What Real Bike Lanes Look Like

Posted by Glenn June 27, 2006 at 5:05 pm in News |
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In the constant debate over cycling safety and illegal cycling people often seem to overlook a central fact - NYC residents and the government officials in charge of transportation don’t know what real bike lanes should look like. Streetsblog has some nice photos of what REAL bike lanes look like.

Here on the Upper East Side we have a solidary bike lane that starts (out of nowhere) at 72nd Street and First Avenue and goes up past 96th Street all the way to 125th Street. There are no south-bound bike lanes, no crosstown bike lanes and a pitiful excuse for an East River greenway that is interupted at various points by a large staircase, Carl Schurz Park promenade and completely non-existent from 62nd 36th Streets. But even that solitary bike lane on First Avenue is pretty lame - a thin white stripe that is often violated by cars & trucks.

First Ave Bike Lane

But in many other cities around the world, bike lanes are physically separated from the roadway servicing automobiles.

Buffered Bike Lane

These bike lanes can be used by anyone - even the elderly and children. To avoid horrible tragedies like the recent death of Derek Lake the City Department of Transportation local Community Boards and local elected officials need to come together to build an agenda of mutual benefit for cyclists, pedestrians and motorists.

Transportation Alternatives is having a Press Conference on the Steps of City Hall Thursday Morning, June 29th, at 9am to address this issue and then a memorial ride at 6:30pm later that day at 42nd Street & the Hudson River Greenway.

3 Comments

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  1. [...] Screw CityRacks, I want CyclePods! The perfect complement to better bike lanes. [...]

    Pingback by Damek. » Blog Archive » Someday Everything Will Be A Pod — June 28, 2006 #

  2. What Real Bike Lanes Look Like…

    The good folks at UpperGreenSide discuss the bike lane situation in NYC, and contrast it to what urban riders in some other cities get to cruise around town in. The above pic is from Montreal. More bike lane shots to make you jealous can be found a…

    Trackback by Anonymous — June 28, 2006 #

  3. [...] Upper Green Side strongly supports the completion of the NYC Bike Master Plan, which calls for an East River Greenway and Bike Lanes on First and Second Avenue. We hope that this new plan will create more real bike lanes that are buffered or protected from automobile traffic. We raised the issue of bring bike lanes to the Upper East Side with the local community board in February and collected over about 800 signatures for a petition to bring bike lanes and greenways to the Upper East Side. The Community Board did not take action on the specific request to install bike lanes at that time, but to their credit, the community board included a statement on improving bike safety in their district needs statement to the city. We remain commited to working with all community stakeholders to design a sensible plan to encourage more cycling in the neighborhood. Through our upcoming transportation survey, we plan to understand the demand for all different modes of transportation in the neighborhood. [...]

    Pingback by Upper Green Side » City Announces Major Biking Initiative — September 12, 2006 #

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