Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bike Lanes

DOT Moves Ahead With Two Pairs of Upper East Side Bike Lanes

In July, DOT will install painted bikes lanes on 70th, 71st, 77th, and 78th Streets. Image: DOT
In July, DOT will paint bikes lanes on 70th, 71st, 77th, and 78th Streets. Image: DOT
In July, DOT will install painted bikes lanes on 70th, 71st, 77th, and 78th Streets. Image: DOT

With Manhattan Community Board 8 failing to agree on three pairs of Upper East Side crosstown bike lanes, DOT will go ahead with painted bike lanes on 70th/71st and 77th/78th streets early next month.

So concludes the year's most ridiculous bike lane story, an epic drama that at one point outed Woody Allen as a full-on bike lane NIMBY.

Advocates had hoped for a protected lane on 72nd Street, but DOT signaled early on that it would only consider painted lanes. These bike lane pairs are just thermoplastic stripes designating space for cycling, without any changes to parking spots or car lanes.

Nevertheless, at meeting after meeting, people showed up in a panic about the possibility of bike lanes by their home, school, or workplace. Parents and administrators from schools on 84th and 85th streets, in particular, fretted over the purported threat to pedestrian safety, despite all evidence to the contrary.

Last month, the full board finally voted on three pairs approved by the transportation committee: 70th/71st, 77th/78th, and 84th/85th. CB 8 Chair Jim Clynes attempted to force separate votes on each pair, but the board ultimately rejected all three lanes in one fell swoop by a vote of 19 to 25 with one abstention.

While DOT is moving ahead with two pairs of bike lanes, the omission of the 84th/85th pair is telling. Without those streets, there will be no cross-town bike lanes between 78th Street and 90th Street.

Looking ahead, Citi Bike is just beginning to reach the northern sections of the neighborhood. Even CB 8 has called for a long-term bike plan that uses "the safest appropriate design." Bike advocates on the Upper East Side coalesced over this project, and soon enough they'll be asking for more.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

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

Friday’s Headlines: Water Here, Water There Edition

Blame Father Time, not Mother Nature for Thursday's subway meltdown. Plus more news.

August 1, 2025

Komanoff: Data Show Time Loss from 15 MPH E-Bike Speed Cap is No Big Deal

A 15-mile-per-hour speed limit for motorized two-wheel devices — which e-bikes are — is eminently reasonable. And it doesn't cost much time at all, our columnist found.

August 1, 2025

Cities Matter More Than Ever After Trump Officially Denies Climate Change

We're entering a new era of federal climate denial, and it's time to use a different set of tools (like congestion pricing) to fight back.

July 31, 2025
See all posts