The mayor defended a street safety redesign for W. 72nd Street against criticism from a small group of residents. The plan includes protected bike lanes and bus improvements as part of a broader effort to make streets easier to navigate. The mayor rejected a prior approach that deferred to car-focused interests under the banner of community feedback. The Department of Transportation will replace one lane of car traffic in each direction with a two-way protected bike path and bus boarding island on the Upper West Side crosstown corridor. The redesign runs from Central Park West to Riverside Boulevard and connects to the Hudson River Greenway via W. 68th Street. The corridor has high crash rates, with many injuries involving seniors. Additional protected bike lane proposals are planned for E. 72nd later this fall.
"Mamdani said projects like the incoming protected bike lanes and bus upgrades on the crosstown corridor are part and parcel of his promise to let the Department of Transportation make the Big Apple's streets the "envy of the world." And Hizzoner specifically rejected his predecessor's strategy of bowing to car-first special interests in the name of so-called community feedback."
""I support my DOT across proposals across the five boroughs," Mamdani said in response to a question by Streetsblog, which had asked about former Mayor Eric Adams's stall-and-cancel approach. "I want this to be a city where New Yorkers live and where others come and visit, and they appreciate the ways in which we've made it easier to get around this city," the mayor added. "And so that is the directive I've given. I think the proposals that our DOT continues to put forward across the five boroughs are ones that help to realize that.""
"DOT plans to replace a lane of car traffic in each direction with a two-way protected bike path and bus boarding island on the key Upper West Side crosstown thoroughfare, starting as soon as this summer. The West Side revamp extends from Central Park West to Riverside Boulevard and connects to the Hudson River Greenway - the busiest bike path in the nation - via W. 68th Street, according to designs the agency revealed last month."
"That stretch ranks among the top 10 percent for crashes in Manhattan, injuring a whopping 115 people over five years - more than two a month. Seniors account for one in five of those maimed, which is more than double the borough-wide average, according to DOT stats. The agency plans to unveil another proposal for protected bike lanes on E. 72nd this fall, the"
Read at Streetsblog New York City
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