The hotly contested north-bound bike lane on Central Park West has been approved by Community Board 7. This means 400 parking spaces will be eliminated on the east side of the street. Once complete, a protected bike lane will run from 59th to 110th Streets.
The final tally saw 27 in favor of the bike lane, 7 opposed to it, and 5 abstentions.
The motivation behind the bike lane is cyclist and pedestrian safety. According to a detailed report by Community Board 7, there were 95 pedestrian injuries and 94 cyclist injuries on Central Park West between 2013 and 2017, with 22 severe injuries and one fatality during 2018, which took place at 66th Street.
And, additional stats from 2007 – 2017 state that protected bike lanes in NYC have a clear link with increased safety. More specifically, they’ve resulted in a 15% drop in crashes with injuries and a 21% drop in pedestrian accidents.
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Here are a few goals outlined by CB7 in their now-approved proposal:
- Provide dedicated space for cyclists that is physically separated from moving vehicles
- Create comfortable space for cyclists of varied ages and experience levels
- Maintains all travel lanes; accommodates existing traffic capacity during peak hours
- Remove northbound parking lane
We’ll provide an update once construction begins.
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