Wednesday: CB 4 to Vote on West Side Protected Bike Lanes

Community Board 4 will vote Wednesday on the DOT plan to extend protected bike lanes on Eighth and Ninth Avenues north from 34th to 59th Streets.

As Noah reported in September, the lanes will offer a much safer route for commuters, delineating protected space on wide avenues sorely in need of taming, particularly near Penn Station, the Port Authority, and the Lincoln Tunnel (though two blocks of Eighth in front of the Port Authority will not be protected). According to DOT, eight pedestrians and one motorist were killed in traffic crashes on this stretch of Eighth Avenue since 2005, while six pedestrians were killed on Ninth. Similar safety improvements on a stretch of Eighth Avenue further downtown precipitated a 35 percent drop in injuries for all street users.

The lanes got the go-ahead from the CB 4 transportation committee last month, but true to form the anti-bike minority got the headlines. As always, the more friendly voices heard on this vital measure for safer cycling and walking, the better.

Wednesday’s meeting will be held at Roosevelt Hospital, 1000 Tenth Ave., at 6:30 p.m. The full agenda is here.

  • Anonymous

    I frequently have to drive up 8th avenue to clients with a car full of equipment.  My experience is that traffic moves reasonably well until the end of the bike lane due to the turning bays, after which point the cabs start turning across multiple lanes at every intersection, people go diagonally to avoid the snarls ahead, and it turns into a chaotic free-for-all.

  • Daphna

    Please come if you can!!  At full Community Board meetings members of the public are allowed to speak for 2 minutes each at the beginning of the meeting.  Sometimes these votes are very close; a few more voices in favor of bike lanes can make a big difference! You must arrive before 6:45pm in order to sign in to speak.

    Public testimony comes at the beginning of the meeting.  You will not have to wait until the bike lanes vote comes up later on the agenda.  You do not have to stay for the rest of the meeting after speaking.

    Please just come in the beginning to speak about why you want this street re-design extended on 8th & 9th avenues up to 60th Street.  You can talk about the safety statistics or about your personal experiences; any statement you make will help!

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