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A one-block stretch near West 181st Street and Riverside Drive has become the center of much debate in the last few weeks after community complaints about the safety of cycling and pedestrian traffic prompted a redesign of the street in question.
Department of Transportation (DOT) officials presented their newest plan to the CB12 Traffic and Transportation committee meeting held last Mon., Sept 12, offering a proposal intended to improve access to the block and bridge that connects Riverside Drive and the Greenway path along the Hudson River, a major point of connection for cyclists and pedestrians who use the Greenway.
According to counts conducted by DOT representatives, over 2,000 cyclists and pedestrians combined used the pedestrian/bicycle bridge during a twelve hour span during the weekend. Of that number, half of them moved against traffic.
Thus far, the proposed improvements include:
- The conversion of West 181 Street from a one-way to two-way traffic street.
- Removal of 11 parking spaces currently existent on the west side of the street.
- Installation of shared lane markings and signs for cyclists on Riverside Drive
- and West 181 Street to connect to the Fort Washington Avenue bicycle lanes
- Installation of curb cuts at crosswalk to bridge.
- Installation of a new signal controller to standardize and reduce time to activate walk signal.
During the meeting, residents of the block who attended the presentation voiced concern about the stretch being turned into a two way street, and the removal of the 11 parking spaces, citing the many current parking difficulties.
The proposal comes after months of discussion held in the spring about the improvement of bike paths in Northern Manhattan. The proposal seeks to improve connectivity and access for cyclists and pedestrians both through the neighborhood, parks, and the Greenway.
The CB12 Traffic and Transportation committee will present a final resolution either supporting or asking DOT to make more adjustments to the current plan during the general CB12 meeting on Tues. Sept. 27th at the Vivian and Seymour Milstein Family Heart Center at 173 Ft. Washington Avenue between West 165th and 168th Streets.
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