Last week's big news about Central Park going car-free in June has implications that extend beyond the park. With the park's roads no longer available as shortcuts for drivers, Manhattan traffic patterns will change, and that will make it easier to claim street space for other uses.
Without a car route to the Upper East Side through Central Park, Sixth Avenue is set to become a road-to-nowhere for some motorists. Meanwhile, for people on bikes, the connection to the Upper East Side through the park will become less stressful and more attractive. Already, nearly 2,000 people bike across 50th Street on Sixth Avenue daily during the warmer months, according to DOT.
The only protected bike lane east of Eighth Avenue and west of Second Avenue is the southbound route on Broadway. A Sixth Avenue connection would finally provide a northbound route through the busiest section of Midtown.
For similar reasons, now that Terrace Drive and West Drive will no longer be a rush hour shortcut for car traffic through the park, a protected two-way bike lane on 72nd Street will also become an easier lift. Advocates campaigned for a 72nd Street protected bike lane on the East Side a few years ago, but DOT ruled it out.
David was Streetsblog's do-it-all New York City beat reporter from 2015 to 2019. He returned as deputy editor in 2023 after a three-year stint at the New York Post.