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

This Week: L Train Shutdown Road Show Comes to the West Side

Image: NYC DOT

If you live on Manhattan’s West Side, this week is your chance to weigh in on the MTA/DOT plan to keep people moving while the L train is out of commission for Sandy-related repairs.

DOT and the MTA are hosting a series of open houses to solicit public feedback on the plan, and the West Side session is coming up Wednesday. After the initial plans were revealed, advocates called on the city and the MTA to do more to speed bus travel, with 24/7 transit priority and more dedicated busways.

But DOT is also getting an earful from people who want to water down the plans for busways and bikeways. Some of the most intense NIMBYism is concentrated on the West Side, where opponents of repurposing street space seem to think that letting cars jam up buses and depriving people of safe bike routes will make the traffic situation more tolerable. Assembly Member Deborah Glick told the Villager that the two-way protected bike lane planned for 13th Street "will never have my support."

Weakening the transit and bike improvements will only make traffic during the L shutdown worse. To prevent the NIMBY pressure from eroding the good aspects of the DOT/MTA plan, it's going to take a sustained push by people who understand why high-capacity bus service and safe bikeways matter.

You can speak up for robust bus service and safe crosstown bike infrastructure starting a 5 p.m. Wednesday. Location details below. There's also L train shutdown action on Tuesday, when the agency's present plans to Brooklyn Community Board 1.

Check the full calendar for more info on these and other events.

    • Today: Families for Safe Streets hosts a storytelling and journaling workshop for victims of traffic violence and their loved ones. 111 John Street, Suite 260. 6:30 p.m. RSVP here.
    • Tuesday: Brooklyn CB 1, which covers Greenpoint and Williamsburg, gets an update on L shutdown plans from DOT and MTA. 211 Ainslie Street. 6 p.m.
    • Also Tuesday: An expert panel will delve into the ins and outs of contracting with the private sector to provide transit service, in this discussion of TransitCenter's recent report, "A Bid for Better Transit." 1 Whitehall Street, 17th Floor, Manhattan. 6 p.m. RSVP to events@transitcenter.org.
    • Wednesday: DOT and MTA host an L shutdown open house. Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, 229 W. 14th Street. 5 to 8 p.m. Attendees are welcome to arrive at any time.
    • Saturday: The city Health Department, PurElements, and The Brown Bike Girl host the Black History Bike Party, a free kid-friendly event about black history and bicycles. Details here. ARTs East New York, 534 Livonia Avenue, Brooklyn. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Watch the calendar for updates. Drop us a line if you have an event we should know about.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Money for Something: Funding OK’d, But Details Missing For ‘Dept. Of Sustainable Delivery’

The mayor got the Council to sign off on $6.1 million for the long-awaited “Department of Sustainable Delivery." But what's it mean? No one is talking.

July 1, 2025

Incoming Albany Mayor Could Help Safe Streets Movement Statewide

The state capital is built for the car and that is how it is experienced by our lawmakers. But could that change under a new mayor? Here's hoping.

July 1, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines: Another Child Sacrificed to the SUV Edition

Stop de kindermoord! An 8-year-old boy killed by an SUV driver is the latest victim of America's obsession with big cars. Plus other news.

July 1, 2025

DOT Testimony: Removing Bedford Ave. Bike Lane Will ‘Reduce Safety’

"Removing the protected bike lane won’t remove cyclists — it will only make the street less safe," the DOT said. "The city risks legal liability for knowingly reducing safety on a Vision Zero priority corridor."

June 30, 2025

Hochul Signs Speed Camera Reauthorization, Enforcement Continues Through 2030

Stating a clear fact that scores of state legislators reject, Hochul said, "Speed cameras save lives and keep New Yorkers safe."

June 30, 2025

Cyclists Tell Judge Carolyn Walker-Diallo: The Bedford Ave. Bike Lane is a Lifesaver

A judge will decide the fate of the Bedford Avenue bike lane on Tuesday. Streetsblog offers some user affidavits.

June 30, 2025
See all posts