Eyes on the Street: Concrete Progress on Eighth Ave Protected Bike Lane

By Ben Fried
Jul 6, 2012

Doug Gordon of Brooklyn Spoke fame sends these shots of another milestone in the extension of the Eighth Avenue protected bike lane: The pedestrian islands are going in. These pools of pure unspoiled concrete were spied at the intersection of 35th Street.

Watching this NYC DOT safety project take shape in the heart of Midtown, a favorite quote from livable streets guru Jan Gehl comes to mind: “How nice is it to wake up every morning and know that your city is a little bit better than it was the day before.”

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DOT’s Latest Missed Opportunity for Protected Bike Lanes

By Stephen Miller | Jun 4, 2015

Eighth Street, which cuts eastbound across Greenwich Village just above Washington Square Park, had two traffic lanes until recently. A road diet by the Department of Transportation dropped it to one lane and added new pedestrian crossings. Left out of the redesign: bike lanes. Instead, there are “extra-wide parking lanes” that also accommodate double-parked drivers. Last November, the plan […]

The bike lane at Columbus Circle would loop around the inner public space, with cyclists using pedestrian signals to enter and exit. Image: DOT

Safer Bikeways Slated for Columbus Circle and Amsterdam Avenue

By David Meyer | Jun 21, 2018

The Manhattan Community Board 4 transportation committee endorsed the projects unanimously.

New DOT Report: Protected Bike Lanes Improve Safety for Everyone

By Stephen Miller | Sep 5, 2014

In sync with Bicycling Magazine naming New York America’s best biking city, DOT released a report this week full of stats on the safety impact of protected bike lanes. It’s the most robust data the city has released about this type of street design, and the results prove that protected bike lanes make streets safer not […]

Manhattan CB4 Wants the Full Safety Treatment for Eighth Ave Bike Lane

By Ben Fried | Jul 22, 2010

Last night Manhattan Community Board 4 voted unanimously in favor of an 11-block extension for the Eighth Avenue bike lane, which would bring the protected bikeway up to 34th Street. In an interesting flourish, the board asked that the extension include separate left-turn phases for bikes and cars. Top: Left-turn zone on Second Avenue. (Photo: […]

Eyes on the Street: Eighth Avenue Protected Bike Lane Heads North

By Brad Aaron | May 14, 2012

Reader Niles Ray sends in this bird’s-eye view of bike lane construction on Eighth Avenue at 37th Street. The extension of protected bike lanes on Eighth and Ninth Avenues was proposed by DOT last year, and won subsequent community board approval. The lanes and pedestrian islands will provide safer passage for cyclists and pedestrians north […]

Fifth Avenue at 48th Street: Lots of space for cars, cramped conditions on the margins for people walking and biking. Photo: Google Maps

DOT Still Lacks a Plan for Better Walking and Biking in the Heart of Midtown

By David Meyer | Sep 26, 2017

At a Community Board 5 meeting, dozens of people called out DOT for hesitating to claim street space for wide sidewalks and protected bike lanes in the most crowded part of the city.