By Jenna DeAngelis and Walter Smith Randolph, Published March 5, 2025

The New York City Department of Transportation wants to expand more bike lanes along Sixth Avenue by taking out a car lane.

Wednesday, they touted the success of the 4-mile bike lane that has been widened from Lispenard Street in Tribeca to West 13th Street in the West Village.

Now, they’re proposing doing something similar from 14th Street to 35th Street.

Transportation officials say it will improve safety along the 21-block corridor where 345 people were hurt and four killed between 2019-2024. That time period also saw an increase bike ridership.

“Protected bike lanes reduce total deaths and serious injuries by 18 percent,” New York City Councilmember Carlina Rivera said.

“Let’s continue to build out our protected bike lane infrastructure,” New York City Councilmember Erik Bottcher said.

Drivers worry removing car lane will worsen congestion in Chelsea
The proposal means reducing car lanes from four to three, and some New Yorkers have expressed concerns that will only make traffic worse.

“Because of congestion pricing, there’s less traffic, I get that, but the less room you have, the more congested it gets,” West Village resident Charlie Weissman said.

CBS News New York’s Jenna DeAngelis brought those concerns to DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez.

“At a time when the city is trying to reduce traffic with congestion pricing, what do you have to say to people who are concerned that eliminating a car lane will actually just perpetuate the traffic in Midtown?” she asked.

“First of all, that area is the only area that we don’t have three lanes on Sixth Avenue,” Rodriguez said.

The DOT says the project was modeled before congestion pricing began, when there was more traffic, and it “doesn’t anticipate any significant changes to travel speeds.”

“My focus is about making the streets safer,” Rodriguez said.

The changes are expected in the spring.

Read here: https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/nyc-6th-avenue-bike-lane-proposal