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Transportation & Environment
Proposal by Department of Transportation for installation of a southbound protected bike lane on Seventh Avenue
At the regularly scheduled monthly Community Board Five meeting on Thursday, June 10, 2021, the following resolution passed with a vote of 35 in favor; 1 opposed; 1 abstaining; 1 present not entitled to vote:
WHEREAS, The Vision Zero program mandates a multi-agency effort to improve safety measures for all road users, including implementation of a connected protected bicycle lane network; and
WHEREAS, The New York City Department of Transportation (“DOT”) has previously installed—and Community Board Five has approved—crosstown bicycle lanes on 52nd and 55th Streets, 38th and 39th Streets, 26th and 29th Streets., and DOT has also previously installed—and Community Board Five has approved—northbound/southbound bike lanes on parts of Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Avenue(s), as elements of a connected protected bicycle lane network; and
WHEREAS, DOT has previously, as of 2016, installed a bicycle lane on Seventh Avenue southbound from 46th Street to 42nd Street and 30th Street to 14th Street; and
WHEREAS, The West Drive exits Central Park at Seventh Avenue and 59th Street; and
WHEREAS, Since 2018, Central Park has been closed to car traffic, significantly decreasing southbound car traffic on Seventh Avenue from 59th Street south; and
WHEREAS, DOT has proposed the installation of a southbound protected bicycle lane on Seventh Avenue from 59th Street to 47th Street, and an unprotected connecting bicycle lane from 47th Street to 46th Street, achieved via the removal of one standard traffic lane and painted pedestrian islands; and
WHEREAS, DOT has not installed any bike infrastructure on Seventh Avenue between 42nd Street and 30th Street that would pass Penn Station, the largest mass transit hub in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Specific and legitimate concerns were raised concerning (i) the available radius for eastbound and westbound buses turning south onto Seventh Avenue, (ii) the potential for traffic backups and congestion where Seventh Avenue narrows on the block south of 47th Street, and (iii) the continuing lack of response by DOT to Community Board Five's requests for follow-up reporting on usage, operational and safety concerns regarding previous bicycle lane installations; and
WHEREAS, While Community Board Five has consistently been supportive of the growing bike lane network, board members continue to raise concerns about the degree to which the posted rules and regulations of the bicycle network are followed appropriately, to be addressed by both DOT and enforcement officials as the city continues to upgrade its infrastructure to allow for more cycling activity; therefore be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends approval of DOT's proposal for the installation of a protected southbound bicycle lane on Seventh Avenue from 59th Street to 46th Street; and be it further
RESOLVED, Community Board Five requests that, prior to installation of the bike lane, DOT further investigate, on the ground and not solely using software simulations, the safety of turning radii for buses turning onto Seventh Avenue coming from both directions of 59th Street; and be it further
RESOLVED, Community Board Five requests that, prior to installation of the bike lane, DOT consider the use of flexible dividers and other safety options for the new bike lane that does not contain a barrier and investigate the feasibility of possibly removing a travel lane to allow for a barrier between the bike lane and the travel lanes on Seventh Avenue between 47th Street and 46th Street; and be it further
RESOLVED, Community Board Five requests that DOT fast track the installation of a southbound protected bike lane on Seventh Avenue from 42nd Street to 30th Street to allow for a continuous protected bike lane along Seventh Avenue from 59th Street to 14th Street in Community Board Five; and be it further
RESOLVED, Community Board Five requests that DOT install audible signals on pedestrian crossings on affected blocks to ensure the safety of visually-impaired pedestrians, and that DOT engage the visually-impaired community on an ongoing basis; and be it further
RESOLVED, Community Board Five requests that the DOT redouble substantive and long-term efforts at teaching and advocating for safe cycling behavior, including delivery cyclists, Citibike users, cyclists riding at extremely high speeds, and e-bike users; and that these efforts go significantly beyond the current temporary deployment of "Street Ambassadors" for a short period following the installation of new bike lanes; and be it further
RESOLVED, Community Board Five requests that enforcement of illegal and dangerous cycling behavior be reconsidered and reinvented by the City, whether by NYPD or empowerment of another agency or agencies to do so, to find ways to incorporate regular and predictable enforcement of traffic safety laws for cyclists into standard daily enforcement in Manhattan, via safe and appropriate enforcement on vehicles similar to those being regulated; 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 the use of these streets after their redesign, 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, and that DOT also respond to CB5's numerous previous requests for similar reporting set forth in its previous resolutions approving bicycle lanes in the district.