NEW YORK — Nearly two dozen miles of city bike lanes will be getting an upgrade as part of the Department of Transportation’s plan to make streets safer for cyclists, the agency said Friday.
The city will replace the plastic bollards lining half of the city’s 40 miles of “delineator-protected” bike lanes with fortified cement barriers by the end of 2023, the DOT said in a press release.
What You Need To Know
- The city will replace the plastic bollards lining half of the city’s 40 miles of “delineator-protected” bike lanes with fortified cement barriers by the end of 2023, the DOT said Friday
- Each “Jersey” barrier will weigh approximately four tons, the department said
- The project targets protected bike lanes with “high ridership, a history of vehicle non-compliance and/or lanes adjacent to heavy vehicle corridor," according to the department
- It is already underway in Hell’s Kitchen and lower Manhattan, the DOT said
Each “Jersey” barrier will weigh approximately four tons, the department said.
“New York City’s cyclists deserve to be safe everywhere, but especially in protected lanes — where drivers will too often disrespect and block that critical space,” DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said in a statement.
“We have an actionable, concrete plan to protect cyclists and we are going to deliver on this work to keep our lanes clear,” he added.
The project, which targets protected bike lanes with “high ridership, a history of vehicle non-compliance and/or lanes adjacent to heavy vehicle corridors,” is already underway in Hell’s Kitchen and lower Manhattan, the DOT noted.
“This project will take place alongside the DOT’s commitment to also build miles of new protected bicycle lanes, with new designs that will be less dependent on existing delineators for protection,” the department said in its release.
Elected officials including Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards threw their support behind the effort on Friday.
“Truly protected bike lanes are an essential way to keep New York’s cyclists safe, so I’m grateful to Commissioner Rodriguez for his commitment to hardening these lanes,” Levine said in a statement.
The nonprofit bike advocacy group Transportation Alternatives also signed off on the project.
“Real protection, not just plastic or paint, is needed to keep people riding bikes safe,” Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Danny Harris said in a statement. “Today’s announcement by Commissioner Rodriguez to upgrade 20 miles of plastic-marked bike lanes will save lives.”