Street Transformation: The Chrystie Street Protected Bike Lane

At the end of 2016, NYC DOT completed work on the protected bike lane on Chrystie Street, a key connection between the Manhattan Bridge and the rest of the Manhattan bike network. The story of this bike lane is a case study in how good things happen when city officials are willing to listen to advocates with smart ideas.

The two-way protected lane replaced a striped bike lane implemented in 2008. That design wasn’t working — cars, trucks, and buses constantly obstructed the bike lane, forcing thousands of cyclists each day to weave in and out of traffic.

The concept for a two-way protected bikeway on the east side of the street was floated by volunteer Dave “Paco” Abraham in 2015, winning the support of the local community board and elected officials. Later that year, a group of anonymous activists calling themselves the “NYC Department of Transformation” placed traffic cones to keep the drivers out of the lane to spur action. NYC DOT listened and came up with a sensible plan — and the Chrystie Street protected bike lane became official policy:

If you like this video, check out the previous entry in our street transformations series: the Queensborough Bridge bike path.