City Releases Plan to Make L Train Shutdown Less Horrifying

NEW YORK, NY — There's no way around it: The L Train shutdown in 2019 will be nasty. But city officials with the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) think they may know a way to make it just a little less nasty.

The DOT released a plan Wednesday to try and improve Brooklyn-to-Manhattan public transit in anticipation of the impending subway line's closure — as well as patch up transportation inefficiencies everywhere in the city.

The plan calls for more bike lanes and bike parking across the city; traffic monitors; an increase in bus service; a new app that allows users to fill their parking meters; and more.

"New York City’s sidewalks are overflowing, subway trains are packed and our streets are full of cars, trucks, taxis and bikes," DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said.

The DOT's new plan promises that a two-way protected bike path will be constructed along Delancey Street. The lane will run from Allen Street to the Williamsburg Bridge on-ramp in Manhattan.

"Already the busiest East River crossing for cyclists, the Williamsburg Bridge's bike lane is expected to grow even more popular in 2019 during the MTA's planned 18-month shutdown of the L train," the plan says.

The Delancey bike path is just a segment of 75 miles of bike lanes the city is planning to build this year, in an effort to improve cyclists' commute, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday.

Naturally, with more bikes comes the need for more bike parking. The city is planning to make Delancey and Essex Municipal Parking Garage on Essex Street into a 24-hour bike parking site for dozens of bikes. It will be part of a parking pilot project, which will include the construction of other bike parking facilities across the city, some which are expected to hold thousands of bikes, according to the DOT.

The DOT also recognized the lagging bus service in NYC in its plan.

"Bus speeds are dropping and many riders are giving up on the system. New Yorkers deserve better," the plan said.

The department said it will work this year with the MTA to create at least 20 new bus routes, as well as prioritize bus signals and create more bus lanes.

"Buses are a lifeline for millions of New Yorkers, but rides are slower than ever, service is unreliable and ridership has started to drop," said John Raskin, executive director of the advocacy group Riders Alliance. "We applaud New York City DOT for making bus service a priority in its strategic plan, and will work hard to guarantee that Commissioner Trottenberg's leadership is matched by commitments from our elected representatives and other vital partners whose cooperation is essential for accomplishing these goals."

The DOT outlines dozens of transportation initiatives it wants to begin this year in its plan, which can be viewed in full here.

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