Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bicycling

Eyes on the Street: Inaugural Ride on Co-Op City’s First Bike Lanes

Council Member XXXX cuts the ribbon on new bike lanes in Co-Op City. Photo: Alexander Belisle

On Sunday, a group of about 30 cyclists, organized by the Bronx Activist Committee of Transportation Alternatives, rode on the Bronx's newest bicycle lanes in Co-Op City. The lanes, which run on 222nd Street, Co-Op City Boulevard, and soon Bartow Avenue, provide connections within Co-Op City and to the Bronx River Greenway.

"The bicycle lanes allow us to connect all parts of the Bronx," Council Member Andy King told NY1 after a ribbon-cutting on Co-Op City Boulevard. These are the first on-street bike lanes for Co-Op City, home to more than 26,000 people, according to 2011 Census estimates.

The bike lanes came as two separate projects from DOT. In Community Board 10, bike lanes have been striped on Co-Op City Boulevard and are expected to be installed on Bartow Avenue from Co-Op City Boulevard to the Hutchinson Parkway, where they will connect to a newly-constructed Parks Department greenway. CB 10 district manager Kenneth Kearns said that while the board did not pass resolutions on the plan, board members did express concerns to DOT about the connection on Bartow Avenue beneath the Hutchinson River Parkway.

On Co-Op City Boulevard, the redesign maintains two motor vehicle lanes in each direction, and narrows the right-most car lane to create space for a bike lane. On Bartow Avenue, the redesign reduces the number of motor vehicle lanes in each direction from three to two and installs bike lanes.

In April, DOT said the plan for Bartow Avenue would extend further west, to Baychester Avenue near I-95 [PDF]. Kearns said that segment is no longer being considered after DOT scaled back the project due to concerns over traffic near the construction of a mega-mall on the site of the Bay Plaza Shopping Center. The project now stops at Co-Op City Boulevard instead. DOT has not responded to a query about why the plan was shortened.

Update: DOT spokesperson Scott Gastel said via e-mail that the agency is "still discussing the overall proposal with the community board."

lhg

In Community Board 12, bike lanes were requested by the 222nd Street Block Association, stretching across the Williamsbridge neighborhood between the greenway and Co-Op City. DOT presented a plan in February that changed the street from two lanes in each direction to one lane in each direction with bike lanes and a center turning lane [PDF].

Although CB 12 did not vote on any resolutions on the proposal, district manager Carmen Rosa told Streetsblog that most board members supported the bike lanes. "They live there, and they're the ones requesting it, and who are we to say it shouldn't be?" she said.

Led by Council Member Andy King, cyclists ride on new bike lanes in Co-Op City on Sunday. Photo: Alexander Belisle

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

SQUEEZED: Welcome to the Newly Unsafe Bedford Avenue ‘Bike Lane’

Bike riders are now endangered by parked cars and fast-moving traffic between Willoughby and Flushing avenues, as drivers revert to doing ... exactly what they had been doing.

Eric Adams May Veto Grocery Delivery Minimum Wage that Eric Adams Championed

A 2022 report from the former Democrat promised to expand labor protections to more app delivery workers, but he won't commit to supporting Council bills trying to do just that.

August 6, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines: Blow Canada Edition

Wow, something is really putrid in the air over New York City, and it's not the hometown ball clubs. Plus other news.

August 6, 2025

OPINION: Actually, Amazon’s Cargo E-Bikes are Good!

Amazon’s e-cargo bikes alleviate the need for delivery vans and reduce traffic collisions. They also look rad.

August 5, 2025

Inside Instacart’s Astro-Turf Group Opposing Worker Minimum Wage

Instacart is trying everything to pressure the mayor to veto a bill that would require the company to pay its workers minimum wage.

August 5, 2025

Zivarts: How ‘Week Without Driving’ Is Having An Impact

Needing to drive in a car-dependent society is not some sort of moral failure. A one-week teach-in can help elected officials see that.

August 5, 2025
See all posts