RESPECT THE LANE,

CLEAR THE PATH

OCTOBER 2010

Office of the Manhattan

Borough President

Scott M. Stringer
Manhattan Borough President
TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY…………………………………….……PAGE 3

2. METHODOLOGY…………………………………………………. PAGE 4

3. FINDINGS……………………………………………………......….PAGE 5

4. RECOMMENDATIONS……………………………………….……PAGE 7
 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
After receiving numerous constituent complaints from motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists,
Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer today released an unprecedented survey of bike
lane safety in Manhattan. The verdict was clear: while bike lanes bring a tremendous benefit to
New York City, misuse by all parties—motorists, pedestrians and cyclists—undermines their
success.

Pedestrians blocking bike lanes was found to be the most common infraction with over 741
observations during the 22 hours survey period, including 240 at 36th Street and Broadway.
Additionally, over 275 occurrences of Motor vehicle blockages were noted, including 50 taxi,
livery and pedi cabs and 35 instances of city-owned vehicles.

Notably, locations with protected bike lanes were found to be half as likely to be blocked by
motor vehicles and, on average, had about 30 fewer infractions. These findings indicate that
protected lanes may provide a safer cycling experience.

The Borough President’s survey found a range of bike lane abuses including:

o Unmarked Police vehicles in apparent non-emergency situations cutting through

protected bike lanes, to circumvent traffic stopped by a red light.

o Motor vehicle encroachment and speeding through bike lanes. The bike lane at 145th and
St. Nicholas Avenue was the most encroached, with 117 infractions surveyed.

o A school bus idling in a bike late at 116th and 1st Avenue for 7 minutes

o At Grand Street and Bowery, wrong way bicycle traffic in the bike lane outpaced the
correct use of the bike lane for a full hour.

o Pedestrian encroachment on bike lanes in the Herald Square area was rampant, with over
240 occurrences recorded during a two-hour period.
 METHODOLOGY
Data was collected at eleven Manhattan bike lanes during recent morning and evening rush
hours, and the most common infractions in bike lanes included: motor vehicle blockage,
pedestrian use and cyclists going the wrong direction.

Data was compiled during morning and evening rush hours between October 5 and October 7 at
eleven bike lane locations:
• Centre Street and Chambers Street
• Grand Street and Bowery
• St. Marks Place and Second Avenue
• 14th Street and First Avenue
• 23rd Street and Eighth Avenue
• 36th Street and Broadway
• 77th Street and First Avenue
• 94th Street and Columbus Avenue
• 115th Street and Fredrick Douglas Boulevard
• 116th Street and First Avenue
• 145th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue.

Criteria for the survey were determined based on frequently received constituent complaints.
Surveyors noted the following infractions:
• Bike Lane Blockages
• Pedestrian in bike lane
• Cyclist going wrong way in bike lane
• Cyclist running a red light
• Dooring (car doors observed opening as a cyclist was in lane)
• Cyclist riding on sidewalk
• Cyclist riding wrong way on the street
 FINDINGS
Over the course of a three day observation period, staff from the Borough President’s office
observed over 1,700 infractions at these locations. The highest infraction frequencies by
location and the total number of infractions were:

• Bike Lane Blockages – 117 infractions at 145th Street & St. Nicholas Avenue; 353 total
infractions
• Pedestrian in bike lane – 240 infractions at 36th Street & Broadway; 741 total
infractions
• Cyclist going wrong way in bike lane – 53 infractions at Grand Street & Bowery; 242
total infractions
• Cyclist running a red light – 100 infractions at Centre Street & Chambers Street; 237
total infractions
• Dooring – 19 infractions at St. Marks Place & Second Avenue; 77 total infractions
• Cyclist riding on sidewalk – 11 infractions at 94th Street & Columbus Avenue (tied
with Centre & Chambers); 42 total infractions
• Cyclist riding wrong way on the street – 27 infractions at 77th Street & First Avenue;
89 total infractions

Total
Blockage

Wrong Way

Running a red light

Pedestrians using bike

lanes
Dooring

Cyclists on sidewalks

Cyclists riding the wrong

way on streets

Of the 353 bike lane blockages observed, over 275 were motor vehicles. Of those 18% were
attributed to taxi or livery cars and 13% were city owned vehicles.
 C
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Total Observations By Location

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36 ve
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300

.N
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TOTAL Observations
 RECOMMENDATIONS

In order to reduce the number of bike lane blockages and improve cyclist safety, the Borough
President is making the following recommendations:

1. Increase enforcement against motorists who drive in or obstruct bike lanes. Of the
criteria surveyed, the most significant threat to bike lane safety is misuse of the lanes by
motor vehicles. Surveyors noted dangerous obstructions ranging from cars double-
parked in lanes to potentially life threatening incidents such as cars using unprotected
bike lanes to pass other vehicles – and cutting off cyclists in the process. Currently, the
fine for blocking a bike lane is $115.

However, there needs to be significantly increased enforcement and ticketing of vehicles

that abuse lanes. During the 22 hour survey period, over 275 motor vehicle blockages
were noted but only two tickets were observed being issued.

The City should pilot a dedicated bike lane patrol would be effective. A bike patrol could
strategically place traffic enforcement agents on bicycles to patrol bike lane blockages,
improper cycling, and other infractions. Placing traffic enforcement agents on bicycles
would allow for rapid responses to blockages compared to agents on foot. Additionally,
this policy change would provide agents with the same incentives to keep bicycle lanes
clear as officers in police cars have to maintain traffic safety.

2. Enhanced street signage for cyclists, pedestrians and vehicles. Observers noted some
signage in their survey areas; however, ample room for improvement exists. Specifically,
DOT should provide enhanced road signage to mitigate wrong way bicycling in bike
lanes and on roads, motor vehicles traveling through or encroaching upon bike lanes, and
additional yield to pedestrian signs.

3. Taxi Cab Public Awareness Campaign on Dooring. Dooring (the act of hitting a
cyclist with an open car door) is one of the most frequent cyclist complaints. The sudden
nature of these collisions creates an especially dangerous environment for cyclists as well
as passengers exiting vehicles.

DOT has indicated that it plans to launch a public awareness campaign to address bike
safety issues across the City. The Taxi and Limousine Commission should follow suit
and launch a similar public education campaign in yellow taxis and livery cars in order to
prevent injuries to cyclists caused by dooring in TLC vehicles.

4. Reserve parking spots for deliveries along commercial streets to discourage

potential bike lane blockages. Currently, parking spaces adjacent to protected bike
lanes provide parking on a first come, first serve basis. A lack of designated parking for
deliveries exacerbates bike lane blockages. To remedy this problem, DOT should
designate delivery only parking spaces in protected bike lanes with appropriately placed
curb cuts to minimize the necessity to pull dollies and hand carts through bike lanes.
 Bike lane blockages caused by deliveries are impossible to eliminate in most locations.
However, this simple policy change could significantly reduce delivery blockages.

5. Increase the frequency of Bike Boxes along bike routes. Cyclists often report that for
their own safety they must get a head start on motor vehicles at red lights. To address
these concerns DOT has created Bike Boxes, demarcated traffic boxes at intersections
along bike lane routes that provide cyclists with a safe area ahead of cars while waiting
during red lights. This simple change to the configuration of the streetscape allows
cyclists to avoid existing dangers at red lights without putting themselves and others in
unnecessarily dangerous situations. DOT should improve on this worthwhile initiative by
painting the boxes so they are more clearly visible and include the boxes in their standard
treatment when creating bike lanes.

6. Where appropriate, DOT should strive to develop bike lanes that reduce mixing of
cyclists, pedestrians and motorists. The Borough President’s survey found that
protected bike lanes are half as likely to be blocked by motor vehicles. DOT should
conduct their own analysis of the effectiveness of protected bike lanes and publish their
findings. These findings should be included as part of a comprehensive community
consultation process around the selection of appropriate locations for future bike lane
locations.

7. The City should make available data related to bike lane safety and conduct regular
surveys similar to this study to ensure greater transparency and accountability.
Currently, the City does not collect or disseminate important statistics on bike lane
incidents, including cycle-vehicle and pedestrian-cycle crashes that are necessary for
policy makers, transportation advocates and concerned members of the public to measure
whether our City’s bike lanes are functioning at their maximum potential.