The New York City Department of Transportation has unveiled a proposal to upgrade bus and bicycle infrastructure along Sixth Avenue in Manhattan. The plan would add new offset bus lanes between Watts Street and West 34th Street, upgrade existing bus lanes from West 34th Street to West 58th Street, and widen protected bike lanes along much of the corridor. The improvements are intended to benefit more than 51,000 daily bus riders and enhance safety for cyclists and pedestrians on one of Manhattan’s busiest transportation corridors.
Sixth Avenue bike lane proposal, via NYC.
Under the proposal, a new offset bus lane would be installed where no dedicated bus lane currently exists between Watts Street and West 34th Street. Existing curbside bus lanes between West 34th Street and West 58th Street would be converted to offset lanes, with some sections featuring double bus lanes. City officials said the changes are designed to improve bus reliability and reduce delays caused by vehicles blocking curbside lanes.
Sixth Avenue bike lane proposal, via NYC.
The project would also widen the existing protected bike lane north of West 35th Street to West 59th Street, creating a double-wide bike lane for most of Sixth Avenue between Lispenard Street and West 59th Street. Additional safety measures would include painted curb extensions, pedestrian islands, and turn-calming treatments aimed at shortening crossing distances and slowing turning vehicles. Sixth Avenue is designated as a Vision Zero priority corridor due to its high rate of pedestrian deaths and serious injuries.
“Every day, 51,000 New Yorkers rely on buses along this corridor to get to work, school and home to their families. And every day, too many of them are stuck in traffic that slows them down and takes their valuable time,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said. “By installing new and upgraded offset bus lanes and expanding bike infrastructure on Sixth Avenue, we’re helping New Yorkers move faster, move safer and experience the reliable public transit they deserve.”
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It continues to amazes me how these aggressive street redesigns still maintain parking.
I’m also unsure what the wider bike lanes buy on 6th aside from increasing bike speeds and inviting motorbikes. This is already a problem on 6th as it is; I hate riding on this road.
So an original six lane avenue for traffic will now only have two lanes. No wonder why traffic is at a standstill and goods and services can’t move.
Should raise the congestion charge then.
A bus lane means nothing to TLC and Uber hooligans.
The diagram from the top down should be:
Full length parking lane
Three travel lanes
A new concrete island curb with drainage breaks
A protected bike lane (this location is much safer with turning vehicles)
A curbside bus lane (with low poles and a chain along the curb)