Dyckman Greenway Connector Proposed

Broadway/Dyckman/Riverside: a foreboding free-for-all

Inwood livable streets advocates are proposing a "cycle track" to link the Hudson River and Harlem River Greenways at Dyckman Street.

Dyckman currently has bike lanes at its east and west ends, but the stretch between Broadway and Nagle Avenue is four lanes of auto traffic with parallel parking on both sides. When an item showed up on Community Board 12's Traffic and Transportation Committee agenda suggesting DOT might be poised to add bike lanes from Broadway to Nagle, Maggie Clarke got to work.

Clarke, who has a Ph.D. in environmental science, has been an active Inwood organizer since the 1970s, and was a key player in establishing the RING Garden. She has not seen the city's plans, if there indeed are any, for Dyckman Street, but says that because of harrowing traffic, a simple restriping for bike lanes would be a "waste of paint, unless it was a prelude to something bigger."

One idea for "something bigger" was presented by Clarke and other Inwoodites at the CB 12 T&T committee meeting earlier this month. Modeled on the Ninth Avenue cycle track in Chelsea, Clarke and a small group of neighbors proposed a two-way separated bike lane on the north sides of Riverside Drive and Dyckman, buffered by a narrow green median, connecting the Henry Hudson and Harlem River Bike Paths.

Separated bike path with planted median and angle parking

Clarke, herself a cyclist who has for years led rides originating at the RING, sees such a facility as a natural fit for Dyckman and Riverside. In addition to the obvious benefit of connecting the east and west side Greenways in such a way, Inwood is already a destination -- or at least a pit stop -- for cyclists who come from as far away as central New Jersey, Clarke says. Inwood Hill and Ft. Tryon Parks flank Dyckman Street, of course, and the RING is adjacent to the proposed cycle track route, as is the stretch of Dyckman west of Broadway where cafés set up outdoor seating. Dyckman even has the popular Tread Bike Shop. Then there's the community benefit of turning a hazardous, unsightly strip of asphalt into a calmer, greener neighborhood asset.

At issue, however, is parking.

More "marina parking" could be coming to west Dyckman

CB 12 members are concerned about a loss of spaces, though DOT is now studying another citizen proposal to add more (free) parking on Dyckman's west end, where there are already bike lanes, near the marina. Clarke is hoping that this, as well as her group's proposal to replace parallel parking with angled spots, would minimize or eliminate a net parking loss. If not, her group's "Plan B" is to three-lane Dyckman, trading one traffic lane for parking, which could of course rile opposition.

DOT Deputy Borough Commissioner Maurice Bruet, who attended the CB 12 Traffic and Transpo meeting, was reportedly impressed to see such a citizen-driven proposal, and the three-lane plan in particular, but said that any work resulting in a net parking loss would require community board approval. Committee Chair Mark Levine described board members as "interested but cautious."

Clarke has also been in touch with the offices of Council Member Robert Jackson and Borough President Scott Stringer, both of which expressed interest. She was told by the T&T committee that the project would require "stakeholder" input and cost estimates from DOT to move forward, but she isn't sure when, or if, she can expect to hear from the CB or DOT again. She says Bruet told her the neighborhood should come forth with more design suggestions.

"If DOT wanted a separated bikeway connector, they'd design it," says Clarke. "If there was a beautiful, green, state of the art bike facility up here, it would be a magnet for even more bikes."

Dyckman east of Nagle has asphalt to spare

Comments

[Jen]

I'm curious to see how this would look/work on the stretch along Riverside Dr. specifically at the intersections with Seaman, Payson and Henshaw. I'm amazed there haven't been more accidents here due to drivers racing through the lights to make it onto the highway or making U-turns. A woman was killed crossing Riverside at Payson last year by a hit and run. I think there is probably less of an issue with the parked cars and more of an issue where you have traffic crossing the bike lane from the side streets.

[Aaron]

It's a mistake to frame these ideas only in terms of recreation. The real benefit would be to make our roads more friendly to bikers because they commute, which has many multipliers of benefits.

I ride frequently on both the east and west sides starting at 218th, but I see no real reason to connect the two sides with a free-for-all such as Dyckman. Why not go up 10th Ave. and across 218 to Seaman?, where there already is a bike lane down to the riverside path?

My other observation will be familiar to all, whether biker, driver or pedestrian. You can't ride in the bike lanes for 1 entire block without having to avoid double parked cars blocking the bike lane. Without enforcement, and as far as I can tell there is none, there is not much benefit to adding more bike lanes.

[Jay]

i think this would be amazing!i am in full support of any idea of greening-up our lovely hood and especially funky east dyckman.

i got this killer trek i love using but it gets really hairy when your not in the parks and are battling renegade gypsy cabs and oblivious pedestrians who think if you they try to get in your way , they will somehow make money off you.

count one inwoodite in full support!

[Bill]

I grew up in the projects on Nagle Ave. in the 60s. Bike riding on Dyckman St. is literally an accident waiting to happen. The problem with the dedicated bike path, with parking on angles as shown, is the occupants of the vehicles stepping into the bike path and not looking, insuring a collision between rider and pedestrian.

What may be a more viable, although a roundabout solution, is to create a marked bike lane from Ft. Tryon Park, turning south on Broadway & Dyckman, to the intersection of Bennett, Hillside Ave. & Broadway, then onto Hillside Avenue, which terminates at the subway station on Dyckman, then continuing east on Dyckman to the Harlem River Drive. Hillside Ave. has far less vehicular traffic and pedestrians.

Bill Israel

[Maggie Clarke]

As the author of the idea, I appreciate your comments. I've been writing some ideas on Streetsblog about this concept. I live at Henshaw and Riverside, so see the problems in the area firsthand.

Check out the Streetsblog on this at:
http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/02/15/citizens-propose-cycle-track-greenway-connector-in-inwood/

[Maggie Clarke]

Jen is quite right. Riverside Drive functions as an on/off ramp and the drivers are stepping on it to get onto the highway, or coming down off of it. Accidents occur and pedestrians get mowed down regularly.

Coming off the Henry Hudson, the exit is a single lane. There is no reason to have more than one travel lane going towards Broadway (turn lane for Henshaw only, yes). That frees up one lane right there.

Going towards the highway, having two travel lanes encourages speed. This is why many of the accidents are bad ones. There is no need for a left-turning lane for all of Riverside Drive going west. This argues for one travel lane going westbound. Past Henshaw heading west, argument could be made for two lanes since the cars diverge at that point to head north and south on the highway. But the row of parked cars there in front of 1793 and 1781 has already been removed. There should be plenty of room for a two-way bikelane, hedgerow divider, 2-3 traffic lanes and 45 degree angle parking on the south side of Riverside for its length. Lastly, towards Broadway, where the RING triangle garden is, the City removed a large portion of sidewalk there along Riverside years ago to put in parking meters and a row of cars. The pedestrians don't have enough room to walk anymore. The row of meters should be removed, the sidewalk extended back out to where it was when the garden was first there (1990), and the bikelanes and hedgerow established.
Entering Riverside drive at that point typically one car enters at a time. No need for two lanes going westbound.

[Maggie Clarke]

Bill said:
The problem with the dedicated bike path, with parking on angles as shown, is the occupants of the vehicles stepping into the bike path and not looking, insuring a collision between rider and pedestrian.

--

I think there may be a misunderstanding. The angle parking would be on the South sides of Dyckman and Riverside (the right side of the diagram, above). The bike path, protected by a curbed hedgerow, would be on the north (left) side. Pedestrians would not be able to cross easily (without jumping the hedge and bolting across the bikelane after they'd already gone across 3 or 4 lanes of traffic).

[Maggie Clarke]

I am looking to assemble a group of stakeholders and supporters of this idea. I hope I did not wait too long. If you would kindly let me know if you would like to help, I would appreciate it greatly. You can contact me via the RING garden link. Thanks!!