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Transportation & Environment
Request by the Department of Transportation to install comprehensive improvements to the protected bike lanes surrounding Union Square and to establish a direct east-west connection to the 2nd Avenue protected bike lane.
WHEREAS, The Department of Transportation (DOT) has recognized the need for an integrated bike lane network around Union Square allowing bikers to safely navigate around the park in all directions; and
WHEREAS, DOT has identified three major areas where specific improvements will improve bike traffic flow and safety; and
WHEREAS, DOT has identified the Union Square area as a Vision Zero priority zone; and
WHEREAS, DOT has identified that two of the top 10 most used Citi Bike stations are in the Union Square area; and
WHERWAS, DOT has presented a comprehensive plan to upgrade the network of designated bike lanes designed to both improve bike traffic flow and provide safer routes for New York City bikers, pedestrians, and motorists; and
WHEREAS, DOT has recognized a need for a safe route for northbound bikers on 4th Avenue to travel from points south of Union Square past 14th Street along Union Square Park; and
WHEREAS, DOT has identified a need for a safe route for southbound bikers on Broadway to safely travel around Union Square to points east of Union Square Park; and
WHEREAS, DOT identified a need for a direct link for New York City bikers connecting the Union Square area to the bike lanes of 1st and 2nd Avenue; and
WHEREAS, Current conditions fail to adequately provide bikers with safe routes around the park; and
WHEREAS, current conditions around the park fail to measure up to the Vision Zero Standard; and
WHEREAS, 4th Avenue is 48 feet wide; and
WHEREAS, The existing 4th Avenue street design currently consists of an 8-foot parking lane on the east side of the Avenue, a 5-foot northbound unprotected bike lane, two 11-foot northbound travel lanes for motor vehicles, a 5-foot southbound unprotected bike lane, and an 8-foot parking lane on the west side of the Avenue; and
WHEREAS, DOT proposes to alter the existing condition on 4th Avenue by narrowing the eastern parking lane to 7 feet, eliminating both 1-way bike lanes, and installing a 5-foot buffer zone between the western parking lane and a new 6-foot wide protected bike lane on the west side of the avenue allowing for two-way bike travel; and
WHEREAS, DOT does not intend to alter the width of either of the 11-foot travel lanes on 4th Avenue or the width of the existing 8-foot parking lane on the west side of 4th Avenue; and
WHEREAS, DOT has identified that this new street design will have a traffic calming effect, better protect bikers, and will not negatively impact vehicular or pedestrian traffic in the area; and
WHEREAS, The southern portion of Union Square East immediately south of 14th Street is 36 feet wide; and
WHEREAS, The street design of the existing portion of Union Square East immediately south of 14th Street currently consists of an 8-foot parking lane on the east side of the street, two 12-foot travel lanes for motor vehicles, and a 4-foot buffer zone on the west side of the street; and
WHEREAS, DOT proposes to alter the southern portion of Union Square East immediately south of 14th Street, by narrowing the two 12-foot travel lanes and removing the current 4-foot buffer zone to create two 11-foot travel lanes and a new 6-foot bike lane on the west side of the street; and
WHEREAS, DOT has identified that this new street design will have a traffic calming effect, will better protect southbound bikers, and will not negatively impact vehicular or pedestrian traffic on this corner of Union Square Park; and
WHEREAS, Union Square East between 17th and 14th Streets is a total of 72 feet wide; and
WHEREAS, The current street design of Union Square East between 17th and 14th Streets consists of a 6-foot bike lane on the west side of the street, a 5-foot buffer zone, two 11-foot southbound travel lanes for motor vehicles, an 8-foot median separating southbound and northbound traffic, two 11-foot northbound travel lanes for motor vehicles, and a 9-foot parking lane; and
WHEREAS, DOT proposes to alter the southbound street design of Union Square East between 17th and 14th Streets by narrowing the two travel lanes from 11 feet to 10 feet to create an 8-foot bike lane, allowing for two-way traffic along this section of roadway; and
WHEREAS, DOT does not intend to alter the street design of the northbound side of Union Square East between 17th and 14th Streets; and
WHEREAS, DOT has identified that this new street design will have a traffic calming effect, will better protect bikers, and will not negatively impact vehicular or pedestrian traffic on this stretch of Union Square East; and
WHEREAS, DOT proposes that bikers traveling from points south of Union Square will use the new protected bike lane on 4th Avenue to connect to the Union Square East two-way bike lane at the intersection with East 15th Street by crossing the southern crosswalk of that intersection with the appropriate traffic signal and turning north; and
WHEREAS, DOT has identified that this connection will better protect bikers attempting to navigate around the east side of Union Square; and
WHEREAS, East 17th Street between Park Avenue South and Broadway is 54 feet wide; and
WHEREAS, The existing street design of East 17th Street between Park Avenue South and Broadway currently consists of an 11-foot buffer zone on the south side of the street used for parking by Union Square Farmers Market vendors, a 10-foot pedestrian walking zone, a 5-foot eastbound bike lane, a 5-foot buffer zone, an 11-foot westbound travel lane for motor vehicles, a 3-foot buffer zone, and an 9-foot parking lane partially shared by a Citi Bike storage station; and
WHEREAS, DOT proposes to alter the south side of existing street design of East 17th Street between Park Avenue South and Broadway by reducing the existing 10-foot pedestrian walking zone to an 8-foot zone, creating a new 8-foot bike lane allowing for two-way bike traffic, and narrowing the current 5-foot buffer zone to a 4-foot buffer; and
WHEREAS, DOT does not propose altering the existing 11-foot Farmers Market parking area; and
WHEREAS, On the north side of East 17th Street, DoT does not propose altering the westbound travel lane, the 3-foot buffer, or the 9-foot parking lane shared by Citi Bike on the north side of East 17th Street; and
WHEREAS, DOT has identified that the re-design of this stretch of roadway will allow bikers to safely navigate around the northern part of the park and will not negatively impact vehicular or pedestrian traffic along this section of Union Square; and
WHEREAS, East 17th, 16th, and 15th Streets immediately east of Union Square are typical streets of the area and are approximately 32 feet wide; and
WHEREAS, The current street design of East 17th, 16th, and 15th Streets immediately east of Union Square follows a typical layout consisting of 9-foot parking lanes on the north and south sides of the streets and a 14-foot travel lane for motor vehicles in the middle; and
WHEREAS, DOT proposes altering this typical street design to create dedicated bike lanes by narrowing the existing 9-foot parking lanes on East 17th, 16th, and 15th Streets immediately east of Union Square to create two 8-foot parking lanes on the north and south sides of the streets and by narrowing the existing 14-foot travel lane to create a 9-foot travel lane, allowing room for a 5-foot unprotected one-way bike lane; and
WHEREAS, DOT has identified that this new street design will have a traffic calming effect and will allow bikers to safely navigate between Union Square and points east, specifically the bike lanes on 1st and 2nd Avenue; and
WHEREAS, DOT suggests that this comprehensive plan incorporating improvements on 4th Avenue, Union Square East between East 17th and East 14th Streets, East 17th Street between Park Avenue South and Broadway, and East 17th, 16th, and 15th Streets would be a drastic improvement in terms of safety for all users of the New York City streets as well as the traffic flow along these heavily used thoroughfares; and
WHEREAS, Members of the public expressed great support for the overall goals of the presented plan; and
WHEREAS, Some members of the community also noted concerns that the plan could do even more to protect the safety of bikers and pedestrians, specifically on the northeast corner of Broadway and East 14th Street and along East 18th Street; and
WHEREAS, The plan as proposed fails to include bike-specific traffic signals at the intersection of Union Square East and East 15th Street; and
WHEREAS, The plan as proposed does not provide a physical separation between bike lanes and vehicular travel lanes in all parts of the proposal; and
WHEREAS, The plan as proposed does not address the existing dangerous condition for southbound bikers on 5th Avenue between East 23rd and East 14th Streets; and
WHEREAS, The plan as proposed does not provide an accessible route for eastbound bikers on East 16th Street to navigate around the park, requiring instead that bikers dismount from their bikes and walk across the park before continuing on their journey; and
WHEREAS, The plan as proposed may further complicate the already difficult traffic pattern on East 17th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues; and
WHEREAS, Community Board Five recognizes the proposal's tremendous safety improvements to the existing bike network around Union Square; and
WHEREAS, Community Board Five urges DOT to consider the installation of bike-specific traffic signals at the intersection of Union Square East and East 15th Street to better protect both bikers and pedestrians; and
WHEREAS, Community Board Five urges DOT to consider the installation of rumble strips on the southbound lanes of Central Park South to draw the attention of motor vehicles to the changing street design along Union Square East; and
WHEREAS, Community Board Five urges DOT to consider the addition of a protected bike lane on 5th Avenue between East 23rd and East 14th Streets; and
WHEREAS, Community Board Five urges DOT to consider this bike network in terms of a Complete Streets plan for the entire district to better link the various bike lanes and networks throughout district 5 with those of its adjacent neighbors; therefore be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five approves the request by the Department of Transportation to install comprehensive improvements to the bike lanes surrounding Union Square to increase biker and pedestrian safety, to improve traffic flow, and to establish a direct east-west connection to the to the 2nd Avenue protected bike lane.