Push For Central Harlem 'Bikeway' Gains Steam With Weekend Ride

HARLEM, NY — Central Harlem is hardly a cyclists' paradise, but advocates say it could get a lot better if the city focused on a single street: Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard.

The two-mile long thoroughfare should be transformed into a "Central Harlem Bikeway," according to the street-safety group Transportation Alternatives, which is urging the city to build a protected bike lane running along the avenue's median.

They will step up their efforts on Saturday, when the group will lead a family-friendly bike ride up Adam Clayton Powell, starting on the north end of Central Park and continuing north to Jackie Robinson Park.

Joining advocates will be City Councilmember Kristin Richardson Jordan, who represents the entire boulevard and has come out in support of the bikeway.

"Black people ride, too, and delivery workers deserve better," she told Streetsblog in August. "Protected bike lanes belong uptown."

As it stands, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard is a dangerous place — more than 1,000 people, most of them drivers, have been injured in crashes along the boulevard since 2012, according to city data. (Adding bike lanes can help prevent crashes by slowing vehicle speeds and narrowing traffic lanes, the city often says.)

Only a small fraction of the people who live along Adam Clayton Powell own cars, Transportation Alternatives notes. The boulevard already has bike lanes running in each direction, though they are not protected, leaving them vulnerable to swerving vehicles and double-parked cars.

"Our health, our climate, and our right to free mobility will be best served by making Adam Clayton Powell Jr Boulevard a conduit for equitable transportation with the creation of the Central Harlem Bikeway," Transportation Alternatives wrote in its petition.

Learn more about Saturday's bike ride on the event website.