10 times what it should and I really don't see how this will impact "sales, commercial rent and property taxes" as far as the "gains in employment (payroll taxes)" then why was Bloomberg threatening to layoff 6,000 teachers and 900 police officers? Because the cost of employment is substantially more than what we'll get back in taxes.

I just can't see spending any money on new projects while the city is in this financial mess. Why don't they release the cost of this project and how we'll pay for it.

whitecastlerock

Oh stop being so melodramatic-there is a money tree the city council has. It is rich with taxpayer dollars. If the tree goes bare, well they find a way to raise taxes-they have been doing it forever! Bike lanes must be built-who fucking cares if buildings burn to the ground-it's the fucking greenhouse gases that will kill us all in the long run. Fuck education-that is what the internet is for! Senior citizens are expendable-cut their senior centers-they are gonna die soon anyway right? Why not get them off the books sooner? bike lanes will solve all of the city's problems-you just don't see it yet.

BrooklynBrood

I'm excited for the Floating Parking Lane. It's a bitch finding a spot for my zeppelin.

NlGGAZ

they need to put something up so i can ride from 14-42nd street without getting hurt. The uptown bike lane ends at 14th street on lafayette and the 6th avenue lane is atrocious!!!! sure there is the w side highway but going from lafayette to w side highway sucks.

Liam

6th Avenue is no bike superhighway. 8th Avenue is your best bet but it gets messy after 23rd and you have to mix with traffic outside the bus terminal.

lostwallet

Can't wait. I love riding down Columbus/ 9th but the divots caused by the busses and delivery trucks are the most dangerous part of the ride. In addition to looking out for the cabs, the baby carriages (stuck halfway into the street), the jaywalkers (who think they're invisible), and car door flingers, you also have to look out for "black ice" style lumps and bumps that can throw you and your bike off balance.