The Amsterdam Avenue protected bike lane must be extended north of 110th Street, say the safety advocates of Transportation Alternatives, who are holding a Bike/Walk/Shop action Sunday to rally support from local residents and businesses for the Complete Upper Amsterdam campaign.
“The Amsterdam Avenue protected bike lane has been such a success that residents and local business owners are clamoring to bring the safety redesign to the rest of the corridor above 110th Street,” said Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. “With CitiBike expanding uptown next year, residents and others who work, study and shop in the area will need streets that are safer for biking
and walking.”
Earlier this year, Manhattan Community Board 7 approved DOT’s proposal for Amsterdam Avenue between 72nd and 110th streets, which now features safety improvements including a protected bike lane and pedestrian safety islands. It was a great victory following a three-year campaign backed by area residents and more than 200 local businesses.
On October 23rd, join the Transportation Alternatives Upper Manhattan Activist Committee and local residents as they Walk, Bike, and Shop for amazing deals from local bike-friendly businesses, to demonstrate support for a Complete Amsterdam Avenue!
Robert LaFrance, VP of Operations ABCP Hospitality Group, said, “Arts and Crafts Beer Parlor is now, and has always been, a ‘Bike Friendly Business’: not for marketing purposes, but because it fits our company’s low-carbon footprint principals. Everything we use to run our business is energy-efficient, non-toxic or compostable. Everything we do, we try to do green; we even buy wind energy. One of our employees, Steven, rides his bike to work from Queens, 13 miles each way, so he can live a healthy life. Happy, healthy employees create a warm environment for our customers, and this keeps people coming back. If biking helps us to accomplish that, we are always in support.”
Laura Leonardi and Alfredo Tinoco, owners of Monkey Cup, said, “We, as bikers, believe that adding a bike lane to the upper part of Amsterdam Avenue will promote healthy habits in our neighborhood and will enhance the words ‘inclusion,’ ‘security,’ and ‘clean environment.’ As business owners, we can observe every single day that, without a bike line, bikers are forced to ride on the car lanes — which makes it really dangerous for both drivers and riders — or on the sidewalks, creating an unsafe place for pedestrians and pedestrians with children to walk. We always wonder why 146th and Amsterdam doesn’t have bike lanes with so many bikers in the community and so many people wanting to bike. Why there are bike lanes 20 blocks away (to (south) but not here? Why are we different from them?”
Louis Bailey, Community Organizer for WE ACT said, “For several decades, WE ACT for Environmental Justice has fought for transportation equity in Northern Manhattan, including improving bus service along 125th Street with the implementation of the M60 Select Bus Service.The Complete Streets for Upper Manhattan effort will increase access to safer streets and improve the quality of life for local residents. We urge the DOT to move quickly on this initiative and take bold steps to prevent further injuries and fatalities on the often dangerous corridor of Amsterdam Avenue between 110th Street and 155th Street.”
“We badly need safety features for both pedestrians and cyclists like curb neckdowns, extensions or bollards to slow turning traffic and provide our most vulnerable pedestrians with a head start in crossing, and midway ‘safe haven’ islands; improved traffic law enforcement against speeding, reckless driving, red-light running, ‘blocking the box’ and other actions hostile to pedestrians; re-timed traffic signaling favoring safer pedestrian crossing.”
Area resident Elise Merrow said, “We badly need safety features for both pedestrians and cyclists like curb neckdowns, extensions or bollards to slow turning traffic and provide our most vulnerable pedestrians with a head start in crossing, and midway ‘safe haven’ islands; improved traffic law enforcement against speeding, reckless driving, red-light running, ‘blocking the box’ and other actions hostile to pedestrians; re-timed traffic signaling favoring safer pedestrian crossing.”
Action for a protected bike lane and traffic calming on Amsterdam Avenue from 110th-155th Street. Transportation Alternatives Upper Manhattan Activist Committee, local merchants and residents.
Sunday, October 23rd 1-4 pm
Amsterdam Avenue from 110th to 155th Street, Harlem, New York
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