MAYOR ADAMS CELEBRATES FIRST PHASE OF 10TH AVENUE UPGRADE WITH EXTRA-WIDE PROTECTED BIKE LANE

 

Safety Upgrades Include 10-Foot-Wide Bike Lane, Among Manhattan’s Widest, Better Accommodating E-Bikes on Popular Street for Delivery Workers

 

Concrete Pedestrian Islands, Intersection Safety Upgrades, and Bike Parking Will Enhance Safety for All Road Users

 

Adams Administration on Track to Complete Record Number of New Protected Bike Lane Miles in 2023

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez today celebrated the first phase of the Adams administration’s new safety upgrades to Manhattan’s 10^th Avenue. The upgrades — installed between West 38^th Street and West 52^nd Street in Hell’s Kitchen — feature a 10-foot-wide northbound bicycle lane to improve safety with a growing number of cyclists, e-bike riders, and users of other micromobility modes. The administration also built new concrete pedestrian islands, redesigned intersections to slow turning vehicles, and installed new bicycle corrals — making the street safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers. The Adams administration is on track to complete a record number of new protected bike lane miles for New York City in 2023.

 

“As New Yorkers change how they use our streets, we need to change our streets with them — and on 10^th Avenue and across the city, we’re doing just that,” said Mayor Adams. “The upgrades we have completed will make 10^th Avenue safer for everyone, and the extra-wide bike lane will make it easier for cyclists to feel comfortable riding through the neighborhood. We are proud to partner with the Hell’s Kitchen community to deliver a better experience for residents and visitors alike, and we look forward to continuing on down 10^th Avenue.”

 

“As biking grows in popularity, our infrastructure must grow alongside it. A 10-foot lane on 10^th Avenue will enable e-bikes and traditional bikes to coexist, creating room for faster vehicles to pass and promoting safe behavior on the road, while supporting our growing cargo bike delivery industry,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. “We are grateful to DOT for its vision and advocacy in making this a reality.”

 

“The 10^th Avenue redesign proves that when we reimagine our streets to be safer for cyclists and pedestrians, all road users see the benefits,” said DOT Commissioner Rodriguez. “This project brings essential safety upgrades to Hell’s Kitchen and represents just one way we are upgrading our infrastructure to support legal micromobility options. We thank the elected officials — especially Councilmember Bottcher — and the advocates for their partnership in making this happen.”  

 

 

The new, extra-wide bike lane on 10th Avenue. Credit: New York City Department of Transportation

 

The new, extra-wide bike lane and other cycling safety improvements on 10^th Avenue deliver on commitments in Mayor Adams’ “Charge Safe, Ride Safe: New York City’s Electric Micromobility Action Plan.” Released in March 2023, the plan highlights the importance of adapting street designs to accommodate the growth of e-bikes and other micromobility devices on city streets.

 

Following conversations with Manhattan Community Board 4 in 2022, DOT widened the proposed bike lane to 10 feet for most of the project, maintained a three-foot buffered space between parked cars and the bike lane, and quadrupled the original number of pedestrian islands included in the project. DOT continues to develop wider lane designs for projects across the city. Protected bike lanes improve safety for all road users by shortening crossing distances for pedestrians at intersections, calming vehicle traffic, and improving visibility for those walking, driving, and riding a bike or e-mobility device. These designs have reduced deaths and serious injuries among all road users by 18.1 percent, with a 29.2 percent decline for pedestrians. 

 

At West 41^st and West 42^nd Streets near the Lincoln Tunnel, where many vehicles make turns, DOT will install left-turn lanes with dedicated signal timing to give pedestrians a head start crossing the street. Known as leading pedestrian intervals, these treatments have been shown to reduce pedestrian deaths and serious injuries by almost 35 percent. DOT also installed protected intersections, known as “offset crossings,” at West 39^th, West 43^rd, West 45^th, West 47^th, and West 49^th Streets. These intersections feature painted pedestrian space designed to improve visibility between cyclists and drivers and naturally slow driver turns. DOT installed 10 bicycle corrals across the 14 blocks of the project to provide additional bike parking and further protect the space.

 

DOT plans to implement the second phase of this project — from West 14^th Street to West 38^th Street — with a similar design in 2024.

 

Under Mayor Adams’ leadership, New York City has launched and completed significant bike infrastructure and greenway projects across all five boroughs. After winning a $7.25 million federal grant, Mayor Adams launched an effort to add 40 miles of new greenways in five outer-borough corridors. The Adams administration is also undertaking a groundbreaking effort to expand the Harlem River Greenway seven miles into the Bronx — delivering critical public space in a community too often left behind. Additionally, the administration has launched and completed major bike infrastructure projects in East New York in Brooklyn, on Soundview Avenue in the Bronx, and on Third Avenue in Manhattan, among other locations.

 

“HYHK has supported a bike lane on 10^th Avenue for many years as a way to connect the far West Side with the existing bike network in the neighborhoods of Hell’s Kitchen, Chelsea, Midtown, and beyond,” said Robert J. Benfatto, president, Hudson Yards Hell's Kitchen (HYHK) Alliance. “Transit infrastructure, such as dedicated bike lanes, allows bikers safer access to city streets. We also love the opportunity for additional greenery the bike lane has created in areas of the district where there was none. We look forward to working with the community to advocate for future bike corridors on the West Side.”

 

“Worker’s Justice Project and Los Deliveristas Unidos applaud the mayor and DOT Commissioner Rodriguez on the completion of these transformative transportation upgrades on 10^th Avenue,” said Gustavo Ajche, leader, Los Deliveristas Unidos. “These enhancements mark an important step in the efforts to foster a safer urban environment for all — including delivery workers who navigate these streets.”

 

“By widening protected bike lanes and implementing innovative safety features at intersections, the 10^th Avenue redesign project will at once encourage the use of micromobility options — which is exactly what we need to reduce climate-damaging emissions from our transportation sector — and make for a safer journey for everyone, including pedestrians,” said Alia Soomro, deputy director for New York City policy, New York League of Conservation Voters. “The New York League of Conservation Voters is thrilled to see the swift completion of phase one of this project and we applaud Mayor Adams and Commissioner Rodriguez for their commitment to creating a safer and greener New York City.”