CB 3 Supports DOT’s Manhattan Bridge Proposal

On Tuesday, Community Board 3 unanimously approved a resolution in support of DOT’s plans for improved Manhattan Bridge access, including bike lanes on Chrystie Street.

Though members of the board’s transportation committee (along with Streetsbloggers) advocated for protected lanes, these recommendations were not included in the resolution, the full text of which appears after the jump.

WHEREAS, DOT plans to install a complete network of bike routes and
pedestrian safety measures on streets around the Manhattan Bridge.

The project goal is safer and more comfortable streets for all street
users. Design objectives include:

 
1) Creating dedicated cycling space on direct and convenient routes to
and from the Manhattan Bridge.

2) Improving safety for all street users, particularly senior pedestrians.

3) Traffic calming for all street users.

4) Maintaining vehicular access and traffic flow by preserving current
vehicle capacity; and

WHEREAS, The project would install dedicated bicycle lanes in both
directions on Chrystie St between Canal St and E Houston St and on
East Broadway between Chatham Sq and Grand St; and

WHEREAS, Between 2001-2006, there were 864 crashes on the 7 blocks of
Chrystie St, of which 116 involved pedestrians (4 fatalities) and 26
involved cyclists (1 fatality); and

WHEREAS, The project would install 2 pedestrian refuge islands and 7
left-turn bays on Chrystie St between Canal St and Rivington St. The
north-bound roadway between Rivington St and E Houston St would be
narrowed to one through lane; and

WHEREAS, The project would remove 52 parking spaces along the east
side of Chrystie St between Grand St and Stanton St. These are the
parking presently adjacent to the wall of Sara D Roosevelt Park, which primarily serve daytime customers (all 52 of these parking spaces have
middle-of-the-night street cleaning signage and 19 have 2-hour metered
parking between 9am-7pm); now therefore

BE IT RESOLVED, that Community Board 3-Manhattan supports the
Manhattan Bridge Bicycle Access Network, which includes bike lanes and
street configuration changes on Chrystie St, Canal St and East
Broadway as described above; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that CB3 asks DOT to prepare the public and
other agencies for these changes by:

1) Producing a fact sheet in English, Spanish and Chinese to
distribute to residents and businesses in the area. The situation

with parking spaces should be explained, and businesses will need to
understand traffic regulations regarding bike lanes.

2) DOT should work with NYPD so they understand the new regulations
and street geometry.