Bikers And Pedestrians Fight Cars For Space in Midtown
The New York City Department of Transportation is increasing the number of protected lanes in Manhattan, but bikers believe that large portions of existing and proposed lanes on Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Avenues do not extend far enough into Midtown.
This has created a dangerous divide among bikers, pedestrians, and cars, as they fight for space on busy streets in unprotected traffic.
Shmuli Evers, a UX designer who lives in Brooklyn, has commuted by bike to Manhattan daily for work since mid-2014. He is one of many who feel the Sixth Avenue protected lane, which currently runs between 8th Street and 33rd Street, should continue north of 33rd Street.
“After 34th, the bike lane turns into a very narrow sliver alongside 4 lanes of traffic, with many trucks and cars parked in the bike lane,” he said
Evers believes more people would be willing to bike in Midtown if the lane was extended. “The safer traveling by bike will get, the more people will start biking. Many New Yorkers I have spoken to think it’s currently too dangerous to bike in the city,” he said.
Transportation Alternatives, a non-profit that pushes for safer streets for bikers and pedestrians, recently launched the ‘Move Midtown’ campaign to urge the Department of Transportation to continue the extension.
The initiative calls for an increase in pedestrian space, crosstown protected bicycle lanes, a protected bike lane on Second Avenue from 43rd to 34th Street, and continuation of the protected bike lanes on Fifth and Sixth Avenues.
Manhattan Activist Committee Chair, Derek Magee, believes the current setup is not safe. “Above 34th Street, the existing bike facilities are terrible. Sixth only has a faded Class II lane, and cars really speed in that area,” he said. Class II lanes are separated from traffic with only a painted stripe, while Class I lanes are physically separated from traffic by a barrier or open space. “With the number of taxi pickups and other curb conflicts, cyclists are left weaving in and out of fast-moving traffic. Fifth is even worse, as there is not even a painted lane,” he said.
Mbaye Samb, a cab driver from Senegal who has worked in New York City for over seven years, has a different perspective:
“Bikes in the city are a nightmare. In Manhattan, it’s just not a good idea,” he said. “When they ride the bike, they ride in any way. It really messes up traffic.”
Samb also complained that riders often don’t wear helmets or adhere to bike lane restrictions. He believes that creating protected lanes will only increase traffic in Midtown and would be too dangerous and costly for the city.
While bikers and drivers might not agree on a solution, the DOT has said that extension past 33rd on Sixth Avenue would require “further evaluation.”
“The goal is, we’ll continue to work our way north, as we have on a lot of these projects,” DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said when the creation of the Sixth Avenue protected lane was originally announced in September 2015. The project could be costly, considering the average protected bike lane is around $600,000 per lane-mile, officials told WNYC last year.
