by Robert Freudenberg, Associate Planner, RPA
If you want to catch a glimpse of the future of New York City's streets, head over to Ninth Avenue where trendy Chelsea meets the uber-trendy Meatpacking District.
Starting at 23rd Street and heading south, a network of stripes, buffers and parking spots that comprise the City's latest effort to create an on-street, mostly separated bike line, will catch your eye. Appearing seemingly overnight, this nearly complete "hybrid" lane boldly defies preconceived notions of safety by actually bringing turning vehicles closer to bikes at intersections. This new approach to the vehicle/bicycle street relationship may very well be looked back upon as the tipping point for mass bike use in this increasingly bike- (and pedestrian-) friendly city.
For those tracking the evolution of Gotham's growing embrace of pedal power, there has been a lot to keep up with since new leadership at the NYC Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) took hold. One early indication was new "Enhanced Class III" stenciling -- consisting of a very large bike logo with arrows painted onto the street -- that showed up on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn last fall. This change from typical Class III routes, or street signs, is a more visible reminder to motorists that they are sharing the road.
The new leader at NYC DOT is Janette Sadik-Kahn. This past spring not only ushered in Mayor Bloomberg's PlaNYC - which included the promotion of cycling as one of sixteen transportation initiatives - but also brought in Ms. Sadik-Kahn as NYC DOT Commissioner. Under her direction, NYC DOT has quickly implemented bold ideas developed in the past while looking beyond the City for new visions of city street life.
Following her appointment, Sadik-Khan visited Copenhagen to investigate the city's extraordinary city-wide bikeway network. Organized by RPA and sponsored by the J.M. Kaplan Fund, the trip seems to have played a role in influencing recent NYC DOT decisions. This summer alone yielded the creation of a number of new bike lanes across the City, the removal of a parking space for increased bike parking in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and - most vividly - the painting of a few Class II (striped, on-street) bike lanes in an eye-catching green. Combined with NYC DOT's recently announced "2007 LOOK bicycle safety campaign," these innovations are welcoming cyclists to take to the streets.
The latest NYC DOT move to create a separated bike path for Ninth Avenue is perhaps the most innovative and complex and, like many recent DOT projects, was installed with lightning speed.
To get a sense of the bike lane's features, imagine yourself pedaling down this new "cycle-track," as the Europeans refer to it. Immediately to your left you'll see a wide sidewalk with bustling pedestrian activity. In front of you at the next intersection, pedestrians looking to cross Ninth Avenue walk swiftly across the bike lane to their very own designated "pedestrian island" situated at the edge of the newly-configured street. Not only will this island destination eventually be inhabited by green vegetation, but it will also reduce pedestrians' crossing distance by 25 feet. Together with the wide sidewalks, this latest incarnation of the separated bike path cunningly avoids the pitfalls of the 1980 separated bike lane between Greenwich Village and Central Park which became clogged with pedestrians and street vendors.
Looking to your right, an assurance of safety is reinforced by an 8 foot buffer zone that will eventually feature low vegetation, and a 10 foot Muni-metered parking lane, cleverly moved to the outside of the bike lane. As you begin to reach one of the three designated left turn lanes for autos, you'll notice the buffer begins to disappear and, before you know it, you're side-by-side with a vehicle waiting to turn left. It turns out that bringing drivers and cyclists back together at intersections - while seemingly counterintuitive - can actually enhance awareness and safety at these critical junctions. As a reminder, visible street markings indicate to motorists where the bike path crosses the intersection.
So, you may be thinking "sure this sounds like a really great bike path, but why does it matter to me?" Well, for seven blocks, this bike path offers a glimpse of what New York City street life can offer if bold ideas are implemented. It finds a way to seamlessly weave together issues of livability, sustainability and safety while synchronizing motorists activity, cyclists and pedestrians into one accord - a rare feat on New York City streets.
While the configuration of this path will not work for all of New York's diverse streets, NYC DOT will be sure to track the success of this route and identify other appropriate locations for it.
If you want to catch a glimpse of the future of New York City's streets, head over to Ninth Avenue where trendy Chelsea meets the uber-trendy Meatpacking District.
Starting at 23rd Street and heading south, a network of stripes, buffers and parking spots that comprise the City's latest effort to create an on-street, mostly separated bike line, will catch your eye. Appearing seemingly overnight, this nearly complete "hybrid" lane boldly defies preconceived notions of safety by actually bringing turning vehicles closer to bikes at intersections. This new approach to the vehicle/bicycle street relationship may very well be looked back upon as the tipping point for mass bike use in this increasingly bike- (and pedestrian-) friendly city.
For those tracking the evolution of Gotham's growing embrace of pedal power, there has been a lot to keep up with since new leadership at the NYC Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) took hold. One early indication was new "Enhanced Class III" stenciling -- consisting of a very large bike logo with arrows painted onto the street -- that showed up on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn last fall. This change from typical Class III routes, or street signs, is a more visible reminder to motorists that they are sharing the road.
The new leader at NYC DOT is Janette Sadik-Kahn. This past spring not only ushered in Mayor Bloomberg's PlaNYC - which included the promotion of cycling as one of sixteen transportation initiatives - but also brought in Ms. Sadik-Kahn as NYC DOT Commissioner. Under her direction, NYC DOT has quickly implemented bold ideas developed in the past while looking beyond the City for new visions of city street life.
Following her appointment, Sadik-Khan visited Copenhagen to investigate the city's extraordinary city-wide bikeway network. Organized by RPA and sponsored by the J.M. Kaplan Fund, the trip seems to have played a role in influencing recent NYC DOT decisions. This summer alone yielded the creation of a number of new bike lanes across the City, the removal of a parking space for increased bike parking in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and - most vividly - the painting of a few Class II (striped, on-street) bike lanes in an eye-catching green. Combined with NYC DOT's recently announced "2007 LOOK bicycle safety campaign," these innovations are welcoming cyclists to take to the streets.
The latest NYC DOT move to create a separated bike path for Ninth Avenue is perhaps the most innovative and complex and, like many recent DOT projects, was installed with lightning speed.
To get a sense of the bike lane's features, imagine yourself pedaling down this new "cycle-track," as the Europeans refer to it. Immediately to your left you'll see a wide sidewalk with bustling pedestrian activity. In front of you at the next intersection, pedestrians looking to cross Ninth Avenue walk swiftly across the bike lane to their very own designated "pedestrian island" situated at the edge of the newly-configured street. Not only will this island destination eventually be inhabited by green vegetation, but it will also reduce pedestrians' crossing distance by 25 feet. Together with the wide sidewalks, this latest incarnation of the separated bike path cunningly avoids the pitfalls of the 1980 separated bike lane between Greenwich Village and Central Park which became clogged with pedestrians and street vendors.
Looking to your right, an assurance of safety is reinforced by an 8 foot buffer zone that will eventually feature low vegetation, and a 10 foot Muni-metered parking lane, cleverly moved to the outside of the bike lane. As you begin to reach one of the three designated left turn lanes for autos, you'll notice the buffer begins to disappear and, before you know it, you're side-by-side with a vehicle waiting to turn left. It turns out that bringing drivers and cyclists back together at intersections - while seemingly counterintuitive - can actually enhance awareness and safety at these critical junctions. As a reminder, visible street markings indicate to motorists where the bike path crosses the intersection.
So, you may be thinking "sure this sounds like a really great bike path, but why does it matter to me?" Well, for seven blocks, this bike path offers a glimpse of what New York City street life can offer if bold ideas are implemented. It finds a way to seamlessly weave together issues of livability, sustainability and safety while synchronizing motorists activity, cyclists and pedestrians into one accord - a rare feat on New York City streets.
While the configuration of this path will not work for all of New York's diverse streets, NYC DOT will be sure to track the success of this route and identify other appropriate locations for it.
@RegionalPlan
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