sharing the street

8/3/2019 Sharing the Street

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BREAKOUT SESSION #4: Sharing the Street: Bike Lanes,Bus Rapid Transit, and Other Street Redesigns

• The panelists opened the discussion by stating their primary goals: ensuring

that the streetscape takes pedestrians into account, creating safe andaccessible streets to all on which rules are respected, and improving streetdesign to maximize mobility and balance the needs of all New Yorkers.

• Paul Steely-White of Transportation Alternatives said that we need toreimagine streets as more than simply conduits from one place to another.Instead, they are social places that must be “convivial” to all—particularlyresidential streets. “Streets should be designed to encourage neighbors to

come out and talk to each other and for kids to play on the streets and notshuttered in their homes.”

• In order to achieve that social success, we must emphasize both mobilityand safety. Tom McGuire of NYC DOT noted that the DOT has launched a“slow streets” program in the Claremont section of the Bronx (20mphspeed zone) that can be modeled in other communities throughout the fiveboroughs. However, Christine Berthet of CHEKPEDS highlighted thecontinuing problem of multiple agencies having overlapping jurisdictionover what can be placed on sidewalks. As a result, scarce and valuablesidewalk real estate is increasingly crowded with bus depots, recycling bins,and street cafes.

• As with parking reform, panelists agreed that issues of street design areinherently different from neighborhood to neighborhood and thus, it iscritical that planners involve residents at the block level.

• Sometimes, transit planners must do more to inform community membersof the effects of changes in the streetscape. Dave Kulik of Queens CivicCongress said that members of his community rejected Bus Rapid Transit(BRT) for fear that it would curtail parking, when the reality shows that BRTcan be installed without a major effect on surrounding parking. VeronicaVanterpool of Tri-State Transportation Campaign added that many business



owners believe that car-friendly transit is critical to their bottom line, whenin reality the bulk of their business comes from shoppers arriving by foot,bike, and mass transit, not cars. In so doing, it is important, Vanterpoolsaid, to ensure that the message is not anti-car, but rather the need tobalance the needs of all users.

• BRT can interfere with curb access for commercial deliveries and access-a-ride vehicles. As a result, both McGuire and Christine Berthet of CHEKPEDSsaid that the BRT lanes on 34 th Street may need to be moved to the centerof the street, rather than the curb.

• Moderator Ben Kabak, a noted transit blogger, asked panelists how tobalance the desire for additional bike lanes with concerns of drivers and

pedestrians that bikers do not follow the rules of the road. Eric McClure of Park Slope Neighbors said that while there is no excuse for unlawfulbehavior, bikers in New York have long developed an outlaw culturebecause the streets were not designed to be kind to bikes. Ultimately, thepanel believed that additional education (for bikers, drivers, andpedestrians) was needed to improve safety on our streets. Alison Cohen of Alta Bike Share noted that biker education was a significant component of the Bike Share plan that will be unveiled next year.

• Steely-White added that additional bike infrastructure (like separatedlanes) will keep bikes off the sidewalk and ensure safer streets for all. Healso noted that State Senator Daniel Squadron has proposed legislationthat will make business owners with bike delivery accountable for theactions of their employees.

• The panelists had a variety of ideas for integrating Staten Island into thetransit network, including building bike lanes on the Verrazano-NarrowsBridge and BRT on Hylan Boulevard to expanding the bike share program tothe island given that most trips are less than 2 miles. Kulik added that givenStaten Island’s hilly terrain, the City should consider ways to make thestreets friendlier for electric bikes.



• In response to questions about the effect of bike share on pedestriansafety, Cohen noted that the Alta bikes are very heavy and will be used atslower speeds. In addition, every bike will be equipped with front and rearlights and bells. McGuire added that the DOT has never removed a bikelane for safety concerns and that the City has painted the lanes to makethem more visible to pedestrians and drivers alike. Further, the City has aSafe Routes to Schools program designed to promote biking and walking asa safe method for children to commute to school.

Lastly, the City has plans to further improve safety by making bike lanesand pedestrian plazas (such as those that exist side-by-side at BroadwayPlaza) at different elevations.

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The audience also wondered about the shrinking size of the City’s sidewalksand what can be done about it. Steely-White implored people to pressureelected officials to widen sidewalks to their former width (if not greater).

• BRT is still confined to Manhattan and the Bronx, but the DOT has plans toexpand it to all five boroughs and has also adjusted traffic signals in Queensto improve flow and reduce congestion.

• Going forward, the panelists expressed support for electric car share, real-time ride sharing, smart-phone enabled technology that will provide real-time information to individuals on the street, and an environment in whichall users of the City’s streets treat one another with respect.

TAKEAWAY : It would be a gross understatement to say that the City’s streets arecrowded. Bikes, motorcycles, cars, trucks, pedestrians, pedicabs, and busescompete for space and often do not follow the rules-of-the-road. In creating a21 st century plan for an urban streetscape, we must take into account all of thesevarious actors, ensuring that safety and accessibility are top priorities of transitplanners.

sharing the street

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