bicyclesonly's photostream  

Over a year, ago, parks administrators arbitrarily imposed a dismount zone on a stretch of the greenway connecting the West Side Bike Path with Riverside Drive, without any notice or opportunity for cyclists to comment. After much effort, including attendance at many, many Community Baord meetings, adminsitrators have finally changed the signs. Under the new regime, cyclists and pedestrians must learn to co-exist.

The bicycle facility running on First and Second Avenues--the East Side Bikeway--has been extended to 56th Street. On Second Avenue north of 34th St., the facility is composed entirely of a "sharrowed" lane, with a few new features DoT has not tried before. This video shows a morning commute along the sharrowed segment. Since I was riding one-handed while taking the videotape, I was riding more slowly than I usually do--about ten miles per hour.

The traffic is noticeably lighter in the sharrowed lane compared to the other lanes. I was skeptical when DoT first rolled out this new design as to whether it would have any effect, but I'm convinced that it does. I think the key features are the solid white stripe separating the sharrowed lane from the other traffic lanes--which discourages motorists from entering the shared lane--and the signage stating that motorists should not pass cyclists in the shared lane. Although DoT rejected signage proposed by advocates that would have read "Cyclists Allowed Use of Full lane--Do Not Pass," I think the "do not pass" instruction alone still does some good. I believe I would have been honked at in this lane last year, had I been riding in it at 10 MPH taking pictures during rush hour, but that didn't happen this morning.

I also think there is a synergistic effect with all the bike infrastructure going in around the city. To many motorists, this must look like a "big bike lane" that they should keep out of. With all the bike lanes around and the increased numbers of assertive cyclists who will let motorists know to stay out of them, there is a substantial and growing minority of motorists who take care not to ride in the bike lanes.

Clearly, there is less protection than in a parking-protected lane of the type installed on Second Avenue south of 34th Street. Hopefully, this sharrowed lane can play an incubating role, increasing daily ridership to the point where it is apparent that the motorists do not need the left lane except for turning. I'd say it's almost at this point in the segment shown in this clip. Then cyclists can renew their call for installing the parking protected design. However, from 40th Street down to the QMT entrance at 36th Street, there is still a long way to go.

At 45th Street, the sharrows become meaningless as cars, trucks and buses and are tightly lined up to enter the Queens Midtown Tunnel. Most of the other cyclists I saw switched over to the right hand side of Second Avenue at this point, and rode in the bus lane until 36th Street, where they switched back left.

I think the rules that he's breaking are apparent. no need to list them in the comments, folks.

Here on First Ave near 39th Street, with the floating lane demarcated with paint while the "No Stopping" signage for the curbside bike lane is not yet up, motorists enjoy some arguably legal double parking. Enjoy it while it lasts!

Pretty funny how Steve Cuozzo thinks motorists can't figure out how to park in these floating parking lanes. I'd say they take to them like fish to water.