The West Side Highway would get a bike-friendly makeover beneath a new proposal by Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine.
The proposal calls on transportation officers to shut one lane of the extremely trafficked street to automotive visitors and change it with a two-way protected bike lane alongside the western shore of Manhattan.
A mock-up picture of the proposed bike lane exhibits a green-painted lane working parallel to the freeway, however separated by a curb and planters. Graphics of the design point out it may go on both the west or east sides of New York State Route 9A, also referred to as the West Side Highway.
At a press convention on Tuesday, Levine stated the Hudson River Greenway that runs simply west of the freeway had grow to be too congested, and that the West Side Highway would present a extra nice – and safer – expertise for cyclists and pedestrians alike. The bike lane would additionally give e-bikes, that are presently banned on the Greenway, a secure and authorized route alongside Manhattan’s west facet, Levine stated.
“During the morning commute, the evening commute on evenings and weekends when the weather is nice, it is simply too crowded on the green way,” Levine stated on Tuesday whereas being flanked by native elected officers and advocates. “This solution would make this route safer for everybody.”
In a letter to the metropolis and state transportation officers final week, Levine requested that the businesses start learning the feasibility of the bike infrastructure in a two-phase method. In keeping with his proposal, the first part would implement a four-mile stretch of the bike lane between Chambers Avenue and 57th Avenue instantly, with plans for the part north of 57th Avenue to observe.
A spokesperson for the metropolis’s transportation division stated the company was wanting into the proposal. The New York State Division of Transportation, which controls New York State 9A and would be in control of the implementation of the bike lane, didn’t instantly return a request for remark.
Levine stated he was impressed by the Brooklyn Bridge bike lane, which opened final September and was a right away hit with cyclists. .
“It’s been a fabulous success. It has made the Brooklyn Bridge safer and it’s a great example for what’s possible on the west side,” Levine stated. “We should actually, by the way, figure out how to connect what we’re gonna create here on the westside with that great new dedicated bike lane on the Brooklyn bridge.”