Visions of a Revamped Eastern Parkway
[nggallery id=”53271″ template=galleryview] Last week a reader dropped a line to say that it seemed like the long-planned reconstruction of Eastern Parkway from Grand Army Plaza to Washington Avenue might be starting up, since a “man from the city was going from building to building yesterday informing about potential water shutoffs and parking changes.” As…
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Last week a reader dropped a line to say that it seemed like the long-planned reconstruction of Eastern Parkway from Grand Army Plaza to Washington Avenue might be starting up, since a “man from the city was going from building to building yesterday informing about potential water shutoffs and parking changes.” As it happens, the project could begin within the next few months. A rep from the Department of Design and Construction had the following to say about the time line: “Test pits are being done now to determine locations of underground utilities. Once those are determined construction work could begin in the spring.” The city says the main goals in upgrading the infrastructure near the museum, botanic garden and library are to improve pedestrian, bicyclist, and vehicular safety; enhance open space and create new ones; and improve water mains, sewers and utilities. The renderings above show how it’s supposed to turn out, and the whole thing will probably take two years to complete.
I’ve been riding along EP for years now and I’ve never seen any bike lanes indicated on the north median, only on the southern one. There are also no curb cuts to make it easy to go from one block to the next on the north median; the only curb cuts lead you either on to EP or onto the access lanes. (This does not mean that I do not ride on the northern median when I am heading west along EP, however. I do so carefully avoiding pedestrians.)
In terms of the southern median, there is nothing dividing the cyclist area from that for pedestrians. Whenever I ride along that median, I am always having to avoid pedestrians, mothers with strollers, children playing, etc, all of whom are in the relatively clearly indicated bike portion.
It’ll work like the rest of the bike lane on EP… and on Ocean Parkway (the oldest bike lane in NYC)
“That’s the very definition of a necessary and useful bike path, and it’s hard to believe anyone would disagree.”
okay okay – if it hooks up with the PPW lane at GAP, that’s cool.
but how are they gonna make it work – as in that pic it looks like it will be a part of the pedestrian walkway. it would need to be separated and have lights installed at the N/S intersections, no?
Bike lane seems “silly”? Really?
There’s a bike path on Eastern Parkway east of Washington, a lot of bike facilities feeding into Grand Army Plaza (including the park drive itself), and absolutely no safe way to get between the two.
That’s the very definition of a necessary and useful bike path, and it’s hard to believe anyone would disagree.
So this is just on the north side of EP, continuing the mixed bike lane and pedestrian path that already exists east of Washington. Correct?
Whoever thinks a bike lane on EP is silly, must not be a biker. This should have been the bike lane that was installed before the PPW lane. It would have been appreciated, for one thing. Right now, bikers ride on the south sidewalk or against the flow of traffic on the north side service road. It’s ridiculous to cutoff these cultural institutions from GAP. This will be used and appreciated. And I don’t think a bunch of rich people with cars will be bitching about the lack of parking. Not to mention this might save a life or two at the Washington and EP intersection. Now the question is, How long until they actually finish this???
The reconfiguration of Eastern Parkway between Washington Avenue and Grand Army Plaza is largely consistent with the design of Eastern Parkway to the east of Washington Avenue. There are bike lanes on both the north and south medians. While the redesign of GAP is separate, they will be coordinated.
I think a bike lane here makes sense because it ties in with the PPW bike lane.
I am curious how this will fit in with the plans to re-do Grand Army Plaza.
bike lane on EP seems silly