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

CB 5 Committee to DOT: You Oughta Take a Traffic Lane Outta Sixth Avenue

The DOT proposal for Sixth Avenue adds a protected bike lane but doesn't remove any motor vehicle lanes. Image: NYC DOT

Like their counterparts at Community Board 4, members of the Manhattan Community Board 5 transportation committee think DOT's proposed redesign of Sixth Avenue isn't bold enough. Unlike CB 4, the committee voted for the plan anyway in a unanimous decision last night.

The proposal would add a protected bike lane from 14th Street to 33rd Street, narrowing the avenue's four motor vehicle lanes without eliminating any [PDF]. Committee members were concerned that the plan won't slow traffic and lacks various treatments that would better protect pedestrians, like wider sidewalks and raised concrete islands.

“This seems to me to prioritize traffic over pedestrians,” said committee chair Alan Miles.

DOT’s Ted Wright said other community boards are not as eager for more drastic changes. “I wish more community boards were asking for radical things,” he said.

"We ask every time you come here," Miles quipped. "You're always concerned about parking spaces."

Despite wanting more from the redesign, the committee expressed a commitment to move forward with any and all improvements DOT proposes. The project now moves to the full board. Meanwhile, CB 4, which covers the west side of the project area south of 26th Street, is expected to reconsider the proposal in January.

Sixth Avenue has a high injury rate, and a Transportation Alternatives study released in September found that cyclists account for 10 percent of all traffic on the street. "We think it’s critical," Janet Liff, who lives in the neighborhood and helped lead TA's volunteer campaign for a safer Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue, told the CB 5 committee. "As you said, if it’s not perfect it can be improved incrementally over time."

While Liff said she would like to see a dedicated bus lane added as well, she agreed with the committee members' assessment that “the perfect should not be the enemy of good.”

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

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

Tuesday’s Headlines: Hit-And-Run Edition

A look at this year's traffic stats. Plus other news.

August 5, 2025

DOT Reveals Transformational Plan For Flatbush Ave. — But Needs To Get The Details Right

The bus-first transformation is an ambitious project that could speed buses by 20 percent while also calming the roadway's notorious traffic. But it's not perfect.

August 4, 2025

Monday’s Headlines: We’re Living Rent Free in Mayor Adams’s Brain Edition

Mayor Adams doesn't want you talking about his record on bike lanes. Plus more news.

August 4, 2025

Here’s A Bus Rapid Transit Plan For New York … If the City Cares

It sure beats the current method of guessing or simply basing the route on how strongly a given neighborhood opposes or supports it.

August 1, 2025
See all posts