Existing bike lane designs have been implemented safely across thousands of streets and avenues in NYC. We believe several thoroughly tested alternate designs achieve the DOT's policy goals — continuous east-west protected cycling — without converting W 72nd Street into an obstacle course for its most vulnerable residents.
Remove one lane of parking on each of 71st and 73rd Streets, and install a single one-way protected bike lane on each — eastbound on one, westbound on the other. Two one-way lanes are inherently safer for cyclists than a two-way lane. And 72nd Street stays fully accessible.
Two quiet side streets absorb the bike corridor as one-way protected lanes. 72nd Street remains a standard, accessible block with curbside access intact.
One-way lanes eliminate the head-on conflicts that make bidirectional lanes on busy blocks the riskiest category of bike infrastructure.
Curbside pickup/drop-off remains possible for ambulettes, taxis, and family cars. No residents lose vehicle access.
71st and 73rd have fewer residential entrances, fewer commercial loading needs, and lower curbside demand than 72nd — a better match for a protected bike facility.
If the DOT wants to keep the bike corridor on 72nd, we propose using a time-tested design that keeps it accessible: remove the car-storage parking on both sides, and use that curb space as a flexible standing zone — for pickups and drop-offs, planters, and seating. Bike lanes remain, but the block stops being a place where you cannot stop.
Instead of placing bike lanes against the sidewalk, keep curb access on both sides — pickup/drop-off, planters, seating — and move the single-direction bike lane inboard of the standing zone on each side.
Curbside standing zones mean rideshares, taxis, ambulettes, and ACCESS-A-Ride can stop without blocking the block.
Two single one-way lanes, split across the street. Far safer than the bidirectional design now on the table.
Unused curb space becomes planters and seating. More green, more places to rest — a real neighborhood upgrade instead of a loss.
| Criteria | New DOT design | Existing Design A (71st/73rd) | Existing Design B (72nd flex) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADA / mobility access preserved | ✗ No — 3-lane crossing | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Dedicated pickup/drop-off zones | ✗ None | ✓ Existing 72nd curbside retained | ✓ New flex standing zones both sides |
| Emergency vehicle passing room | ✗ Single lane, no shoulder | ✓ 72nd unchanged | ✓ Flex zones can be driven through |
| Protected cycling east-west | ✓ | ✓ And safer (one-way) | ✓ And safer (split lanes) |
| Two-way conflicts between cyclists | ✗ Yes — highest-risk config | ✓ Eliminated | ✓ Eliminated |
| Public realm added | None | Minimal | ✓ Planters & seating |
The most effective thing you can do today is send a short note asking for the current proposal to be paused until the alternatives above are evaluated.