A protected bike lane. Image Credit: NYC DOT
On May 2, 2024, Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydonis Rodriguez announced proposed bus priority and bicycle lanes and discussed existing projects as part of efforts to prepare for the start of congestion pricing, set to launch on June 30th. Under the newly approved congestion pricing plan, drivers will be charged a toll to go south of 60th Street; the toll aims to encourage people to use alternative means of transportation to alleviate what is currently the most congested district in the United States.
In response to this upcoming change, the Department of Transportation released a new report Connecting to the Core: Safer, Greener and More Convenient Access to the Manhattan Central Business District. The report highlights 47 bike, bus and pedestrian projects implemented since 2019 that make traveling in and around the Central Business District more convenient. The report includes three dozen proposed or planned street redesigns.
Since 2008, the Department of Transportation has created over 140 miles of bike lanes in the Central Business District. Of these, over 100 miles are protected lanes. From 2019 to 2022, the district saw a 20 percent increase in cycling. Some proposed bike lanes within or approaching the Central Business District include:
- 72nd Street – A new protected bike lane from Riverside Drive to York Avenue
- Sixth Avenue – A new protected bike lane from Lispenard Street to West 8th Street
- Sixth Avenue – A widened protected bike lane from 8th Street to 33rd Street
- Seventh Avenue – A new protected bike lane from 42nd Street to 30th Street
- Dyckman Street – A new protected bike lane from Seaman Avenue to Route 9A
- Thomson Avenue (Queens) – A new protected bike lane from 44 Drive to Van Dam Street
Recently announced bike lanes that are in development and outreach stages are:
- Third Avenue – Expanding the wider bike land and bus lane north and south on the corridor between 23rd Street to 59th Street and 96th Street to 128th Street
- Tenth Avenue – From 14th Street to 38th Street
- Ninth Avenue – Widening the sidewalk for bike and pedestrian improvements from 42nd Street to 50th Street
- Queens Boulevard – Great Streets redesign from Skillman Avenue to Roosevelt Avenue
- Delancey Street – Redesigned to improve traffic safety and reconstruct the cycling approach to the Williamsburg Bridge, which is the city’s busiest bridge for cyclists
Bus priority lane improvements include working with the community to develop a plan for 34th Street. Other bus lane projects include:
- Hillside Avenue bus priority from Queens Boulevard to Springfield Boulevard (Queens)
- Grand Avenue bus priority from Union Avenue to Queens Boulevard (Brooklyn, Queens)
- Richmond Avenue bus priority from Arthur Kill Road to Forest Avenue (Staten Island)
- Bus priority connecting Allen Street, Pike Street and Madison Street (Manhattan)
Mayor Eric Adams stated, “Reducing traffic and expanding transportation options are key to improving quality of life for New Yorkers and this administration remains focused on enhancing access to Manhattan’s central business district for everyone who lives and visits our city. The projects outlined in this report will play a critical role in shaping the future of transit and cycling access on nearly every avenue in Manhattan — delivering safe, reliable, and environmentally-friendly ways to get around the borough.”
DOT Commissioner Rodriguez stated, “Congestion pricing will reduce traffic, improve air quality in our communities, and raise critical funding for our subways and buses. We have been preparing for this moment for over a decade, and with fewer cars entering the tolled zone, we can repurpose street space to make commuting by bus, bike, or on foot safer, faster, and more reliable. We thank Mayor Eric Adams for his support and look forward to working with the MTA, Governor Hochul, and New Yorkers to craft new projects in and around Manhattan’s core.”
By: Veronica Rose (Veronica is the Editor of CityLand and a New York Law School graduate, Class of 2018.)