Bicycling

Tonight: Crucial Meeting on Lafayette Street Protected Bike Lane

NYC DOT's proposal to upgrade the northbound buffered bike lane on Lafayette Street and Fourth Avenue to a protected lane is up for a vote at Community Board 2 tonight, and while the plan sailed through the board's transportation committee earlier this month, a "Yes" vote is far from a sure thing. Redesign opponents who didn't show up at the committee meeting are expected to make an appearance at the full board vote, and that could jeopardize the project.

By Ben Fried

11:32 AM EDT on March 20, 2014

NYC DOT’s proposal for Lafayette Street and Fourth Avenue would swap the parking lane and the bike lane and slow speeding drivers with narrower motor vehicle lanes. Image: NYC DOT

NYC DOT’s proposal to upgrade the northbound buffered bike lane on Lafayette Street and Fourth Avenue to a protected lane is up for a vote at Community Board 2 tonight, and while the plan sailed through the board’s transportation committee earlier this month, a “Yes” vote is far from a sure thing. Redesign opponents who didn’t show up at the committee meeting are expected to make an appearance at the full board vote, and that could jeopardize the project.

The Lafayette redesign entails a simple change — flipping the current position of the parking lane and the bike lane, which will narrow crossing distances for pedestrians, protect bicyclists, and reduce speeding without removing traffic lanes. It’s an important step toward creating safer north-south biking conditions in the middle of Manhattan island, and tonight you can help put it over the top.

If you support a safer Lafayette Street, it’s important to turn out and prevent this opportunity from slipping away. To sign in to speak, show up by 6:00 at the Tishman Auditorium in the New School, 63 Fifth Avenue.

Ben Fried

Ben Fried started as a Streetsblog reporter in 2008 and led the site as editor-in-chief from 2010 to 2018. He lives in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, with his wife.

Bicycling | Bike Lanes | Community Boards | DOT | Manhattan

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