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Transportation & Environment
Dept. of Transportation presentation on 8th Avenue Protected Bicycle Lane Project between 38th and 45th Street
At the regularly scheduled monthly Community Board Five meeting on Thursday, July 11, 2019, the following resolution passed with a vote of 38 in favor; 0 opposed; 1 abstaining:
WHEREAS, The New York City Department of Transportation ("DOT") has proposed the installation of a northbound protected bicycle lane on Eighth Avenue between 38th Street and 45th Street; and
WHEREAS, The Vision Zero program mandates a multi-agency effort to improve safety measures for all road users and reduce traffic fatalities; and
WHEREAS, DOT has recognized parts of Community District Five as especially busy thoroughfares within the City's bicycle network, and the project site has been designated a Vision Zero Priority Area; and
WHEREAS, Currently the number of bicyclists on Eighth Avenue without a protected bike lane is over 390 during the peak hour each day; and
WHEREAS, Bicyclists currently must share a lane measuring 13 feet across with motor vehicles between 39th and 42nd Streets and are allotted 0% of the road space on this section of Eighth Avenue despite accounting for 3% of all road users; and
WHEREAS, DOT and members of the community have both identified the need for additional pedestrian space to alleviate pedestrian overcrowding; and
WHEREAS, DOT proposes to install six painted sidewalk extensions on the west curb, each measuring 10 feet across, and a new bike lane measuring 6 feet across and protected by a lane divider; and
WHEREAS, DOT proposes to establish three general travel lanes measuring 10 feet across, an alternating taxi lane and a left turn lane on the west side of the street measuring 10 feet across, and a bus stop lane on the east side of the street measuring 10 feet across; and
WHEREAS, DOT proposes to extend metered parking to midnight with a 5-hour limit on Eighth Avenue between 38th Street and 45th Street as part of the Entertainment District regulation update; and
WHEREAS, DOT proposes to relocate the existing Spanish Transportation Service Corporation bus stop from the south side to the north side of 41st Street on the east side of Eighth Avenue; and
WHEREAS, DOT finds that the intersection of 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue is a frequent bottleneck for vehicular traffic, with two left turn lanes but infrequent left turns; and
WHEREAS, DOT finds that the space currently available for vehicle through traffic will be impacted only minimally by the proposed changes; and
WHEREAS, DOT proposes to remove an existing curbside taxi stand on Eighth Avenue between 40th Street and 41st Street and to replace the existing curbside taxi stand in front of the Port Authority Bus Terminal on Eighth Avenue between 41st Street and 42nd Street with a dispatcher-managed taxi boarding island on Eighth Avenue between 41st Street and 42nd Street; and
WHEREAS, DOT has found that only 25% of taxi pickups at the Port Authority Bus Terminal take place at the curbside taxi stand that DOT proposes to eliminate; and
WHEREAS, DOT proposes to design the necessary infrastructure according to now-standard principles, to paint the newly-created bicycle lane with green-colored paint, accented with white-colored markings to indicate the proper direction of bicycle traffic; and
WHEREAS, DOT has confirmed that the infrastructure put into place for these proposed changes is temporary and can be altered or removed if necessary;
WHEREAS, A specific and legitimate concern was raised that the NYPD may insist upon installing large concrete bollards in response to the proposed sidewalk expansions, limiting the amount of sidewalk space made available to pedestrians; and
WHEREAS, While Community Board Five has consistently been supportive of the growing bike lane network, many board members continue to raise serious concerns about dangerous cycling activity throughout Manhattan and insist that these concerns be addressed by both DOT and NYPD as the city continues to upgrade its infrastructure to allow for more cycling activity; and
WHEREAS, The proposed protected bike lane is similar to the existing bike lane on Eighth Avenue between 42nd and 43rd Street; and
WHEREAS, Community Board Five is generally supportive of the expansion of pedestrian space; therefore be it:
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends approval of DOT’s request for the installation of a northbound protected bicycle lane and the associated sidewalk and traffic flow changes on Eighth Avenue between 38th Street and 45th Street; and be it further
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends approval of DOT’s proposed changes to metered parking on Eighth Avenue between 38th Street and 45th Street; and be it further
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends approval of DOT’s proposed relocation of
the existing Spanish Transportation Service Corporation bus stop from the south side to the north
side of 41st Street on the east side of Eighth Avenue; and be it further
RESOLVED, Community Board Five insists that the NYPD minimize the number of large
concrete barriers it installs and instead install bollards whenever protection is necessary, to
provide for pedestrian safety while maximizing traversable pedestrian space; and be it further
RESOLVED, Community Board Five requests that DOT return to CB5 after the installation of
these proposed bike lanes as soon as practical after significant data can be collected related to
this section of Eighth Avenue, including but not limited to the number of total vehicles (cars and
bicycles) using the street after the redesign, compared with the equivalent time period before the
street redesign, along with residential concerns, and pedestrian safety statistics.