NYC to expand car-free access in Manhattan ahead of congestion pricing

New York City is stepping up its effort to improve car-free access to Midtown and Lower Manhattan to prepare for the start of congestion pricing, scheduled in just a few weeks. The city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) on Thursday released a report detailing 37 new projects and 47 existing projects that enhance car-free access to and around Manhattan’s Central Business District (CBD) as the city’s congestion pricing program goes into effect on June 30.

“Congestion pricing will reduce traffic, improve air quality in our communities, and raise critical funding for our subways and buses,” Rodriguez said. “We have been preparing for this moment for over a decade, and with fewer cars entering the tolled zone, we can repropose street space to make commuting by bus, bike, or on foot safer, faster, and more reliable.”

Since 2008, DOT has created 12.8 miles of bus lanes within the CBD and installed traffic signal technology that prioritizes buses at more than 300 intersections. Known as Transit Signal Priority, the technology allows traffic signals to hold green lights for approaching buses and more quickly cycle through red lights for waiting buses.

The report outlines multiple corridors where bus prioritization can be enhanced through the creation of new and improved bus lanes and busways, including along 34th Street in the heart of the CBD.

Other bus priority projects include:

• Hillside Avenue bus priority from Queens Boulevard to Springfield Boulevard (Queens)
• Grand Avenue bus priority from Union Avenue to Queens Boulevard (Brooklyn, Queens)
• Richmond Avenue bus priority from Arthur Kill Road to Forest Avenue (Staten Island)
• Bus priority connecting Allen Street, Pike Street, and Madison Street (Manhattan)

DOT has also created more than 100 miles of protected bike lanes since 2008, fueling a 20 percent increase in cycling to the CBD from 2019 to 2022.

DOT is proposing the following new bike lanes:

Manhattan:

• 72nd Street: A new protected bike lane from Riverside Drive to York Avenue
• Sixth Avenue: A new protected bike lane from Lispenard Street to W 8th Street
• Sixth Avenue: A widened protected bike lane from 8th Street to 33rd Street
• Seventh Avenue: A new protected bike lane from 42nd Street to 30th Street
• Dyckman Street: A new protected bike lane from Seaman Avenue to Route 9A

Queens

• Thomson Avenue: A new protected bike lane from 44th Drive to Van Dam Street

Previously announced bike lanes and widenings include:

• Third Avenue: A widened protected bike lane from 23rd Street to 59th Street and from 96th Street to 128th Street
• Tenth Avenue: A new bike lane from 14th Street to 38th Street
• Ninth Avenue: A sidewalk widening, which will install both bike and pedestrian enhancements, from 42nd Street to 50th Street

NYC’s congestion pricing program is set to begin on June 30, charging drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street. The plan is designed to reduce traffic, encourage the use of public transportation, and reduce pollution by moving vehicles out of Manhattan’s busiest areas.

RELATED:

• MTA to offer 10% discount on LIRR and Metro-North trips in NYC
• NYC’s congestion pricing program to start June 30
• NYC congestion pricing program gains final approval, with June start date