NYC DOT
On Monday, the Department of Transportation announced, “It’s the Summer of Cycling in NYC.” The enthusiastic proclamation signaled a broad range of changes on the Upper East Side – geared towards increasing safety on Third Avenue between 59th and 96th Streets.
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With implementation slated to begin as early as next week, the Upper East Side can expect a protected bike lane, dedicated bus lane, pedestrian islands, and other safety measures spanning the length of Central Park.
These changes were discussed in October 2022 at a Community Board 8 Transportation meeting. There, the DOT Bicycle Unit’s Lead Engineer, Nick Carey, presented harrowing statistics regarding safety on Third Avenue. The stretch that has been designated for updates has a significantly higher rate of fatalities caused by crashes than nearby spans, as well as high rates of injury and severe injury. At 70 feet across, Third Avenue is wider than surrounding streets, and data suggests this can lead to faster driving.
Referred to as “Complete Streets,” the safety update program will put everyone in their proper place – bikes, buses, and cars will each have their own lanes. Similar changes have already been introduced along First Ave, and there is a long term goal of extending Complete Streets down the entire length of Third – and elsewhere in the city. While two car lanes will be lost, separating buses out of general traffic may be well worth it for motorists too.
The project will also introduce newly re-designed bike lanes – a far cry from the street that has been described as “a relic of now outdated best practices” by CB8. Long term, the DOT plans to monitor usage patterns and make adjustments as necessary. Per the Riders Alliance’s Jolyse Race, this will “prove a concept relevant to over a million riders citywide.” Pending its success, Complete Streets on Third Ave may very well provide a blueprint for a new New York.
The box trucks are strangely missing from the Proposed mock-up.
So true!
And the least you could
So is use 2 photos facing the same direction so it’s a real side by side comparison!
Maybe stopping the food delivery guys from their insane driving might be a better solution.
EMERGENCY! We need more bicycles, closed streets for people to fall on, middle of the avenue partial parking, emergency services riding sidewalks because traffic caused by these changes, more road rage, more city cars, piling up of taxis in front of mosques, sports cars in front of Black only churches, luxury cars in front of temples, and more bike lanes for illegal alien’s illegal bikes. But we definitely don’t need anything to improve businesses, police work, tax cuts, or removing the one party destruction of NYC.
A dedicated bus lane for an avenue where buses come sometimes once every 20-30 , minutes is an outrageous example of unfettered power run rampant! What were they thinking?
They are just trying to make life as difficult as possible for all other road users.
I must have read this wrong? IS that what is proposed?
Yep, all restaurant structures came down a few days ago and the City (not to mention the restaurateurs) is now losing, over time, millions of dollars in revenue so that a bus can drive unobstructed once every 20-30 minutes. Which it was, of course, doing perfectly well with no bus lane designation!
Was no one watching the idiots who did this and deprived us of our outside tables now that summer is here?
Does the public have the right to know who is responsible for this??
THIS IS CRIMINAL THAT THIS IS BEING PUSHED THROUGH WITH NO COMMUNITY INPUT OTHER THAN ONE MEETING THAT OBVIOUSLY NO ONE KNEW ABOUT.
DOES THE NEW DOT COMMISSIONER YDANIS RODRIGUEZ, KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT CITY STREETS.
THE CITY IS PREPARED TO SPEND COUNTLESS MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO TEAR UP THIRD AVENUE FOR ONE VERY ILL CONCIEVED PLAN TO MAKE THINGS BETTER.
THIRD AVENUE IS A VERY NICE THOROUGHFARE. IT IS LINED WITH APARTMENT BUILDINGS, SUPERMARKETS, RETAlL STORES. MOM AND POP STORES , CHAIN STORES AS WELL AS COUNTLESS RESTAURANTS!!!
THERE ARE 3 MTA BUS LINES THAT GO UP THIRD AVENUE. THIS IS PUBLIC
TRANSPORTATION.
THERE ARE CARS DRIVING. THEY ARE NOT GOING AWAY. THEY LIVE HERE,
OR WORK HERE, AND COME IN TO SHOP AND EAT IN RESTAURANTS AS WELL MILLION OTHER REASONS TO COME TO NYC.
TO LIMIT CARS TO ONE LANE IS INSANITY! THAT IS WHY WE HAVE ROADS!!
LETS NOT FORGET ABOUT ALL THE DELIVERY TRUCKS . THEY ARE HERE TO STAY. AMAZON, UPS, FEDEX, AS WELL AS COUNTLESS TRUCKS THAT COME IN TO SUPPLY OUR RESTAURANTS, THE STORES AS WELL AS REPAIR TRUCKS.
ARE WE DREAMING THAT THEY SHOULD VANISH?
THE BIKE RIDERS DO NOT NEED ANY MORE LANES! THEY ALREADY HAVE A LANE.WHICH THEY SHOULD USE.. THEY DONT NEED MORE LANES.
AS IT IS YOU TAKE YOUR LIFE IN YOUR HANDS WHEN OUT WALKING. NYC IS SUPPOSED TO BE A WALKING CITY. ALL MOTORIZED BIKES SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO BE LICENSED WITH A LICENSE PLATE ON THE BIKE. THEY SHOULD ALSO HAVE INSURANCE. THEY DRIVE WHERE EVER THEY WANT! THEY BLOW THROUGH TRAFFIC LIGHTS, RIDE THE WRONG WAY ON STREETS. AND ARE OFTEN ON THE SIDEWALKS. IT HAS GOTTEN TO THE POINT THAT THEY ARE NOT EVEN AFRAID OF CARS. YOU TAKE YOUR LIFE IN YOUR HANDS WALKING AROUND.
EBIKES/BIKES DO NOT NEED MORE LANES. THEY DONT NEED MORE ROOM, THEY NEED TO USE THE BIKE LANE THEY HAVE. THEY DO WHAT THEY WANT WITH NO RULES OR ACCOUNTIBILITY. THEIR IDEA IS TO RUN OVER WALKING PEOPLE.
TO PROPOSE ONE LANE FOR BUSES AND ONE FOR CARS IS INSANITY.
THIS CHANGE IS A MASSIVE WASTE OF MONEY! I THOUGHT WE WERE STRUGGLING TO RESOLVE HUGE BUDGET DEFICITS?? TO GIVE MONEY TO THIS IS BEYOND INSANITY. BESIDES THE FACT THAT IT IS A RIDICULOUSY CONCEIVED IDEA WITH NO BASIS IN REALITY.
THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE OVERSIGHT FROM OUR LOCAL POLITICIANS AND THE COMMUNITY. ONE MEETING FOR COMMUNITY BOARD 8 WITH THE DOT’S
BIKE ENGINEER IS LUDICROUS.
WHY IS THIS BEING SLIPPED THROUGH WITH OUT ANY COMMUNITY THOUGHTS AND INPUT.
The above email is spot on !! How are these major changes being allowed without community input ?? what about all the valid comments raised on this thread ?? So many reasons NOT to do this. The last thing the city needs is more bike lanes!! Wake up! How about enforcing rules of traffic with FINES for speeding bicyclists that go thru red lights and dont stop -weaving in and out of traffic- driving on the sidewalk and go against the traffic!! Pedestrians are in danger of getting run down !!