GREENWICH VILLAGE — Cyclists are getting a lane for themselves along 8th Street from Sixth Avenue to Astor Place as part of a roadway resurfacing project slated for October.
The new 5-foot-wide bike lane won't eliminate any parking spaces, but will be carved out partly from the width of the existing parking lanes, according to the Department of Transportation.
Eighth Street currently had an 8-foot curb extension, which will be shortened by one foot, an 11-foot parking lane on the south side, which will drop to nine feet, and a 13-foot parking lane on the north side, which will drop to 10 feet, DOT officials said at a Community Board 2 Traffic and Transportation Committee meeting last week.
Some local residents showed up to the meeting with safety concerns, however, complaining of "kamikaze" cyclists.
"I got run over in November with my dog by a bike going the wrong way, coming out of nowhere," said Karen Tappis, a design consultant who lives on 8th Street and Fifth Avenue. "I’ve noticed since that time no one really cares about the safety of pedestrians. I’ve spoken to police, I’ve been to board meetings, I’ve spoken to DOT and everyone keeps passing the buck. I’m kind of really getting fed up.
"I’m all for whatever you’re going to do to make it safer, [but] they’re not doing anything about these kamikaze bicyclists," Tappis added.
DOT representative Craig Baerwald said the bike lane will increase pedestrian safety.
"Not only will [cyclists] know where to ride, but motorists and pedestrians will know where they are as well," Baerwald.
DOT did 12-hour counts in August and determined there are more than 580 cyclists per day on 8th Street on weekdays, and more than 800 per day on weekends.
And according to Citi Bike data, approximately 300,000 Citi Bike riders started or ended trips within the bounds of Community Board 2 — which spans Greenwich Village, West Village, NoHo, Nolita and SoHo — in the first quarter of this year.
According to Baerwald's presentation, there have been 27 percent fewer crashes with injuries on average in the past year on 8th Street than in the three years prior.
Between Aug. 1, 2015 and July 31, 2016, there were a total of 49 crashes, 10 with injuries.
The three-year average prior to 2015 had a total of 56 crashes per year, with 14 including injuries, according to DOT data.
Baerwald said DOT is scheduled to finish repaving 8th Street from Sixth Avenue to Astor Place the first week of October, then will spend the following few weeks putting down bike lane markings, restoring the curb extensions and putting back planters, delineators and bike corrals.
"We will maintain all pedestrian improvements and vehicular mobility," Baerwald said.
The DOT may look into further extending the bike lane eastward after the renovation of Astor Place is complete, and extending it onto Greenwich Avenue is already under investigation by the agency, according to Baerwald's presentation, which is available online.
