A community board committee voted 7-0 Tuesday night to ask the city Department of Transportation to come up with a proposal for a protected bike lane and other changes on Amsterdam Avenue from 59th street to 110th. It’s the first step toward getting a protected Northbound bike lane like the Southbound one that’s now on Columbus.
The decision, which came after three and half hours of debate, will be voted on again at a full community board meeting next month before the DOT starts drafting plans. And once DOT comes up with a proposal, the community board will get another look before anything is actually installed.
Although some board members have mentioned Central Park West as a possible location for a protected lane, a CPW lane didn’t come up at the meeting, Kelle Cruz told us. “Advocates prefer Amsterdam [to CPW] because it is a commercial street with businesses that pedestrians & bicyclists would patronize,” cycling advocate Liz Patek wrote us.
Streetsblog says that people for and against a lane spoke out at the meeting, although the pro-lane speakers outnumbered the anti by about 2-to-1.
One comment on Streetsblog was particularly interesting:
“I was at this meeting, and was struck by the age divide: older people against a bike lane — apart from two youngish guys, one of them from Jerry Nadler’s office, complaining that they would lose their parking spaces — and younger people in favor. What was depressing was that these older opponents, who would benefit most from changes making Amsterdam easier for pedestrians to cross, seemed resigned to the danger posed by motor vehicles, just throwing up their hands and saying that there was nothing that could be done to make cars slow down and trucks stop double parking, so why bother doing anything?”
Transportation Alternatives showed the video below to indicate that the proposal has support among businesses. We also asked business owners on Columbus Avenue about the lanes and found varying opinions.
the bikers do not use them and if they do they go against traffic.
Thank you for reminding me! I need cat litter–a 15-pound bag. I’ll bike up Broadway (with traffic) because even that’s slightly safer than Amsterdam. Since i’m going up there, I’ll stop by Michael’s Arts and Crafts at 100th for a few supplies for my small biz, then the fruit stand on 97th at Columbus for papaya. I can do all this in 45 minutes or less by bike would be very difficult to do this on foot or by bus carrying 15 pounds and I have to get to a client’s office in a couple of hours. I’ll ride down Columbus to 77th to get there–after I drop off my purchases at home at W 86th and Amsterdam. I would be more likely to support Little Creatures, a small neighborhood shop on Amsterdam at 97th if there were a bike lane there.
Thousands of bicyclists use the Columbus and CPW lanes every day. Take a look during rush hour.
As for the bicyclists going the wrong way, I couldn’t agree more. It’s dangerous for pedestrians, it’s dangerous for bicyclists going the right way and it’s dangerous for them! But, the more we embrace safer streets and bicycling, the more that sort of behavior becomes taboo.
I noticed it recently in Amsterdam where no bicyclists would dare try and “salmon” in the wrong direction. If you don’t want to travel to Europe to see it for yourself, just take a look at 8th Avenue. Only the rare, daft delivery guy attempts to ride against the flow of traffic.
There is another difference, those that oppose bike lanes live in the neighborhood and have seen the disasterous effects that bike lanes have created on Columbus Ave. Bike lanes are being promoted as the answer to all traffic problems and again its the young, naive, and selfish ones that see it that way.
Transportation Alternatives is promoting bike lanes for their own self interests, bike lanes give TA officers jobs, and money.
As I’ve mentioned many times before, if reducing traffic is the ultimate goal, and I believe it is, then the city needs to promote the use of public transportation. As of now, every time the city has an opportunity to promote public transportation they make parking easier. Why?
Why do we fail to understand that there is a difference between residents vehicles, outsiders vehicles, taxis, buses, and commercial vehicles. The only subset that doesn’t get recognized are the residents. Commercial traffic, which is the greatest environmental threat are allowed to double park, park by hydrants, park in clearly marked “no standing” zones, and park by meters with no penalty even though these actions create the traffic that DOT is telling you is no good.
The police realize the absurdity of these bike lanes on Columbus and will do nothing to penalize offenders.
Bottom line though it is our fault. We, the residents of the UpperWestSide, don’t participate. We allow our politicians to exploit our lack of participation and they laugh at us as they make thier bank deposits.
I think that it was Woody Allen who remarked “the meek shall inherit the earth. Right between their front two teeth!”
David,
I don’t fully understand your frustration. But if I can try and digest your comment, you appear to be angry about loss of parking?
I can appreciate your seasoned experience in the UWS (I’ve only lived at 90th and Columbus for four years). However, you appear to feel like you’re in the majority, but as you may know, only 23 percent of households in Manhattan own cars according to the most recent numbers from the New York City Economic Development Corporation. So while building a bike lane may not be in the best interest of every Upper West Sider, preserving free parking on public land certainly is not.
I think it’s important to understand that parking is a privilege, not a given. In most cities, you have to pay for a parking pass to park on the streets, since the city has to maintain that public land.
If you’re having a hard time finding a parking spot, I suggest you rent a spot in a garage.
But that’s kind of the Transportation Alternatives scam. They also lobby hard against parking garages.
It’s the same tactic as when they lobby against new laws to control rogue cycling (they say “we need enforcement instead!”), but then decry enforcement when it actually occurs.
I attended the meeting, and pretty much everybody who spoke was an Upper West Sider. The one exception that I remember was a representative from a pedestrian safety advocacy group from downtown (who was an expert, and came to speak in favor).
I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that the pro “complete streets” residents are every bit deserving of respect as any other Upper West Sider speaking about Upper West Side issues.
Just because they promote safer streets in a way you don’t agree with doesn’t make them any less “authentic”.
I live on 86th at Columbus. What disastrous effects has the bike lane on Columbus created?
Agreed, Mike. I live on W. 72nd off Columbus. The new bike lane doesn’t seem disastrous to me. The worst, and it is bad for drivers, are the delivery trucks that now have to park in the traffic lane in front of Pioneer. The delivery guys have always ridden against traffic. Nothing new there.
The bike lanes on Columbus have been a disaster. Traffic is much worse than before, and cyclists generally zoom down them without any consideration for red lights or crossing pedestrians. Crossing the road is much more dangerous as a result.
The DOT released their annual study in September and it showed that traffic congestion has actually improved since bike lanes and the pedestrian plazas have been installed.
Personally, I look both ways before I cross the street. That may be a novel idea, but it has served me well in my 35+ years.
I have a bigger problem with cyclists riding on sidewalks than in dedicated bike lanes. The easiest way to avoid “disasters” with cyclists is to look before you enter the street.
To the contrary, injuries on Columbus have dropped dramatically since the initial redesign and while there is less speeding, it’s 35 percent faster to get from one end to the other. Anecdotal reports are no match for the facts, which tell us these redesigns make streets safer and more functional.
As a long-time upper west sider, I like what the city has done on Columbus Avenue, and think it would help calm traffic on Amsterdam if this plan goes through. I live in a neighborhood that I think would care about people’s safety, not keeping trucks from roaring through. Narrowing the street with the bike lane helps everyone who is on foot, not just the bike riders.
Safer streets, calmer and better organized traffic, shorter crosswalks, protect bikes from cars and cars from bikes, what’s not to like? Truck loading needs more attention, certainly. Fewer parking spaces is a good tradeoff, in my opinion. I own a car and pay to park it. The cost hurts, but that’s what I have to do to do my part for safer streets.
Regarding the perceived “age divide”—although most of the opponents of the resolution who spoke were indeed older, there were plenty of gray-haired supporters of the resolution in that room as well, many of whom spoke eloquently in favor of a bike lane (and all the pedestrian & mass transit amenities that come with it) and gave visual testimony to one of the potential benefits—their fit & trim older bodies.
Three U.S. generations now have been brought up in car culture, and many may have a knee-jerk response against any change to that culture, but plenty of boomers and older have seen through the surface glitz of car culture to the insidious heart of it. Those who haven’t seen through it yet may be convinced by organizations such as the AARP, which itself strongly supports “Complete Streets” redesigns like the proposed one on Amsterdam Avenue.
I strongly urge anyone of any age who is fearful about these proposed changes to the streetscape to read what the AARP says about them: https://www.aarp.org/about-aarp/press-center/info-06-2013/AARP-Supports-Legislation-to-Ensure-Safe-Streets-for-All-Walking-Driving-Cycling-or-on-Public-Transportation.html
Albert, you’re harshing my mellow! Me and my gray hair were so pleased at being put in the young group. It was almost as good as getting carded at a bar and getting a look of shock from the doorperson–though it’s been a while since that happened.
I think turning Amsterdam Avenue into a “safe street” is a splendid idea. I lived on Amsterdam for 7 years and finally moved when I just couldn’t take it anymore. Am I the only one who finds overly wide Amsterdam Avenue to be the loudest, ugliest avenue on the UWS?
Big, booming trucks barreling up the street at speeds approaching 50mph, spewing soot and dust in their wake? Have you ever had the misfortune of eating outside on Amsterdam Avenue? I felt like I was living on a major truck route.
Every safe street with protected bike lanes I’ve been on seems more, I dunno, laid back… civil… and more human in scale.
And for the record, I’m a pedestrian, a cyclist and car owner (weekends only).
If you’re worried about “soot,” I’m pretty sure that more congestion is just going to make it worse. Perhaps some of that soot gets laid off on people who live on Broadway, but the environmental impact of truck traffic is not going to get appreciably better on Amsterdam by increasing congestion.
Not necessarily true. Americans, and New Yorkers are driving less-and-less every year.
Cycling is the fastest growing mode of transportation in New York City, and that probably has *something* do with the trend here (not the only thing, of course, the trend is too broad for that to be the case).
It’s a strange argument to make suggesting that –in the long/medium term at least– soot is going to *increase* if non-soot producing forms of transportation are encouraged in our densely populated urban areas. =/
Having lived on the UWS for almost 30 years now, I can only be a staunch supporter of an Amsterdam Avenue complete street design. I am not sure why some Upper West Siders think a super highway going right through the middle of our highly populated residential neighborhood is a good idea. We don’t need more cars in our ‘hood. If the only objection to bike lanes is rogue bicyclists going the wrong way, that can be addressed. They all wear identifyng vests these days and I have called a few of the restaurants myself when I have seen unsafe maneuvers from the delivery guys.
I am one of he older ones you referred to. Over 60, having raised a family on the UWS, I lost my husband, a physician serving the UWS, in a bike crash when a truck failed to yield at an intersection, I am passionate about our community having livable streets. A protected bike makes our Avenue safer for all street users. In addition to dramatically reducing death and injuries, it will bring much needed capital to businesses on Amsterdam, one of the city’s most heavily trafficked and frightening arteries. We, on the UWS (especially with a firm history of progressive politics) deserve nothing less!
It’s comments like this that really put into perspective the selfish minority bickering about lost parking and congestion when in truth what we are really talking about here is saving lives and preventing life-altering injuries.
I have lived on the UWS for 62 of my 64 years. My wife is 74. We are active walkers and we both bicycle around town. We strongly support a Complete Streets Redesign for Amsterdam. One more thing: A million mikes/month are now being peddled on CitiBikes. Both Gale Brewer and Helen Rosenthal have pledged to work to bring CitiBike to the UWS. We want them — and ALL bicyclists and walkers to be safe. And finally, both Helen, and Mel Wymore, 2 former CB7 chairs support safe streets. Both ran in the recent Democrat primary to succeed a Gale Brewer in a platform that included support for safe streets and the kind of redesign that has brought safety and greenery to Columbus. Helen won, Mel finished a strong #2 in a field of 6. Between the two of them, they had nearly 70% of the vote on the UWS. Overwhelmingly, the vast majority of people on the UWS support these safety improvements. It is time for the obstructionists to stop, and get behind a better, safer, Amsterdam and UWS.
Getting around at 70 years old is not a snap for everyone but it’s easier in New York where we don’t have to drive than in other cities. Now that we have the Hudson River Greenway and many protected bike lanes downtown, on the East Side, and finally on Columbus Avenue, I’ve seen a big increase in the number of old people like me on bikes. Don’t leave us out of the equation! Frankly, riding a bike on safe streets is much easier for many seniors than getting in and out of cabs, a bus, or down the stairs into the subway. More than that, getting around town by bike is cheap, efficient, and healthy.
I’m in favor of safer street crossings, slower traffic, and designated lanes where bikers can be easily seen – all of which come with protected bike lanes. But what’s most important to me is having a truly protected slot in the street, where the cars can’t get me when I’m travelling on my bike. As for cyclists riding the wrong way in the bike lane and pedestrians stepping off the curb without looking, that’s a small price to pay.
In fact just tonight I saw two school kids riding up Amsterdam Ave on their bikes at around 6:30 just as it was getting dark. Heavy traffic. Cabs pulling in and out. I just cringed.
dear fellow upper westsiders;
i am a grey haired pedestrian, street parking car owner, and a bicyclist for many errands around our city. I spoke at CB7 the other night. I am highly concerned about safety [mine and yours] while wearing all of the above hats/helmets, and know the proven, positive results complete,open, safe streets provides all. we all know about AARP and local business endorsements.
i wont apologize for being part of a large pro complete street group of locals who spoke at the meeting. most of us spoke from experience as riders of many different city streets.
it frustrates me to see the few opposed who would really benefit as pedestrians from safe streets. It seems the word ‘bicyclist’ triggers a knee jerk response similar to what Obamacare does for some others in this country. And before you start–no, i was not born in Kenya.
To zero in on the few unpolite bikers when we are talking about a full safer street, detracts from the conversation. I, too, want these few to learn to bike polite, and I try to remind then when i see their antics. More bikers in a safe, dedicated lane will make this correction easier. I wont ask the city to close the west side highway because of the speeding, weaving nuts we have all encountered.
this is one of the few areas in our country where the word ‘progressive’ is not a dirty word. with bike share coming and a growing bike community, I ask for a civilized solution to the chaos of a no holds barred Amsterdam ave.
please remember that this is not just about a bike lane. It is about safer streets shared by all.
thank you neighbors
I have lived on the upper west side for 20 years. My ONLY means of transportation is a bike. So for 20 years I have been riding a bike in this city. I think the new bike lanes, the protected bike lanes, are very very dangerous to ME, the guy on the bike, because pedestrians still mindlessly walk right in the lanes over and over again WITHOUT LOOKING AT ALL. I literally avoid all of these lanes now because they are like a death trap for me (i don’t know, maybe other bike people love them because they are just going for a cruise and not commuting?). With the old lanes (like the beautifully functional one on CPW) the biker is protected from the cars AND from the pedestrians. they usually don’t stroll into the lane because THE PARKED CARS are nearest to the sidewalk. this makes a BIG difference. As they are designed now, the biker and the pedestrian are at risk. To make everyone happy, they should just design this amsterdam one with the parked cars nearest the curb. if bike people still feel afraid of cars with a giant bike lane, they should not be on a bike in the city.
How ridiculous and useless. While the streets are used year round we continue to convert them to bike lanes which are used seasonally. Bike lanes carry far less people than streets (buses cars etc.) The bike lanes destroy traffic patterns and cause parking to become a nightmare. I hope the next mayor seriously considers the effects these lanes are having before going ahead with them.