West Harlem
Streetsblog Basics
Levine Stands Up for Riverside Drive Road Diet Under Attack By CB 9
A plan to calm traffic on a speeding-plagued stretch of Riverside Drive in West Harlem would be gutted if Community Board 9 members get their way, but Council Member Mark Levine, who represents the area, wants DOT to move ahead with the safety plan.
March 6, 2015
West Harlem CB Members to DOT: Let Drivers Use Neighborhood as Shortcut
Riverside Drive in West Harlem is shaping up to be another test case for DOT's commitment to safety improvements, and whether the agency will allow ignorance of basic street design principles and fear of change guide its decisions.
February 20, 2015
Bus Lanes Worked Wonders on East 125th. Now What About the West Side?
Since debuting last year, Select Bus Service on 125th Street has dramatically improved transit speeds, especially on the section with dedicated bus lanes east of Lenox Avenue, according to NYC DOT and the MTA. The results strengthen the case for adding bus lanes west of Lenox, which DOT had scuttled in 2013 in response to resistance from local electeds. With more favorable politics prevailing today, the agency could revive bus lanes for West Harlem and greatly extend the impact of 125th Street SBS.
January 12, 2015
DOT Proposes Riverside Drive Traffic Calming, But Not Bike Lanes
Last night, DOT presented a plan to the Manhattan Community Board 9 transportation committee that would bring pedestrian safety improvements and a road diet to Riverside Drive, but DOT is proposing no bike lanes for the popular cycling route [PDF].
January 9, 2015
Select Bus Service Launches on 125th Street
On Sunday, Select Bus Service launched on a route that stretches from 125th Street in Harlem to LaGuardia Airport. Public officials marked the occasion -- the first SBS route to debut during the de Blasio era -- at a Harlem press conference today. With off-board fare collection and dedicated bus lanes (on part of the route), the upgrades will speed cross-town trips for 33,000 bus riders daily, on both the M60 SBS route and local routes that will benefit from the bus lanes only.
May 27, 2014
New CM Mark Levine Will Push NYC DOT for Full 125th Street SBS Route
The deal that brought 125th Street Select Bus Service back to life last fall didn't revive the full, cross-town enhanced bus route that was originally on the table. With the current plan calling for bus lanes east of Lenox Avenue only, bus riders who travel to or from West Harlem would still get the short end of the stick. Freshman Council Member Mark Levine wants to change that.
January 8, 2014
Harlem CBs Dither on Pedestrian Safety While SI Board Begs for Bike Lanes
Last week, Staten Island Community Board 1 passed a resolution asking DOT to install bike lanes, while in Manhattan, a community-requested plan for a road diet and pedestrian islands continues to be delayed by two Harlem community boards.
September 23, 2013
Tonight: Community Boards Weigh Harlem and Staten Island Traffic Calming
Last week, DOT presented a plan to calm traffic on Morningside Avenue in Harlem [PDF] with a road diet and pedestrian islands. Community Board 10's transportation committee, which has a track record of dithering on and opposing livable streets projects, asked DOT for more data. Tonight, the action shifts to adjacent Community Board 9, which also covers the project area and could be poised to pass a resolution in support of the project.
September 19, 2013
Morningside Avenue Traffic Calming Awaits Support From Two Harlem CBs
From 116th Street to 126th Street, Morningside Avenue is known as a speedway between Harlem's residential streets to the east and Morningside Park to the west. A traffic calming plan from DOT [PDF] now waits while Community Boards 9 and 10 weigh in. Transportation committees of both boards received presentations from DOT, followed by question-and-answer sessions, but so far, there have been no resolutions advanced from the boards and Council Member Inez Dickens remains supportive of traffic calming in concept but noncommittal about the proposal on the table.
September 13, 2013
Will Letters From Two Uptown Electeds Get DOT to Restart 125th Street SBS?
The plan for 125th Street Select Bus Service died on the vine after a lack of support from community boards and elected officials. But now, Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito [PDF] and State Senator Adriano Espaillat [PDF], along with council candidate Mark Levine, are asking Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan to restart plans to bring SBS to the crosstown route.
August 20, 2013