Cars will eventually be parked between the bike riders on the left side of Amsterdam Avenue and the traffic to their right.
City trucks have begun painting lines for the new Amsterdam Avenue protected bike lane from 72nd street to 110th, which will result in Amsterdam losing one lane of car traffic. New left-turn bays will be installed at 79th, 86th, and 96th streets, and there will be new pedestrian safety islands placed inside the bike lane.
There’s more on the plan below and here.
Thanks to Roger for the photo.
Does anyone have any idea how you get from 72nd street to 59th Street south of Columbus Circle? As of yet, there are no protected lanes that link these two areas and remans the biggest barrier to riding from the UWS to anywhere downtown.
Where are you coming from? I do this every day. If you are fearful of riding through Lincoln Center and/or around the circle by the Time Warner Center — which is actually pretty mild — then either: (1) ride down Broadway, bear right at Lincoln Center (so you don’t cross lanes) and continue on 9th Avenue/Columbus, which as a bike lane; (2) ride down Columbus in the bike lane until 66th, cross Broadway westward past Century 21 and then continue as in (1) above; or (3) ride down CPW until the end, and then walk your bike a block and across to the Broadway bike path.
I agree that riding down Broadway is fine until you hit Times Square, and then I just want to scream.
Cant you ride the 9th avenue bike lane south? Or the West Side Highway Bike Path?
Yes, pretty scary going through Columbus Circle sometimes.
Same issue heading down Broadway when you get to TKTS. Nowhere to go except right into the densest traffic in the city.
The NYC bike lane system is pretty good, getting better but there are still some serious gaps.
When you get to TKTS, you should be allowed to go streight, since they got rid of the barriers. You have to get off your bike but once you clear of the old NY Times building you can get back on your bike.
Agree with Times Square. The biggest hiccup in the system by far.
I haven’t gone by TKTS in a while so I’m not sure how long It’s been since DOT installed a raised bike lane on the left hand side of Broadway going south. This actually makes managing that area a lot safer. But you’re right, there are disconnects in the network in a lot of places.
Wait – no whining yet?
This bike lane is the consequence of allowing all of those yuppie scum to move into my our beautiful neighborhood back in the 90s. Without all of the graffiti, crack vials and crime, I hardly recognize the place. Now bike lanes. Where will these damm improvements end.
Obviously, you were being sarcastic but I ask again: What is wrong with Young Urban Professionals? Why is there such resentment and loathing toward them on the part of many who comment here?
Obviously, you were being sarcastic but I will use the opportunity to once again ask: What is wrong with Young Urban Professionals? Why so much resentment and loathing toward them?
I would assume that the city is required to file an economic impact statement for making these traffic changes. Is that correct? If so, has UWS Rag requested it?
This is getting a bit much. Bike lanes take way too much of the street and r used actively for max 6months of the year. Traffic is bad enough already. Instead of creating new bike lanes, city should repair the disaster pot holes on 10th and 11th avenues in the 50-60th street blocks. My tires and rims cost way too much :(.
If you take the time to look up the DOT’s $711 million annual budget, you will see they can do both!
Last year, the city spent $242 million of the DOT budget on roadway resurfacing, and $7 million, entirely federally funded, on building out the bike lane network.
I hope you don’t have to wait four years to get Tenth and Eleventh avenues resurfaced, like we did for this heavily supported street redesign.
Part of the impetus for this is the people who have been killed here. They include a four-year-old girl on the sidewalk and a woman crossing the street to get to St John’s Cathedral on New Years Eve.
Just for the record, the Four year old girl was killed by a teen driver who was trying to allude the cops (car chase). Some could argue that the police should have no chased him (he was being pulled over for not using a turn signal). I doubt the bike lanes would have prevented this incident, and truth is, we’ll never know.
One thing for sure, plenty of advocates erroneously use such incidents to bolster their argument, when in reality, one has nothing to do with the other.
“trying to allude the cops”
I think you meant elude.
I’m aware the police were engaged in a high speed chase through a school zone on Amsterdam Ave when an unlicensed teenage driver jumped the curb and killed a 4 year old on the sidewalk. Thanks, sorrytosay.
Yes, the impetus for me to sign the Petition was the pedestrian redesign aspect.
I believe that the Amsterdam redesign was intended to improve safety for all travelers; which I support.
Minor technical note, I think the pedestrian refuges are between the bike lane and car traffic.
Very excited for the protected bike lane and new street trees. Thank you DOT.
I’m glad for the bike lanes, but will it make bicyclists any more considerate of pedestrians at crosswalks? As for the narrowing of Amsterdam by one lane, anything that discourages the use of private cars in the city is welcome. I am a driver myself, but the needs of pedestrians have been too long neglected. This city was not built for so many cars and massive trucks double parked making deliveries in the middle of the day.
I think we should just close Broadway from one end to the other just for Bikes that way pedestrians will be safe on the other avenues. Look at the photo above the pedestrian is having to wait on the bikes blowing the red light.
So when the cyclists get yet another protected lane, will they stay in it or still decided where they want to ride no matter what. Will they stop at red lights? Will they respect pedestrians’ right of way? I’d doubt it but at least they’ll be happy.
I know I know they are doing god’s work and the rest of us just need to shut up.
You’re absolutely right. We pedestrians always stop at the corner when the “Don’t Walk” hand is illuminated.
Tell me, how many people in cars or on bicycles have suffered serious injury or death because of the actions of a jaywalker? Now compare that to the number of pedestrians who have suffered serious injury or death from cars or bicycles even when they had the right of way. People who cross against a light are mainly putting themselves at risk, not others.
Yes, we will. Most of us already do. Protected lanes will give us a safer path so we don’t have to be on the road with the cars. I agree that we need more bike education. I see too many bikers not wearing a helmet and worse, wearing headphones.
But honestly, I think the real issue is that we have a large elderly population that has either lived in NYC their whole life and has never ridden a bike or lived in the suburbs as children and only think of bikes as something for kids.
The reality is bikes are not just for kids any more. Many people have simply discovered that bikes are a healthy and green alternative to cars and more enjoyable than the subway. Manhattan is 13 miles long, 2 miles wide. There is no reason why it can’t be made bike friendly place.
It is my view that this community of very progressive, environment citizens need to look at the big picture and consider what they want this island to look like 20 years from now. Do they want continue with dirty cars that line the streets and take up space, or a green future with less cars and more “alternative”, more “green” methods of transportation.
Hi Jeff Berger
Native, authentic New Yorker here. Don’t know how to drive. Not elderly but have some great elderly relatives 🙂
(My assumption is that you are from the suburbs originally because most of us who grew up in NYC have older relatives here)
I do not favor the Amsterdam bike lane. My primary concern is that narrowing Amsterdam will impact negatively on buses – slowing buses and causing congestion.
And nothing against bikes per se, but in NYC there are too many cyclists who run red lights. One of my kids was nearly run over by a cyclist and though we are careful pedestrians we’ve all had numerous near misses with cyclists. I feel sorry for the delivery people – actually the most egregious behavior comes from “regular” cyclists.
The real issue with vehicle traffic on the West Side is not individual cars. The traffic is largely commercial – construction vehicles, service vehicles, delivery vehicles, Uber, taxis.
In fact the explosion in delivery – Amazon, Fresh Direct etc – plus development has increased traffic.
Strangely enough, some of the most enthusiastic cyclists in my building are also the biggest users of delivery, getting packages/deliveries nearly every day! They may bike but they are not living a “green” life by any means.
I would suggest that folks truly concerned about vehicular traffic make an active effort to substantially reduce delivery.
Support our local stores.
I’m sorry should those over forty simply move or should those ,who walk simply stay in their apartments so that cyclists can have a clean environment. What utter horse feathers. Cyclists ride on sidewalks, they ride in the “protected lanes” or not as they desire. They don’t stop at red lights and the do go the wrong way.
If you think the only problem with cyclists is that they are not wearing helmets you need to think again.
“But honestly, I think the real issue is that we have a large elderly population But honestly, I think the real issue is that we have a large elderly population. . . ”
Yeah, this should end well.
Now, if only they would actually re-grade the street near the 72nd/amsterdam subway so that it doesn’t turn into a giant lake every time it rains (the street is literally graded “up” from the drainage point, so that it creates a pool when the water gets trapped).
I actually filed several 311 complaints about this one back when they repaved last year and somehow made it worse, and all of them got shuffled from one department to another until they finally got closed with zero action taken.
Samantha, don’t bother with City Hall or our local reps. This is by far the most useless administration that I can remember in office. Back in the day, I would e-mail Brewer or Stringer, and they’d get things corrected within two weeks (sometimes one!).
My advice, take pics of the flooding and next time the paving operation goes on (usually at night and every 2-3 years), ask one of the workers for the Foreman or Superintendent. Show him/her the pics and explain the flooding. They will adjust their paving machine to account for the poor survey shots that were taken. I was able to have them correct some areas along B’way (in the low 80’s though).
Good Luck!
AC – thanks. Believe me, there were pictures and messages to local reps as well. zero response. I’ve definitely saved the pics, and tweets, and reports, and I’ll keep all of that in mind for when I encounter a worker in the area the next time I see someone.
(I’ve also noted in my various communications that I will not hesitate to share my file of notifications of this hazard if I happen to hear about someone slipping and falling when the whole thing turns into a giant sheet of ice. Still nothing).
Great. Another reason to look eleven ways before crossing the street.
You will still be looking in the same direction when you cross the street, so I’m not sure how the addition of a protected bike lane will have any impact.
On a related note, it boggles my mind how some pedestrians will jaywalk through a bike lane without looking in the direction of traffic, and sneering at the biker—get your head out of your smartphone!
Yes, to look out for cars. A driver just killed an elderly man on the UES last night.
And before you say anything, the man was crossing legally in the crosswalk, on his green.
I was driving an elderly relative down Columbus Ave from 110 St to 59 St at around 2pm last Friday. This 50 block trip took a half hour. Why? Bike lanes. There is supposed to be three lanes of traffic, but unloading trucks and double parked cars create only one lane of moving traffic for the majority of the trip. No police around to ticket or force double parkers to move on. Is this what we can look forward to on Amsterdam Avenue.
Also, shouldn’t Amsterdam have been repaved before the roadway was marked up?
I live in Amsterdam Avenue and am looking forward to calmer traffic. Amsterdam Ave currently feels like a highway, not a neighborhood street. The painted bike lane and curb extensions with tree plantings will give the street a narrower feel and will benefit the neighborhood.
Jon, your Comment resonated with my strong feeling that protecting a neighborhood feeling is a priority.
When trucks double parked on both sides of the ave there will only be one travel lane. That will be fun.
So that’s the bike lanes fault? How about we ticket idling double-parked trucks?
Excellent! I am looking forward to a safer Amsterdam Avenue!
This commentary is a joke. This is about safety. The city helping to make everyone (not just the bikers) safe given the number of cyclist has and will continue to rise.
Just yesterday around 5:30 I was crossing Columbus with the light at 77th where there is a protected bike lane when I was almost hit by a cyclist tearing through the red light on the west side of Columbus. This is the kind of thing that makes pedestrians hate cyclists. Even when they have a protected bike lane some don’t use them.
Yay bike lane! Yay bikes!