Community Board To Revisit Dyckman Street Amid Bike Lane Backlash

INWOOD, NY — Community Board 12 — which represents the Washington Heights and Inwood neighborhoods — is scheduling a series of meetings in May to revisit the issue of "traffic calming" on Dyckman street.

Businesses on the busy Inwood commercial street have complained in the months following the installation of two protected bike lanes on the street. The main complaints about the bike lane are that its presence has increased congestion on the street and taken away parking spaces, which has driven down sales.

The complaints have been significant enough to draw the attention of local elected officials such as Congressman Adriano Espaillat and Borough President Gale Brewer — who proposed removing the lanes entirely — and City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez — who proposed a new lane that would take up less space.

Rodriguez, the City Council's transportation committee chair, formerly advocated for bike lanes stretching the entirety of Dyckman Street and endorsed the city Department of Transportation's plans.

Transportation Alternatives — a nonprofit that advocates for pedestrians, bicyclists and public transit riders — started a campaign to push back against the pressure to change Dyckman Street's bike lanes. The group said the bike lanes were a victory for the community after 10 years of advocating for safer bike infrastructure on Dyckman.

"Unfortunately, a small group of business owners are trying to undermine the community's hard work and remove the protected bike lanes less than six months after they were installed," Transportation Alternatives said in a petition. "Safety should be the top priority on Dyckman Street, but it appears these business owners would rather promote illegal double parking."

In response to these complaints, Community Board 12 is determined to draft a new resolution regarding "traffic calming issues" on Dyckman Street. The board will hold a joint committee meeting on May 1, a public hearing with the city Department of Transportation on May 8, an executive committee meeting on May 15 and its general board meeting on May 22. The board is expected to introduce its resolution during the May 15 executive committee meeting.

The city Department of Transportation first presented its plans for protected bike lanes on Dyckman Street in 2016. Bike lanes on Dyckman Street between Broadway and Nagle Avenue were installed in December. The installation of this stretch completed bike lane infrastructure on Dyckman street that stretches from Broadway to 10th Avenue — linking the Harlem River Greenway to the Hudson River Greenway.

The changes to Dyckman Street also included the creation of left turn lanes and pedestrian safety islands on the intersections of Dyckman Street and Vermileya and Post avenues — measures to make the busy street safer for pedestrians and bicyclists.

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