Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
South Bronx

Envisioning a “Complete Concourse” South of 162nd Street

adsf
What the southern portion of the Grand Concourse could look like with curbside bus lanes and median bikeway. Rendering: Street Plans Collaborative/Carly Clark via Transportation Alternatives
adsf

Will DOT go big with its redesign of the Grand Concourse? Last week the agency said it will "replace and upgrade existing bike lanes" on the Concourse, which gives an indication of what's in store north of 162nd Street, but not to the south, where the street has no bike lanes.

Transportation Alternatives' "Complete the Concourse" campaign is calling for bus lanes, protected bike lanes, and pedestrian safety measures to improve transit and reduce the startling death toll on the Grand Concourse, which is one of the most dangerous streets in the greater New York region. So far nearly 1,900 people have signed the petition. Council members Ritchie Torres and Andy Cohen have joined the campaign, and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. recently called for better bike infrastructure on the Concourse.

The Concourse is the type of street that needs a major overhaul to achieve the city's Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic deaths. Last year, in its "Vision Zero Investment" report [PDF], TA released a design concept for the southern stretch of the Concourse that envisions curbside bus lanes and a median bikeway (above).

"Because of the high surface transit needs, we found the best way to incorporate a great bus/bike experience was to propose running a bikeway down a center median," said Mike Lydon of the Street Plans Collaborative, who worked on the concept for TA. "The design, which is patterned after Sands Street in Brooklyn, is technically challenging from a signalization perspective, but worthwhile, as it gives pedestrians a refuge midway across the street and gives cyclists a truly robust place to be."

The intersection of 149th Street already has a left-turn ban (below), so adding a median bikeway there doesn't introduce new conflicts between cyclists and drivers. Other intersections would need separate signal phases to keep cyclists and turning drivers out of each other's way. Lydon stressed that this concept would not apply to the whole Concourse, just the southern part, where there are currently no bike lanes.

Image: Transportation Alternatives/Street Plans Collaborative
Photo: Transportation Alternatives/Street Plans Collaborative
Image: Transportation Alternatives/Street Plans Collaborative

DOT said it plans to present its redesign of the Grand Concourse this spring. In the meantime, if you want to get involved in the Complete the Concourse campaign, TA's Bronx committee puts on an "action ride" every month.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

NYPD’s Push To Criminalize Cycling Spells Trouble For Immigrant Workers

Safety for the community? Great. But aren't delivery workers part of the community, too?

May 9, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Habemus Knicksum Edition

It was a big day yesterday, but we're not on the sports or the religion desk, so let's get to our news.

May 9, 2025

Friday Video: Who Ruined Outdoor Dining?

We sent our own video team to find out.

May 9, 2025

Decision 2025: Mayoral Hopefuls Discuss E-Bikes … With Joy and Concern

E-bikes are a vital tool for delivery workers and for people seeking to reduce their use of private cars. What would you do to both expand e-bike use and make streets safer? And the answers are...

Live from Albany: Hochul’s ‘Safety’ Measures Stripped from Budget

Lawmakers dropped three initiatives that Gov. Hochul said would have made roadways safer (though, as we'll see, that's very much in question). Let's review them.

May 9, 2025
See all posts