One of the many slides presented at Tuesday’s meeting.
The Department of Transportation unveiled a new traffic plan for Lincoln Square area on Tuesday night, attempting to fix the dangerous conditions that helped cause 123 traffic injuries, including one fatality, between 2008 and 2012. The “bowtie” where Columbus and Amsterdam cross at 64th-65th street is particularly dicey for pedestrians.
The plan calls for new crosswalks that allow pedestrians to travel South on Columbus without hopscotching across several medians, extends the Columbus Avenue bike lane, and bans three turns in the mid-60’s to reduce conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles. It would close the Broadway median at 64th street entirely, blocking it with an extended concrete median.
The protected bike lane on Columbus would be extended to 67th from 69th, then become a shared lane from 67th to 66th, become a painted path fro 66th to 62nd, and then become a protected lane again South of 62nd.
The plan was meant as a conversation-starter, and DOT said it would use suggestions from the community to modify it. The full community board won’t vote on it until next year, and it could potentially be implemented by next spring.
The DOT says the entire plan will be available on Tuesday morning and we will post it then.
