NYC DOT, COUNCIL MEMBERS KALLOS AND POWERS ANNOUNCE GAP ALONG 2nd AVENUE BIKE LANE HAS BEEN CLOSED
Break in protected bike lane near Queensboro Bridge had been a source of concern among
cyclists; Second Avenue protected lane now runs uninterrupted more than four miles from 125th
Street in East Harlem to 43rd Street in Midtown
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The NYC Department of Transportation announced that a gap in the 2nd Avenue protected bike lane near the Queensboro Bridge on the Upper East Side has now been closed. DOT Manhattan Borough Commissioner Ed Pincar joined Council Member Ben Kallos, Council Member Keith Powers, community leaders, and advocates for a ribbon cutting celebrating the implementation of bike lanes along Second Avenue from East 68th Street to East 59th Street – closing an important gap in the bike network leading to the Queensboro Bridge. The Second Avenue lane now runs uninterrupted from 125th Street to 43rdStreet.
“Second Avenue is not just an important thoroughfare for cyclists, it is a corridor shared by all road users,” said Manhattan Borough Commissioner Ed Pincar. “As part of the Mayor’s Green Wave plan, we are committed to even more protected bike lanes, and closing this gap makes the road safer for everyone. Cyclists, of course, get safer passage along a heavily used corridor -- giving them an uninterrupted protected route from East Harlem to the Queensboro Bridge -- and beyond. A huge thank you goes out to our partner Council Member Kallos for his advocacy for this project.”
“Pedestrian and cyclist safety is first and foremost in my office. The Second Avenue bike gap was dangerous; a tragedy waiting to happen,” said Council Member Ben Kallos. “I am proud of the work my office has done over the years alongside the Department of Transportation to successfully close the bike gap and make that section of Second Avenue safe. Now Upper East Side cyclists who want to bike downtown can do so without risking their fearing a collision. Thank you to the Department of Transportation for this creative and effective fix. I am positive closing the bike gap has saved lives.”
The 2nd Avenue protected bicycle lane first was completed on the Upper East Side in 2017, soon after the conclusion of MTA construction of the new Second Avenue subway along the corridor. The gap-closing project features a parking-protected bike lane from East 68th to East 60th Street during off-peak hours to encourage traffic calming. It will also allow for loading/unloading on both the east and west curbs. During peak hours (3pm-8pm), the parking lane becomes a moving lane to maintain vehicle capacity and traffic flow. During those times, the bike lane becomes a curbside buffered lane. The 19thPrecinct of the NYPD has actively enforced the new restrictions along the corridor.
At the entrance of the Queensboro Bridge at 59th Street, a complex intersection with constantly high vehicle volumes and limited bike access, DOT added the following improvements:
- Bicycle crossings where there were previously none on the east curb
- A concrete island tip extension to create shorter crossing distances and allow for safer two-stage bike crossing
- New lane configurations to better organize traffic movement and create safer turns
Closing the 2nd Avenue protected bike lane gap near the Queensboro Bridge and increasing bike infrastructure in the Upper East Side has been a focal point of Council Member Kallos and Power’s Bike Safety Program. Other infrastructure improvements made by the Department of Transportation in the Upper East Side include.
- Doubling bike lanes from just First Avenue and the 90th & 91st Street pair to include Second Avenue, 70th & 71st Street and 77th & 78th Streets in 2017.
- Leading pedestrian intervals along York Avenue to give pedestrians a chance to cross before vehicles get the green light in 2016.
- “Safety neckdowns” have extended the curb and islands have been added at dangerous intersections throughout the Upper East Side, so pedestrians have less distance to cross.
Pending ongoing construction in the area, DOT plans to close the final gap on 2nd Avenue from 42ndstreet to 34th Street – near the Queens Midtown Tunnel -- during 2020.
“The City needs to build more protected bike-lanes to increase the safety of our cyclists. I applaud DOT and Council Member Ben Kallos for their work in ensuring this part of the City gets an increase in protected bike lanes,” said Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, Chairman of the Transportation Committee. “I will continue working with my colleagues at the Council, DOT, and advocates to make sure we continue seeing the arrival of protected-bike lanes across the 5 boroughs. The mounting number of cyclists deaths is not acceptable and these protected bike-lanes will greatly reduce risks going forward.”
“The closure of the nine-block gap between 68th Street to 59th Street is a positive step for the safety of New Yorkers. This closure will minimize the risk of injury for all who travel in the area. Given recent traffic-related fatalities, we must take urgent steps to protect pedestrians and cyclists alike,” said Council Member Keith Powers. “Now, it is equally imperative to close the remaining gap in 2nd Avenue between 43rd and 34th Streets. I look forward to working with the DOT to complete the remainder of the bike lane and thank them for their collective efforts.”
“Filling the gaps in the city's protected bike lane network is a critical step toward eliminating traffic deaths in the five boroughs. Protected bike lanes make streets safer not just for New Yorkers who bike, but for pedestrians and motorists, too,” said Transportation Alternatives Deputy Director Marco Conner. “We're grateful to the Department of Transportation for filling
this particularly problematic gap, and look forward to working together to fill remaining gaps in the network.”
“Filling the gaps in the city's protected bike lane network is a critical step toward eliminating traffic deaths in the five boroughs. Protected bike lanes make streets safer not just for New Yorkers who bike, but for pedestrians and motorists, too,” said Transportation Alternatives Senior Organizer Erwin Figueroa. “We're grateful to the Department of Transportation for filling this particularly problematic gap, and look forward to working together to fill remaining gaps in the network.”
“An important goal for bike network development is protecting cyclists for the duration of their rides. Congratulations to Commissioner Trottenberg and the NYC DOT team for engineering a safe bikeway across the very heavy traffic volumes here at the foot of the Queensboro Bridge, and for setting sights on the last Second Avenue gap at the Midtown Tunnel,” said Bike New York community outreach director Sharon Pope.
About Vision Zero: In 2014, New York City became the first City in the United States to implement Vision Zero. Through a combination of enforcement, education and engineering, New York City made dramatic changes that have helped drive down fatalities for five consecutive years, bucking national trends. To maintain progress, since the beginning of 2019, New York City has released a Vision Zero Year 5 Report, as well as a major update to its Pedestrian Safety Action Plans. In July, to address an upturn in cyclist fatalities, the Mayor released the Green Wave plan, which further expands these efforts.
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For more information about the de Blasio Administration’s Vision Zero initiative, please seehttp://www.nyc.gov/visionzero.