Friends of Pelham Parkway Decry Bike Lane on Bronxdale Avenue

 

The NYCDOT made a presentation to the Traffic and Transportation Committee of Community board 11 back in March of 2021. The March 2021 agenda of the committee had only Item 2. New York City Department of Transportation with no description of what was being presented. There were only two members of the public in this video meeting, both members of Transportation Alternatives, and it was the last meeting of the Chair of the committee Frano Zagreda who did not reapply to be a member of the community board. It seems that this video only surfaced one year later as did the minutes of the meeting. 

The minutes of the March 2021 meeting have item #2 as the New York City Department of Transportation A. Follow up to 2018 presentation on Bronxdale Avenue to address unsafe intersections and high speeds. B. The presentation was a draft of redesign of Bronxdale avenue from Bronx Park East to East Tremont avenue. C. DOT says that this presentation is the first draft, and they intend to engage multiple stakeholders along Bronxdale including the schools, medical facility, Maestro’s, Con Edison, Morris Park Community Association and others. D. The proposed plan converts 4 lanes to 2 with turn bays, painted islands, and protected bike lanes. E. 60 parking spots will be lost. DOT will investigate adding a few additional spots after concerns were raised. F. Other concerns from the committee and public included: ADA compliance, double parking, school drop off, and new traffic pattern in front of the medical center.

While there are agendas listed for various months leading up to and including September 2022, there are no Traffic and Transportation committee minutes posted after the March 2021 minutes. On Friday September 30, 2022 the Friends of Pelham parkway held a press conference to decry the lack of information from Community Board 11 on the reconfiguration of Bronxdale Avenue which took place the last week of September, and one woman has already been killed in a car accident that the car went onto the sidewalk pinning the woman against a metal fence fatally. The driver said he was unaware of the new road pattern. 

The sign on the left tells you what is going on, or has gone on, and the sign on the left tells you what the street will look like or already does. 

Left - The bike lane at the curb with cars parking in what use to be a lane of moving traffic. Right the corner of White Plains Road and Bronxdale Avenue, with the abandoned fire box and graffiti covered traffic signal box.

   

Here we see the light is red, but the bike rider goes right through the red light.

                                                                 

                                                           

There is a new concrete Pedestrian Island, but cars can go on both sides of the island, and cars, truck, buses, and bikes go all different ways since traffic is now tied up due to only having one lane of traffic flow on Bronxdale Avenue below White Plains Road.

 

Left - White Plain Road crossing Bronxdale  Avenue has turning lanes but none are marked   off.

Right - Friends of Pelham Parkway discuss the problem on Bronxdale Avenue.

All photos can be clicked on to make them larger.