By Gabriela Resto-Montero
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Bike and bus lanes will be installed on First and Second Avenues, running all the way from Houston Street to Harlem, under a new plan revealed by the city and the MTA late last week.
The proposed lanes are part of a larger plan aimed at relieving congestion on Manhattan's East Side, but they could further clog up traffic on the crowded avenues, especially near the construction of the Second Avenue subway line.
The plan shows that bus lanes will line the right side of each avenue, with bike lanes on the left. The makeup of each lane varies from block to block, but includes a pedestrian walkway and meter parking.
Designated right-of-way lanes and trees will protect bike lanes and parking areas built into curbs will separate bikers from traffic.
The bus lanes will be enforced via video and camera ticketing, but not with physically separated lanes.
Implementation of the lanes will be interrupted at 57th Street on First and Second Avenues and 67th Street to 97th Street on Second Avenue due to ongoing construction on the Second Avenue subway project, a sign that even the MTA is inconvenienced by the subway construction project.
Despite the conflicts, the ambitious plan aims to duplicate the success of the Bx 12 bus in the Bronx, which served as a test case for the Select Bus Service plan.
At the end of its test-run in 2008, the bus line had a 20 percent reduction in travel time, a 10 percent increase in ridership and 98 percent customer satisfaction, according to the MTA. The agencies hope the proposed lanes will do the same for Manhattan.
Both agencies expected construction to begin in October 2010. The next public hearing is scheduled for February.
