More Crosstown Bike Lanes Get Endorsement In Midtown: Report

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — A city Department of Transportation plan to create an additional pair of crosstown, protected bike lanes in Midtown Manhattan racked up another endorsement Monday night, according to reports.

Community Board 5 transportation committee voted in favor of implementing bike lanes on 52nd and 55th streets, one of which will head east and the other west, Streetsblog first reported. The new lanes will mirror a similar set created further downtown on 26th and 29th streets.

The vote represents the second approval secured for the bike lane plan. Community Board 6, which is located to the east of Community Board 5's district, also voted in favor of the plan, Streetsblog reported. The city will also present the plan to Community Board 4, which represents the Hell's Kitchen and Chelsea neighborhoods.

The city Department of Transportation touted the success of implementing bike lanes on 26th and 29th streets as a reason to create similar lanes on 52nd and 55th streets. Bike ridership increased on both 26th and 29th streets since the lanes were installed and vehicle travel times remained consistent despite the narrowing of space for cars to move. The new street design also significantly cut down on the amount of cars that double-parked on the streets for more than 30 minutes, according to a DOT presentation.

Bike lanes on 52nd and 55th streets would provide safe passage for the increasing number of cyclists that ride each day in the 50s, city officials said. More than 30,000 bikes are estimated to cross 50th Street every day, and the 52nd and 55th street lanes would serve as a connector between major north-south lanes on roads such as Second Avenue, Broadway and Seventh and Eighth avenues.

City data shows that on streets where protected bike lanes were installed between 2007 and 2017 there was a 15 percent reduction in bicyclist injuries in crashes with cars and a 21 percent drop in pedestrian injuries. Overall, bicyclist injuries are up just 3 percent despite a 61 percent increase in ridership.

The full Community Board 5 will vote on whether to adopt the transportation committee's endorsement of the bike lanes during its next meeting, Streetsblog reported.

Read the full Streetsblog report here.