Chelsea

Residents of Hell's Kitchen and Chelsea packed into a room last night to discuss the more than 50 bike-share stations planned to open in their neighborhoods this summer. No one was there to complain -- this crowd was there to roll up their sleeves and get to work.

This Friday, New Yorkers will take part in Park(ing) Day, repurposing dozens of parking spaces around the city to show what you can do with valuable curbside real estate besides storing cars. Last year, participants set up everything from "alternate side mulching" to an entire dorm room, complete with walls and a television set, to help New Yorkers re-imagine the potential uses of their streets.

On Wednesday, DOT outlined a proposal for new Class II bike lanes in Chelsea between Eighth and Ninth Avenues and the Hudson River Greenway. While safe streets advocates welcomed the news, there is concern that their planned location, on W. 29th and W. 30th Streets, may not be ideal for unprotected lanes.

Cyclists looking for a safer route between protected bike lanes on Eighth and Ninth Avenues and the Hudson River Greenway could soon see a measure of relief. Tonight, DOT will meet with the transportation committee of Community Board 4 to discuss plans for dedicated lanes on 29th and 30th Streets.

Top NYPD brass expressed surprise at West Side residents' unhappiness with the department's traffic enforcement policies and vowed to do better at a meeting of Manhattan CB 4's transportation committee last night. They also announced a new citywide "pedestrians first" policy for the department.

Construction is underway at the intersection of 23rd Street and Seventh Avenue in Manhattan, where DOT is building new pedestrian refuge islands and a sidewalk extension to provide some extra space around a busy subway station. The intersection, currently in the 99th percentile for severity-weighted traffic injuries in the city, will also have its signals adjusted to give pedestrians more conflict-free time to cross the street. The new plaza extends across two of Seventh Avenue's six lanes on the southern side of the intersection.

The driver of a motor vehicle hit and injured a cyclist at the corner of Seventh Avenue and 28th Street in Manhattan at 1:56 this afternoon, according to the NYPD. The cyclist was taken to Bellevue Hospital. The police didn't have any additional information about the crash at this time.

One of the city's most dangerous intersections, in the middle of a neighborhood full of senior citizens, is due for a safety upgrade. As part of the city's Safe Streets for Seniors program, NYC DOT will be installing new pedestrian refuge islands and a small "transit plaza" to the corner of Seventh Avenue and 23rd Street in Manhattan, along with more conflict-free crossing time for pedestrians [PDF].

Electeds and other officials gathered with representatives from AARP today to pledge support for street improvements and to call on Albany to pass complete streets legislation.