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

CBS 2: Don’t Touch the Highway Running Through the Upper West Side

Yesterday's CBS 2 attempt to trash potential street improvements for Amsterdam Avenue gets it wrong before the story even starts.

As she introduces reporter Lou Young, anchor Dana Tyler says a plan for a new bike lane on Amsterdam "has gotten the green light." Reality: The Community Board 7 transportation committee last week passed a resolution to ask DOT to consider a protected bike lane and pedestrian islands, removing one of four car lanes, and retiming signals. As of now, there is no plan, and the full board won't vote on whether to ask DOT to come back with one until November.

Tyler's routine sloppiness pales in comparison to the alternate universe conjured by Young.

From behind the wheel, Young describes Amsterdam Avenue as a wide open "highway," beloved by commuters in a hurry to get out of town. "Can this highway handle bike routes?" he asks. "Well, that's the question." As for whether a residential neighborhood like the Upper West Side should have a highway like Amsterdam running smack through the middle of it -- well, apparently that's just not the question for Mobile 2.

Young starts his segment with an obviously staged conflict in the Columbus Avenue bike lane between a wrong-way delivery cyclist and store owner Nicholas Zingone, who while standing next to a delivery van in front of his store says that, thanks to the bike lane, no one can park in front of his store. Viewers may recognize Zingone's as the same grocery that complained about the Columbus Avenue bike lane when CBS 2 did this segment the first time, nearly three years ago. That florist griping about the loss of parking? His vans are notorious for blocking the bike lane in front of the store, and for years he's been taking out his frustrations on the bike lane -- not the placard abusers and poorly priced meters that are the root cause of curb dysfunction in the neighborhood.

It's the same cast of characters who kvetched about change on Columbus back in 2011. So, did CBS 2 dig into whether the redesign has actually affected business? Nope. The only solid data on retail performance indicates that Columbus Avenue is doing fine with the bike lane, but hard numbers like commercial vacancy rates don't fit the he-said/she-said template.

For his story entitled "UWS Residents Don't Want Bike Lanes on Amsterdam Avenue," Young talks to one resident -- who likes the bike lane and pedestrian islands on Columbus. There's also a helpful comment from Peter Arndtsen of the local business improvement district, who says the city needs to do something about speeding drivers on Amsterdam.

This should be the crux of the piece: The "highway" celebrated by Young is, in reality, a neighborhood street currently designed for motorist speed. The local community board is considering asking the city to make it safer to walk and bike there. Young could have cited safety gains on Columbus, or the popularity of the redesign among residents. He could have spoken to Upper West Side business owners who appreciate streets that are more pleasant for the vast majority of their customers, or the residents who've been working hard to make Amsterdam safer.

Instead, the most honest aspect to Young's story is that he filed it from behind the windshield.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Albany Running Out of Options to Close MTA Funding Gap: Watchdog

Tighten the belt and give up the frills, the Citizens Budget Commission warned.

March 21, 2025

Advocates Demand New Jersey Agencies Cough Up Congestion Pricing Data

NJT and the Port Authority need to cough up some actually useful post-congestion pricing travel data, advocates on both sides of the Hudson River said.

March 21, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Fake Deadline Extended Edition

It's the first day of spring and, if you're U.S. DOT Secretary Sean Duffy, it was supposed to be the last day of congestion pricing. But it's not. Plus other news.

March 21, 2025

‘Disaster’: Outdoor Dining Snafu Could Ban Alfresco Booze For Months

It's shaping up to be a sober outdoor dining spring.

March 20, 2025

Congestion Pricing’s Big Winner? Bus Riders

Buses move faster in and around New York City ever since congestion pricing kicked in — spurring MTA officials to tweak some route schedules.

March 20, 2025
See all posts