There are several noteworthy items on the agenda of Community Board 3’s transportation committee this month. Residents will make a proposal for safety improvements at Rivington and Columbia streets. The Department of Transportation will explain plans for a new bike lane on Delancey Street, east of Clinton Street. Also, city officials will outline a proposal to redesign the area around the Manhattan Bridge.
Last month, members of the committee weighed in on changes to the road configuration along Clinton, Rutgers and South streets. You can see the Transportation Department’s presentation below. In a nutshell, it creates a two-way bike lane on the west side of Clinton Street, establishes angled parking along Clinton in certain places and narrows the automobile lanes as a “traffic calming” measure. Some blocks would lose parking spaces, while others would pick up some spots (for a net loss of 2 spaces).
The plan also calls for changing Rutgers Street to a one-way southbound roadway. On South Street, the city wants to add a 6 inch concrete median on the east side of the block to better protect bicyclists in the 2-way bike path. At South Street and Montgomery Street, plans call for narrowing the roadway and creating a larger pedestrian area.
At last week’s community board meeting, parts of the proposal were approved. A resolution forwarded to the Department of Transportation stated that more community engagement is needed, since “tenant associations and resident groups did not have adequate notice of the project.” They asked for more information about the Rutgers Street part of the plan.
The resolution noted that the city rejected requests from CB3 for a traffic signal at Clinton and Henry streets and a mid-block crosswalk on Clinton Street between East Broadway and Grand Street. The board wants to see the data used to determine that these safety improvements weren’t warranted.
CB3’s transportation committee meets Tuesday, May 12, at 6:30 p.m., at University Settlement, 273 Bowery. Here’s the full agenda.
