UPPER WEST SIDE — The Department of Transportation says Columbus Avenue's new bike lane has made the street safer, but some Upper West Siders still aren't ready to give the cycling thoroughfare a green light.
DOT officials told Community Board 7's Transportation Committee on Tuesday that the bike lane, which runs southbound from West 96th Street to 77th Street, caused a 28 percent drop in crashes with injuries, slowed speeding cars and cut the number of cyclists peddling on the sidewalk.
"Generally, the numbers are where we want to go," said DOT's Ryan Russo, but he added that the presentation was merely a "preliminary assessment" of the bike lane, which was installed as part of a major street makeover that also narrowed traffic lanes and added concrete medians.
DOT started the road redesign in August 2010, but didn't complete it until March 2011, so the agency has only gathered six months of data on the new lane.
Lauded by cyclists as a significant safety improvement, the bike lane immediately sparked complaints, particularly from businesses who said it hindered commercial deliveries.
Months later, that debate hasn't died down. Skeptics at Tuesday night's meeting questioned DOT's data and poked holes in the idea that the lane has improved the quality of life.
"One of the things you omit is what you promised versus what you delivered," said bike lane critic Dave Zelman, noting that DOT promised to remove only 55 parking spots for the bike lane, but ended up taking 67. "Your credibility is, in my opinion, non-existent."
Russo noted that accident figures come from NYPD reports, which means they don't include collisions between cyclists and pedestrians.
"We cannot say whether bicycles crashing into pedestrians went up or down," Russo said.
DOT officials touted the fact that they've seen a 56 percent increase in cyclists along Columbus Avenue since the lane went in, but Community Board 7 member Anne Raphael called that figure "deceptive" because DOT failed to show how many of those riders were actually using the bike lane.
The number of speeding cars along the stretch of Columbus Avenue by the bike lane has dropped signficantly, according to the DOT data.
Community Board 7 member Tila Duhaime, a cycling advocate who pushed for the new lane, called that "phenomenal" news, but transportation committee chair Andrew Albert questioned the speeding reduction, saying it could be because the avenue is more congested.
Others praised the bike lane, and pressed officials to add more to the Upper West Side. George Beane, a Columbus Avenue Buiness Improvement District board member, said DOT should be commended for a job well done.
"The traffic flow is much better than it ever has been," Beane said. "It's so much safer, it's economical and it's healthy. You've done a wonderful job."
Despite the positive figures from DOT, not all Upper West Siders feel safer with the new lane. City Councilmember Gale Brewer, who represents the Upper West Side, presented results on Tuesday night from a survey of opinions about the new bike lane.
While cyclists overwhelmingly said the new lane had enhanced safety, almost 50 percent of motorists said the bike lane hadn't improved safety at all, according to Brewer's survey.
