Nearly 3 years later, city is finishing the Avenue C bike lanes

Top 2 photos by Dave on 7th 

DOT crews were out yesterday working on bike lanes on both sides of Avenue C between Eighth Street and Ninth Street.

This work comes nearly three years after the city first marked Avenue C for the new bike lanes. However, with the pandemic-era curbside dining structures still in place outside several establishments between Sixth Street and Ninth Street, cyclists were forced to enter into traffic for several blocks before the marked lanes picked up again in both directions at Ninth Street. 

However, earlier this spring, the remaining streetside structures were removed, and there is now a protected bike lane between Sixth and Ninth Street on the east side of the avenue. Here's a look at the buffer zones that will protect cyclists from cars and trucks ...

On the west side, despite the freshly painted bike lane, drivers were observed parking between Eighth Street and Ninth Street, posing a potential hazard for cyclists...

There are also a few mixing spots on Avenue C where the bike lane passes through a bus stop, like just below Eighth Street outside the Associated...

Several years in the planning stages, the DOT added the protected north/south bike lanes on Avenue C and East Houston Street to help offset the closure of the East River Park greenway. 

You can find many more details in the presentation that DOT officials made to CB3 in April 2021. (PDF here)

Saturday's opening shot

Lana Del Rey's influence knows no bounds... as seen on 13th Street at First Avenue.

Reader report: No motor vehicles in the bike lane

EVG reader Garrett Rosso shared this photo yesterday from First Avenue near 13th Street, where someone mounted a "No Motor Vehicles" sign facing this northbound bike lane.

Per Garrett: "Citizenry resort to posting their own signs since electeds leave transportation alternatives largely lawless & unregulated." 

We spotted another sign on First Avenue just past First Street. There are likely more. (Let us know if you spot any elsewhere.) 

There is confusion between legal e-bikes (electrified devices with pedals) and mopeds, many of which are illegal and need to be registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles and issued license plates. 

The NYPD also doesn't seem to know the difference, seemingly demonizing, as Streetsblog put it, all electric, two-wheeled devices (save for Citi Bikes). The NYPD later started cracking down on illegal sales before the actual sale.

Streetsblog put out a handy field guide last year (which you can find here). 

As they put it:

"Certainly, New Yorkers are confused about all the new motorized devices that are filling our roadways (and, infuriatingly, our bike lanes), which have become a Wild West of chaotic interactions."

And...

All the two-wheeled motorized devices on the market today are potentially far safer to vulnerable road users than the four-wheeled, 3,000- to 5,000-pound conveyances they seek to supplant. But it doesn't feel that way right now because users of illegal mopeds are often speeding through bike lanes, surprising pedestrians with their speed. Of course moped riders are choosing the bike lane — it’s the only place where they feel safe from the true behemoth on the roads: cars and trucks.

E-scooters — defined by the city as having handlebars and a floorboard or seat, and powered by electric and/or a person — are allowed in NYC. 

Per the Department of Transporation:

• You must not operate an e-scooter in excess of 15 MPH. 

• E-scooters may be ridden in bike lanes and on streets with speed limits no greater than 30 MPH. 

• Do not ride e-scooters on sidewalks.

Back to the signage... yes — the mopeds and various motorcycles need to get out of the bike lanes.

Neighborhood Loading Zones, bike lane outlines arrive along Avenue C

Neighborhood Loading Zones have arrived on Seventh Street and Eighth Street at Avenue C... Dave on 7th shared these photos from the rain yesterday...

The loading zones for commercial vehicles, residents and taxis and car services are part of the DOT's plan for the Avenue C bike lanes. (Other loading zones are expected on side streets along this corridor.)

Meanwhile, last week, the DOT continued marking the roadway with the new bike-lane designations...

Still a work in progress... as cars and commercial trucks continued to park in the freshly marked bike lanes...

... and dueling bike lanes were spotted north of 10th Street...

As reported last fall, the DOT is adding the protected north/south bike lanes on Avenue C and East Houston Street to help offset the upcoming closure of the East River Park greenway.

Planned improvements for cyclists, pedestrians and motorists along C include: 

• Curbside bike lanes between Houston and Fourth Street 

• Parking-protected, bollard-protected and curbside bike lanes between Fourth Street and 18th Street 

• Updated parking regulations to provide truck loading zones 

• Neighborhood loading zones on select side streets 

• Painted pedestrian islands between 11th Street and 15th Street 

• New left-turn bays at 10th Street and 14th Street

You can find many more details in the presentation that DOT officials made to CB3 back in April. (PDF here)

Drawing lines ahead of the new Avenue C bike lanes

From this past week... workers from the Department of Transportation started marking Avenue C for the new bike lanes. 

Dave on 7th shared the top photo from between Ninth Street and 10th Street. He notes that on this stretch, there are also new "No Standing" signs installed. 

The new bike lanes will eliminate some free, non-metered street parking, which was the focus of a story this morning on NY1. Local Uber driver Myen Uddin told the station that he is concerned about being able to find a place to park.

"I already earn so less," Uddin said. "How can I afford a garage? $400 a month. No one can afford that!"

And...

... with outdoor dining structures and Citi Bike stations already replacing what used to be non-metered parking spaces near Avenue C and East 9th Streets, concerned residents like Uddin believe if the free parking spaces go away, he'll soon have to move outside the city.

"It's too much challenge for me for me right now," said Uddin. "I gotta leave the city. Go somewhere else."

NY1 also spoke with a local resident, Thomas Grenier, who welcomed the changes.

"The city is historically centered and organized around cars, so anything that will make the city more friendly to renewable energy and bicyclists is a good thing," Grenier said.

Meanwhile, other markings along the avenue show the buffer zones that will protect cyclists from cars and trucks.

As previously reported, DOT flyers along Avenue C provide details of the coming changes...

Improvements along C include: 

• Curbside bike lanes between Houston and Fourth Street 

• Parking-protected, bollard-protected and curbside bike lanes between Fourth Street and 18th Street 

• Updated parking regulations to provide truck loading zones 

• Neighborhood loading zones on select side streets 

• Painted pedestrian islands between 11th Street and 15th Street 

• New left-turn bays at 10th Street and 14th Street 

You can find many more details in the presentation that DOT officials made to CB3 back in April. (PDF here)

As reported last fall, the DOT is adding the protected north/south bike lanes on Avenue C and East Houston Street to help offset the upcoming closure of the East River Park greenway.

New bike lanes next for freshly paved Avenue C

The city repaved Avenue C from Houston to 18th Street in mid-July (maybe your car was towed during the milling/paving process?). 

All this was done ahead of improvements along the avenue for pedestrians and cyclists. 

DOT flyers are up now along Avenue C with details of the coming changes...

Improvements along C include: 

• Curbside bike lanes between Houston and Fourth Street 

• Parking-protected, bollard-protected and curbside bike lanes between Fourth Street and 18th Street 

• Updated parking regulations to provide truck loading zones 

• Neighborhood loading zones on select side streets 

• Painted pedestrian islands between 11th Street and 15th Street 

• New left-turn bays at 10th Street and 14th Street 

You can find many more details in the presentation that DOT officials made to CB3 back in April. (PDF here)

As reported last fall, the DOT is adding the protected north/south bike lanes on Avenue C and East Houston Street to help offset the closure of the East River Park greenway once construction starts someday.

A bike ride for a safer Avenue B-Clinton Street

Some local residents are coming together tomorrow (Monday!) morning to rally for a Safer Avenue B/Clinton Street for cyclists and pedestrians. 

As bike advocates have noted, too many vehicles are speeding on Clinton Street and blocking the bike lane.

Here are details about tomorrow via the EVG inbox... (and local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera is said to be joining the ride)...

Monday, May 24 at 7:30 a.m. Clinton Street and Grand Street, southwest corner next to the Citi Bike station. We'll ride up north on Clinton Street and continue on Avenue B. Stop in front of Councilmember Carlina Rivera's office on Fourth Street for a few words and then continue to the schools in time for the 8:30 a.m. start time Wear yellow shirts so we are visible. (School spirit shirts preferable.)

Advocates had previously asked for protected bike lanes on Avenue B.

In late April, City Council voted on the bill that Rivera introduced to make the Open Streets program permanent. (Mayor de Blasio later signed off on it.) 

Avenue B between Sixth Street and 14th Street is part of the Open Streets program, hosted locally by the Loisaida Open Streets Community Coalition.  

Bike lane detour confusion as construction starts along the East River Greenway

On Monday, the city will begin flood-wall construction at the Solar One facility in Stuyvesant Cove as part of the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project.

This is considered Project Area 2, which encompasses work between 15th Street and 25th Street including Asser Levy Playground, Stuyvesant Cove Park, Murphy Brothers Playground as well as local streets around the Con Edison facility. 

Given the work start, the bike lane along this stretch of the East River Greenway — between 20th and 23rd — will close. Despite promises of a two-week notice ahead of any closure, there's no word of a detour route for cyclists, according to residents and community groups.

In addition, there's some confusion about these mystery signs that have appeared in and around different streets with bike lanes ... and the partially covered signs we spotted earlier on 10th Street at Avenue A have disappeared ... while other ones have arrived, such as on First Avenue by Fourth Street (h/t Choresh Wald) ...

... and Second Avenue at 10th Street...

The hotly contested flood-protection plan that will bury/elevate East River Park by eight feet as part of the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project is expected to start in the spring. (This is Project Area 1 between Montgomery Street and 15th Street.)

That work is expected to bring a permanent protected bike lane to East Houston and Avenue C. 

On Nov. 24, Community Board 3 endorsed the plan — specifically a 20-block protected bike lane along Avenue C and a protected bike lane on Houston Street from Second Avenue to the East River Greenway.

Here's a look at the current Avenue  C bike lane configuration at East Houston...

Per Transportation Alternatives: "These bike lanes are essential for New Yorkers getting around the Lower East Side, and these projects are especially critical in light of the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project that begins in the spring and will shut down the East River Park for at least five years."

Reminders: CB3 to hear plan for protected bike lanes on Avenue C-East Houston Street

As noted last week, the DOT is proposing permanent protected bike lanes on Avenue C and East Houston Street to offset the closure of the East River Park greenway once construction starts in the spring. 

As Streetsblog first reported: "The lanes will run on Houston from Second Avenue to the waterfront and on Avenue C from Houston north to 20th Street, enabling cyclists traveling from below Houston on the existing bike lanes on Pike and Allen streets to connect with the bike network further north." 

So here's a reminder: CB3's Transportation, Public Safety, & Environment Committee will hear the proposal tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. The Zoom info is here.  

There are two other items on the agenda that might be of interest:

• DOT Freight & Mobility Unit: Houston St. Cargo Bike Corral Proposal and delivery strategy updates
• Open Restaurant street on Avenue B at 2nd Street: safety issues including emergency lane

Watch the NYPD drive against traffic and in the bike lane on Avenue A

You may have caught the beginning of the annual (25 plus years) "Isle of Manhattan" ride on New Year's Day ... as several dozen motorcyclists gathered on Avenue A between Sixth Street and Seventh Street and rolled up Avenue A as they began their lap around Manhattan.

The ride had the attention of the NYPD. In the video below, a member of the NYPD Highway Patrol is seen driving at a high rate of speed going the wrong way on Avenue A between 10th Street and 11th Street — eventually moving into the bike lane — while keeping tabs on the motorcycles...



In the YouTube description, participants claim they were harassed by the NYPD throughout the ride ...

This year, NYPD Highway decided to make a show of force. Marked and unmarked cars (ironically, no police motorcycles!) trailed the ride. Half way around Manhattan, the police set up a roadblock, and directed all motorcyclists to stop. The riders were 100% legal, law abiding, and wearing excellent protective gear. Nevertheless, our ride was disrupted by the police, and we were told "the ride is over" and "get off the highway and go home."

Suffice it to say, we did not. We are all adults, and serious people. Many of us are professionals, with kids and homes. We didn't break any laws. The US Constitution's First Amendment grants us the right to freedom of assembly. Without reasonable suspicion of any crime, it is a violation of our first amendment rights to harass us as the NYPD did.

If the police truly were interested in increasing motorcycle safety, they should engage in conversation with us – not set up roadblocks, which do nothing to improve safety, and only create a hostile atmosphere between riders and the police.

Kidical Mass ride on Saturday will help raise awareness of Avenue B bike lanes

Some East Village families are coming together on Saturday for a bike ride from Tompkins Square Park to the East River in support of the proposed Avenue B bike lane and in opposition of the current plan to close East River Park next March.

The ride is part of the citywide Kidical Mass. Interested participants can sign up at BikeReg here. (You need to register by midnight tomorrow.) The Facebook Events page is here.

The cyclists will meet at Tompkins Square Park at 9:30 a.m., departing at 10.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Local elected officials urge the DOT to explore bike lane options on Avenues A, B, C and D

March and rally for East River Park on Sept. 21; another public hearing set

Pylons for offset crossings arrive on 1st and 2nd Avenue intersections

[At 9th Street]

The city has finally finalized the offset crossings on several intersections along the First Avenue and Second Avenue bike lanes. (The markings had been in place; the plastic pylons arrived this week.)

News of the offset crossings was first announced on May 21. This after the city resurfaced First Avenue and repainted the bike lane.

As Streetsblog reported in May, the arrival of offset crossings in the East Village comes two years after the driver of a box truck reportedly made an illegal left turn turn — across multiple lanes of traffic on First Avenue at Ninth Street — and slammed into cyclist Kelly Hurley, who later died from her injuries.

Per Streetsblog:

In the aftermath of her death, advocates implored the agency to rethink its use of “mixing zones” — which force cyclists and drivers to negotiate the same space at the same time.

After Hurley’s death, Upper West Side architect Reed Rubey came up withan alternative design, which was subsequently endorsed by Manhattan Community Board 4.

Rubey’s efforts partly inspired DOT’s chosen solution: the offset intersection, which it piloted at select locations in 2017 and 2018. In September, DOT’s “Cycling at the Crossroads” report showed that cyclists felt significantly safer at intersections with offset crossings [PDF].

Other offset crossings with newly added pylons include on First Avenue at Seventh Street...



... and First Avenue at Fourth Street ...



Quoting Streetsblog from earlier this week: "Last year in New York City, car drivers caused more than 225,000 crashes, resulting in injuries to more than 60,000 people — and the deaths of 10 cyclists, 120 pedestrians and 96 motorists." So far in 2019, 19 cyclists have been killed by cars or trucks on city streets.

Reader report: Ticketed by the NYPD for double parking in bike lane during Alternate Side Parking

The city is apparently serious about issuing tickets to cars and drivers parking or stopping in bike lanes — at least temporarily.

Yesterday, an EVG reader who lives on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B told me that she received a $110 ticket for double parking in the newly created bike lane while waiting for the street sweeper during Alternate Side Parking.

She explained that the established practice on the block for at least the past seven years is that you double park, often even leaving your car unattended for a short period of time, and wait for the street sweeper to pass ... then you move your vehicle into a freshly swept space. It's the usual game of musical vehicles that takes place citywide on alt-parking days.

Yesterday, every car that was double parked on the block received a $110 ticket — for "double parking in a bike lane." (The ticket would have been far less expensive — $65 — had the drivers simply not moved their cars for Alternate Side Parking.) According to the resident, this was the first time — at least the past seven years — that the city ticketed drivers for such an offense during street cleaning.

The bike lane is new along here, however. In late June, the city added pavement markings and signage on Third Street between Avenue D and Second Avenue.

In response to increased road fatalities this year (an 18.3-percent increase over 2018) and including 15 cyclists, Mayor de Blasio in early July ordered the NYPD and DOT to crackdown on drivers and cars parked in bike lanes.

As Curbed noted, "The heightened enforcement seeks to target violations including speeding, running lights, not yielding to bikers and pedestrians, obstructing bike lanes, and double parking from July 1–21." (Of course, the NYPD is often the worst offenders of parking in bike lanes.)

In any event, cycling activists weren't impressed by the mayor's directive earlier this month. As Jon Orcutt of Bike NY told Streetsblog on July 2. "Treating it like a momentary aberration won’t protect cyclists in August or thereafter."

As for the resident, she wishes at the very least that the 9th Precinct would have given residents a heads up about the ticketing blitz, which will likely cease after July 21.

Local elected officials urge the DOT to explore bike lane options on Avenues A, B, C and D

[Avenue B, currently without bike lanes]

The proposal for a two-way protected bike lane on Avenue B has turned into a broader exploration for better and safer passage for cyclists on Avenues A, B, C and D.

Last Wednesday, local elected officials sent a letter to Ed Pincar, the Department of Transportation's Manhattan borough commissioner, to expedite and expand on the installation of protected bike lanes on Avenues A-D "as a result of the fast approaching East River Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) Project."

Here's more from the letter:

"We would encourage you to look at Avenues A through D spanning from East Houston to 14th Street to determine the best location for a one or two-way bike lane, understanding the multiple needs of the city and the impacts these options may have for cyclists and the community.

These new protected bike lanes would serve as a vital alternative to the East River greenway, which is projected to close starting in 2020 during the ESCR project. Recent reports of cyclist accidents in the area suggest the increased safety that protected bike lanes will provide is urgently needed."

The letter was signed by Assemblymember Harvey Epstein, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, State Sen. Brad Hoylman, State Sen. Brian Kavanagh, and City Councilmember Carlina Rivera.

The parent-led campaign to secure two-way bike lanes on Avenue B, an increasingly congested 14-block corridor currently without any marked paths for cyclists, began in April. Bike-lane organizers say they now have the support of nearly 30 businesses along Avenue B.

In late June, Community Board 3 passed a resolution asking city officials to study safety issues and improve bike infrastructure on Avenue B, as Patch reported.

Per that resolution:

CB3 asks DOT to conduct a safety analysis and report back to CB3 about whether it is feasible to install a two-way protected bike lane or other bicycle safety improvements along Ave B from Houston to 14th St. CB3 also asks DOT to determine where truck loading/unloading zones should be installed along Avenue B, and report back to CB3 with a proposal.

The report to CB3 should also discuss any impacts of such installations to street-side parking, teacher parking, loading zones, and overall street congestion, especially during the weekend nightlife hours.

There aren't any marked bike lanes now on Avenue B. Meanwhile, Avenues A and C have white-painted bike lanes without any separation barriers such as on First and Second avenues.


[Avenue A]


[Avenue C]

Avenue D does not currently have any markings for cyclists...

Bike advocates and elected officials have been urging the city to do more across NYC to ensure safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists — 15 of whom have been killed by drivers this year, five more than all of 2018.

Overall, there have been 110 road fatalities this year — an 18.3-percent increase over 2018, according to the DOT and as reported by Streetsblog. As of July 9, 56 pedestrians have been killed so far this year on NYC streets.

Mayor de Blasio recently ordered the NYPD and DOT to create emergency plans to protect cyclists. The DOT's plan is roughly due this coming week.

Reader report: Designated bike lane arrives on 3rd Street

EVG reader @Jason_Chatfield shared these photos via Twitter this week... showing that city crews have added a conventional bike lane — with pavement markings and signage — on Third Street ...



He notes that the lane extends from Avenue D to Second Avenue for now...

Bike lane paint returning to 1st Avenue

Back on Friday, DOT crews finally started painting the First Avenue bike lane — some six weeks after the city finished paving the roadway.

To date, though, the painting has only taken place on five blocks between Third Street and just shy of St. Mark's Place...



And no paint yet for Second Avenue...



Still to come (and as previously reported): the new offset crossings on select intersections on First Avenue and Second Avenue to make them safer for cyclists and pedestrians. The previous mixing zones forced cyclists and drivers to negotiate the same space at the same time, as Streetsblog noted.

And here's an example of offset crossing, as seen on Fourth Avenue and 13th Street...



Meanwhile, the bike lane is still MIA on the freshly paved 12th Street between First Avenue and Avenue B...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Resurfaced roadways on 1st Avenue and 2nd Avenue to have offset crossings

Resurfaced roadways on 1st Avenue and 2nd Avenue to have offset crossings

As you've likely noticed, the city has resurfaced parts of First Avenue (above!) and Second Avenue in recent weeks... (top two photos via Vinny & O)



The DOT has now added the markings to the roadway for the crosswalks, bike lanes, etc...









With the resurfacing comes an important change at intersections to make them safer for pedestrians and cyclists. The city is adding offset crossings, like you'll find on Fourth Avenue at 13th Street ...

Paving is now complete on 1st and 2nd Aves in the East Village. Our markings contractor will soon begin installing roadway markings. Crews will be updating #bikenyc intersections, adding off-set crossings to many of the intersections in this area. #BikeMonth pic.twitter.com/tQxPdN0VIY

— NYC DOT (@NYC_DOT) May 21, 2019

This morning crews are on 1st Ave in the East Village laying out where markings will soon be installed, including a new offset crossing at E 5th St. #bikenyc #BikeMonth pic.twitter.com/ssNIP8WKcT

— NYC DOT (@NYC_DOT) May 24, 2019

As David Meyer reported last week at Streetsblog, the arrival of offset crossings in the East Village comes two years after the driver of a box truck reportedly made an illegal left turn turn — across multiple lanes of traffic on First Avenue at Ninth Street — and slammed into cyclist Kelly Hurley, who later died from her injuries.

Per Streetsblog:

In the aftermath of her death, advocates implored the agency to rethink its use of “mixing zones” — which force cyclists and drivers to negotiate the same space at the same time.

After Hurley’s death, Upper West Side architect Reed Rubey came up withan alternative design, which was subsequently endorsed by Manhattan Community Board 4.

Rubey’s efforts partly inspired DOT’s chosen solution: the offset intersection, which it piloted at select locations in 2017 and 2018. In September, DOT’s “Cycling at the Crossroads” report showed that cyclists felt significantly safer at intersections with offset crossings [PDF].

[An example of offset crossing on 70th Street and Columbus Avenue]

And a look at First Avenue and Ninth Street on Saturday...





On Sunday, the Post, citing NYPD data, reported that "traffic crashes have already killed 71 people this year, up from 58 during the same time period in 2018 — a 22 percent surge."

In total, 39 pedestrians and 10 cyclists have been killed by cars or trucks on city streets this year. (There were 10 cyclists killed in all of 2018.) Drivers or passengers in vehicles accounted for the other 22 fatalities on city roads.