Turn Out Tonight to Support Livable Streets With Staying Power

allen_street_improvements.jpgThe current round of pedestrian and bike improvements for Allen and Pike Street might be just the beginning.

Tonight’s Manhattan CB3 committee meeting is an important one for advocates looking to make the current round of pedestrian and bike improvements on Allen and Pike Streets more permanent. This is a major reclamation project [PDF] stretching from Houston to the East River and a big success for bottom-up planning.

The changes underway right now rely mainly on paint, planters, and paving surfaces to set aside space for public plazas and bike lanes. It’s a great example of what you can do on a shoestring, but without a second phase of construction, the reclamation will have a temporary feel to it. The next iteration of this project might include plazas raised to sidewalk grade, for instance, or bike lanes with more robust physical protection. A solid showing in favor of further upgrades could help secure Parks Department funding for more long-term construction.

Representatives from Parks and DOT will be on hand at tonight’s CB3 meeting. To voice support for investment in this promising livable streets project, head over to the BRC Senior Services Center at 30 Delancey Street (between Chrystie and Forsyth). The meeting starts at 6:30.

  • Bill from Brooklyn

    I usually ride up Pike/Allen from the river to Canal and over to the Manhattan Bridge on my way home from work and back to Brooklyn. Last night I was able to ride along some of the as yet complete new bike lanes, and though not finished, it struck me as a very nice improvement done at (hopefully) minimal cost. Incremental improvements like this one are quite appreciated. My only concern is that once the project is fully completed, there may be a dramatic increase in the number of pedestrians walking in the bike lanes.

  • Drivers are wantonly violating the new left turn prohibitions. I hope that social shaming by other drivers is successful, because I’m not expecting any police enforcement.

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