Complete Streets

Monday night was a big moment for sustainable transportation in Cleveland.

The transportation committee of Manhattan Community Board 11 wants to see protected bike lanes on First and Second Avenues, which the city promised for East Harlem last year and then delayed. Joined by City Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito, who spoke strongly in favor of the project, the committee endorsed plans to build protected lanes between 96th Street and 125th Street on both avenues in a vote of 5-1, with two abstentions.

As he announced yesterday, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the complete streets bill into law this afternoon. The law will require all major transportation projects -- either those undertaken by the state DOT or funded and overseen by them -- to consider all users, whether they are driving, cycling or walking. Depending on the context, that could mean anything from including a shoulder on the side of the road to building sidewalks and crosswalks to installing traffic calming devices and bike lanes.

Despite a committed group of local advocates, official consideration of new bicycle infrastructure in Upper Manhattan has been on hold for years. A public forum held by Manhattan Community Board 12 last week could finally lead to some forward movement on street safety and bicycle issues for the neighborhood.

With five bus lines, two subway stops, a busy commercial strip, the only entrance to the Hudson River Greenway for blocks, and major bridge crossings at both ends of the street, Washington Heights' 181st Street is a tangle of cars, buses, bikes and pedestrians. For years, DOT has been looking to redesign the corridor entirely, with the goal of finding a way to serve all those different needs.

Despite streets that remain far too dangerous for walking -- 3,485 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes during the past decade in the New York metro area alone -- efforts to pass a complete streets bill are still stalled in the state legislature.

Earlier this week, 12 senators, led by Tom Harkin (D-IA), introduced the Complete Streets Act of 2011 (S.1056), a companion to the House bill we reported on a few weeks back. The purpose of the bills is to push states and metropolitan planning organizations to fully consider incorporating pedestrian and bicycle safety measures when roads are built or reconstructed.

Compared to other American regions, the New York metro area is, by and large, a safe place to walk. Only two large metros, Boston and Cleveland, perform better on Transportation for America's pedestrian danger index, as described in the new report, "Dangerous By Design," which Tanya covered earlier today on Streetsblog Capitol Hill.

Over the last four years, New York City has seen a transportation renaissance on its streets, striking a better balance by providing more space for walking, biking, and transit.