L-train non-shutdown fallout: Bike lane battle shaping up along 12th and 13th streets

[Photo on 13th Street near 4th Avenue from early January]

The newish unprotected bike lanes on 12th Street and 13th Street have become a battleground following Gov. Cuomo's sudden cancellation of the L-train shutdown.

The lanes arrived back in late October and early November, part of the city's plans to help move people when the L-train was to shut down in April 2019 for 15 months for Sandy-related repairs between Eighth Avenue and Bedford Avenue.

Now, though, the 14th Street Coalition is asking the city to remove the bike lanes and the newly painted dedicated bus lanes on 14th Street. (The Coalition also sued to stop the bike lanes and busways in October.)

Streetsblog was first to report this past Thursday that someone spread broken glass along parts of the bike lanes on 12th Street and 13th Street on the west side. Per Streetsblog: "[C]yclist Jonathan Warner noticed that the lanes on 12th and 13th streets were covered in patches of broken glass, which he believed was an intentional attack on cyclists."

Gothamist has a good recap at this link. Read Streetsblog's follow-up report here.

At the same time, Transportation Alternatives launched a petition drive to retain the bike lanes (as well as the 14th Street bus lanes). Per the petition:

With M14 buses traveling at barely above walking speed, 14th street sidewalks fill to the brim with pedestrians, 12th and 13th street bike lanes adding a safe way for people to bike crosstown and upcoming infill expansion of Citi Bike, these improvements were needed before the announcement of the shutdown, are going to be needed during the partial shutdown, and will be needed after the repairs are finalized.

These improvements will help provide faster, safer and more efficient modes of transportation for New Yorkers to travel crosstown and alleviate congestion in our streets.

There were also signs up along the bike lanes... an EVG reader shared this photo from Thursday night on 12th Street between Fifth Avenue and University Place...



Per the EVG reader: "Funny thing is, the NYPD does a shit job of policing the lane so there were, as usual, many cars parked right in the green stripe on several other blocks, rendering the bike lane unusable. But that’s normal, whereas broken glass and nasty NIMBY notes are a little more novel."

The arrival of the broken glass and signs drew a strong response from city officials...

This is unacceptable. In my district. Shame on whoever did this. All New Yorkers are entitled to safe streets and shared spaces, on two wheels or on foot. https://t.co/xTAl9c6Sry

— NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson (@NYCSpeakerCoJo) January 11, 2019

A statement from DOT Commissioner Trottenberg and @NYPDTransport Chief Chan. pic.twitter.com/XobA6Xr8jV

— NYC DOT (@NYC_DOT) January 11, 2019

In a statement to Streetsblog, the 14th Street Coalition said they "had no involvement in, nor condoned, the defacing of bike lanes."

Meanwhile, also on Thursday, someone painted "Bring back our parking" on 13th Street just east of Avenue A...

Today would be a good day to appoint a Bike Mayor. https://t.co/6pMW9KxgNw pic.twitter.com/wIPdttHY7U

— Transportation Alternatives (@TransAlt) January 11, 2019

The DOT painted over the message on Friday morning, as these photos via Steven show...





Last Tuesday, Andy Byford, CEO of the New York City Transit Authority, told attendees of CB3's Transportation, Public Safety, & Environment Committee meeting that the fate of the bike lanes is up to the Department of Transportation while the future of the 14th Street Select Bus Service will be a joint decision.

In other post-L-train-shutdown developments... residents are asking what impact Cuomo's new plan might have on the construction on 14th Street between Avenue B and First Avenue.

One longtime 14th Street resident, who has spoken out on the numerous quality-of-life issues the construction has created in the past year, told me this:

"We're not sure if this will affect us at all much. We do hope, however, that the pols will call for an immediate stop to the night time and weekend work. There is no need to subject our neighborhood to these hours now.

Also, the MTA needs to be pressured to finish [the new entrances on] Avenue A. There is no reason it can't be finished now. They were just stalling the use it as the entry/exit for their infrastructure. An exit doesn't take three years to build."

Town & Village has more on this story here.

T&V also noted that workers removed some of the L-train renderings from 14th Street after Cuomo's announcement. A few remain for good measure, though...



The MTA is now holding an emergency public meeting tomorrow to discuss the L-train's reconstruction future.

Green paint arrives on the new 12th Street bike lane

On Wednesday, crews painted the new eastbound bike lane on 12th Street... I spotted them between Second Avenue and Avenue A ...







The bike lane for 13th Street arrived at the beginning of the month.

Meanwhile...

Time elapsed between painting the new 12th street bike lanes and people parking in them 1.0234seconds. #bikenyc @bikeblognyc @evgrieve #eastvillageParking #workingclass @bikesnobnyc pic.twitter.com/38ezAPTQFX

— Christopher J Ryan (@ChrisRyanAction) November 21, 2018

As previously reported, the city put in a bike lane on the north curb of 12th Street from Seventh Avenue to Avenue C, and the south curb of 13th Street from Greenwich Avenue to Avenue B separated from traffic with a painted buffer ahead of the April L-train closure.

The bike lanes are just one of the ways the city hopes to keep people/commuters moving during the 15 (or so) months that the Canarsie Tunnel under the East River gets repaired.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Prepping for the new protected bike lanes on 12th and 13th streets

Bike lane line work continues on 12th Street

DOT puts down the green paint on the new 13th Street bike lane (except for one mysterious spot)

DOT puts down the green paint on the new 13th Street bike lane (except for one mysterious spot)

DOT crews yesterday painted the new westbound bike lane on 13th Street... starting at Avenue B (the crew was just west of Second Avenue when I saw them)...



There is a curious gap just east of First Avenue... at first glance, it appears the the paint crew simply stopped and continued past the parked car...



However, a reader of the block chimed in saying that there's a curb cut here (and the car parked here later, seeing as the back wheels are on the freshly marked lane)...



The DOT team also skipped the construction zone in front of the incoming Thirteen East + West condos west of Avenue A.

As previously reported, the city put in a bike lane on the north curb of 12th Street from Seventh Avenue to Avenue C, and the south curb of 13th Street from Greenwich Avenue to Avenue B separated from traffic with a painted buffer ahead of the April L-train closure.

The bike lanes are just one of the ways the city hopes to keep people/commuters moving during the 15 (or so) months that the Canarsie Tunnel under the East River gets repaired.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Prepping for the new protected bike lanes on 12th and 13th streets

Bike lane line work continues on 12th Street

Bike lane line work continues on 12th Street

As we reported on Wednesday, crews are laying the pedalers’ paths and new parking lanes for the protected bike lanes on the north curb of 12th Street from Seventh Avenue to Avenue C, and the south curb of 13th Street from Greenwich Avenue to Avenue B.

EVG regular Lola Sáenz noted this morning that workers are creating the bike-lane outlines on 12th Street ... with crews spotted at First Avenue...





... and heading east toward Avenue C...



One worker told Lola that the green machine is on Greenwich today painting the bike lanes... and making its way toward the east...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Prepping for the new protected bike lanes on 12th and 13th streets

Prepping for the new protected bike lanes on 12th and 13th streets

[Click to go big]

Back on Sept. 20, we noted that — presumably — DOT officials distributed the above flyers to residents who live on 12th Street and 13th Street... providing information about protected bike lanes that are in development on 12th Street and 13th Street (as well as Horatio Street and Greenwich Avenue) ahead of the April 2019 L-train shutdown.

As reported in June, the DOT decided against its original idea for a single, two-way bike lane on 13th Street in favor of two separate, one-way lanes for 12th and 13th streets.

The city is putting in a bike lane on the north curb of 12th Street from Seventh Avenue to Avenue C, and the south curb of 13th Street from Greenwich Avenue to Avenue B separated from traffic with a painted buffer and flexible delineators.

Multiple EVG readers have pointed out that this work has started in recent days/weeks (painted buffer and flexible delineators still to come).

Here's a look at 13th Street, starting at Avenue B... where the "No Stopping Anytime" signs are now posted on the south side of the street ...



... at Avenue A...



...a view to the east from First Avenue...



...at First Avenue...



...a view to the east from Third Avenue...



... looking to the west between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue...



The work is just underway on 12th Street, where the "No Stopping Anytime" signs arrived ... here are two photos (thanks Brian K!) ... at 12th between Avenue A and Avenue B...



... and between Avenue A and First Avenue...



This link takes you to the DOT's overview for these bike lanes.





During the L-train outage, DOT officials expect these bike lanes to handle a surge in people bicycling. Cycling advocates have applauded this development, citing the lack of protected bike lanes going crosstown.

While the bike-lane work is moving forward, another lawsuit is aiming to put an end to this plan, as well as other L-train related planning. As Gothamist reported on Oct. 2:

On [Oct. 1], West Village resident and attorney Arthur Schwartz filed his second lawsuit against the MTA and the DOT, calling for yet another environmental assessment, as well as last minute changes to the agencies' sweeping mitigation plan. Specifically, Schwartz and his allies are opposed to the creation of a dedicated busway on 14th Street and an adjacent sidewalk expansion for pedestrians, along with the addition of protected bike lanes on 12th and 13th Street.

"The goal is to eliminate those bike lanes as designed, to make them not protected bike lanes or not do them at all," Schwartz told Gothamist, adding that his preference would be for the lanes to be restored to parking spaces. "I just don't think there's any genuinely demonstrated demand for people who used to take the L train who are all of a sudden going to hop on a Citi Bike."

Mystery Lot monster leaves before getting annexed by NYU

Our friend Lux Living passes along the following photo with this upsetting news, "It seems the doomed monster of the 13th Street Mystery Lot fame has been beamed back up to his home planet."

[A moment of silence]

In reality, workers who were there to mow the rocks and weeds Tuesday most likely removed the little fellow.

And now, a fond look back...

[Via James and Karla Murray]

And, after a storm...

What is your favorite memory of the Mystery Lot Monster/Alien? Were you suspicious that it never applied for a liquor license? Or become a boutique hotel? Or annexed by NYU?

Previously.

In other words, no squealing or woo-wooing

Just noting the modified Urban Etiquette Chalkboard Sign outside the newly relocated Momofuku Milk Bar on East 13th Street.

Bonus flashback to last week!

Mystery Lot, 9:21 a.m., May 22

Verizon preps wall for more tagging

The ongoing brown-paint war at the Verizon building along 13th Street (at Second Avenue) continues... here's how it looked earlier last week...

And after a paint job on Friday...

To be continued....

Previously.

[Thanks to Woodland Creature for the tip.]

Mind your bench manners at Momofuku Milk Bar

Momofuku Milk Bar moved across 13th Street and opened up a new shop at the end of April.

Given the popularity of anything with "Momofuku" in the title... Milk Bar management reminds patrons to use the benches in front of their store...

... and not congregate on the residential steps elsewhere on the street...

13th Street, 9:47 a.m., March 6

Verizon doesn't allow murals on its buildings — except for in Southern California

Earlier we posted an item about Verizon's ongoing battle with graffiti on their Second Avenue building... Perhaps a local artist like Chico could create a mural here? But! A Verizon spokesperson told DNAinfo, "We typically do not permit murals to be painted on our buildings" ... adding that the company will continue to paint over the graffiti as it goes up.

As EV Grieve reader T.E.V.B. pointed out in a Long Beach, Calif. newspaper... the article, titled Mural Brightens Verizon Wall, highlights the work of Long Beach-based muralist Roy Herweck.

Anyway, as for the Verizon wall on 13th Street, T.E.V.B. said, "A community mural there is a great idea."

[Image via]

Verizon brass content to keep battling graffiti artists on 13th Street

We've been documenting the battle for the brown wall here at the Verizon building on 13th Street at Second Avenue... (Previously.)

At DNAinfo, Patrick Hedlund checks in with the Verizon folks to see what the next steps are.

"We'll try to clean it off, and the next thing you know…" said Verizon employee Sam Ashraf, who manages the phone company's retail store in the building. "It just looks bad."

The NYPD's 9th Precinct has observed the building for years, even sending undercover officers to stake out the site and making numerous arrests, said Det. Jaime Hernandez, a 22-year-old veteran of the neighborhood.

To deal with the graffiti scourge, Hernandez suggested that Verizon bring in a muralist to paint the wall, noting that street art rarely gets run over by vandals because of the respect given to the work.

However, a Verizon spokesperson said that they don't allow murals to be painted on their buildings, and that they'd simply continue to paint over any new graffiti.

Sounds good coming from the company HQ. But what about the people on the ground here?

Ashraf told Hedlund that he's tired of seeing the eyesore each day on his way to work.

"It's miserable," he said. "But it's New York."

You can't keep a good wall brown

Just keeping tabs on the ongoing battle for the wall here at the Verizon building on 13th Street at Second Avenue... Previously.

Of course, not every tree is really mulch friendly

13th Street near Avenue B.

Timber! at the 13th Street haunted house

EV Grieve reader Adam reports that workers have returned to the abandoned building at 222 E. 13th St. And what are they doing Adam?

"Workers seem to be emptying the house of timber, which is weird. Yes, timber. As in pieces of trees. They are loading it into a pickup truck out front."

Previously on EV Grieve:
A haunted house on East 13th Street?

Fresh tags (and Four Loko) on the Verizon building

Well, things have been quiet along the 13th Street wall of the Verizon building at Second Avenue ... until now... EV Grieve reader ~evilnyc passes along photos of fresh tags here...



In this photo, a fellow had passed out leaning against the wall... a precious can of Four Loko by his side...



Previously on EV Grieve:
First tag reappears on the Verizon building

Brownout: Verizon building graffiti painted over

Verizon is going to blow the budget on brown paint