Higher East Aspect residents say they had been blindsided by a slowdown in visitors lights that has turned Third Avenue into an e-bike “racetrack” and a “glacier” for drivers.
The Division of Transportation retimed its lights from 25 mph to fifteen mph between sixtieth and 96th streets — with the native Metropolis Council member saying even she wasn’t given discover of the upheaval, which got here with no group enter.
“Bike riders are having a discipline day up right here however this has performed completely nothing to enhance the lives of drivers,” stated 54-year-old Higher East Sider Anthony La Russa.
“Third Avenue was each driver’s favourite avenue due to the best way the lights had been timed, however the metropolis doesn’t know the way to go away nicely sufficient alone,” La Russa added. “Now they’re forcing drivers to remain 10 miles beneath the velocity restrict, and all that’s doing is popping Third Avenue right into a glacier – [but] for e-bikes, it’s no drawback. They deal with the roads like their very own race observe.”
The change comes after bicycle owner visitors elevated 79% between October 2022 and October 2024, in line with DOT knowledge. However the visitors security measure — a part of a DOT plan known as “inexperienced wave” — comes as unregulated e-bikes deliver risks of their very own.
“Who’s implementing the bike riders, the e-bike riders who go as quick as they need and undergo crimson lights with out getting ticketed?” supply driver Kasper Overgaard, 43, stated.
For drivers, it’s simply one other measure that’s making it harder to get across the metropolis.
“Third Avenue was sort of our final possibility for a comparatively easy operating thoroughfare, and it’s not that anymore,” stated Higher East Sider Len Genovese, a semi-retired tech employee.
“Now, slowing the lights to even slower than the velocity restrict – by treating this simply as a really native street – they’ve made it virtually not possible now to be an efficient thoroughfare,” the 58-year-old added.
Metropolis Council member Julie Menin admitted the hassle is “positively going to sluggish visitors,” however stated she was left in the dead of night till an article within the New York Instances talked about the change per week in the past.
“We obtained no communication in any way about these very vital modifications in visitors patterns on Third Avenue,” Menin instructed The Put up, including that her workplace has been “inundated” with considerations previously week. She has since penned a letter to DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez demanding to know why the choice was made with out group consciousness.
“That is going to have actual world impacts on the move of visitors on Third Avenue – and so to do that with out discussing this with the group and sharing with us what’s the knowledge that might help this resolution could be very troubling,” the council member stated.
In an electronic mail to The Put up, the DOT known as the timing change a “minor adjustment” aimed toward making “the road safer for pedestrians and extra snug for cyclists and drivers by delivering extra consecutive inexperienced lights many of the day.”
Preliminary knowledge exhibits vehicular and bus visitors has been flowing with out problem because the change was applied, the DOT stated.
5 crash deaths had been reported on Third Avenue from sixtieth to 96th Road since 2020 to 2023, in line with metropolis knowledge; there have been no deaths because the redesign of the boulevard in 2023, which introduced a motorbike and bus lane to the part of the neighborhood.
“NYC DOT’s redesign of Third Avenue has considerably diminished critical accidents—whether or not you’re strolling, biking, or in a automobile on the hall—and this Inexperienced Wave builds on that work,” the rep added, “with visitors lights higher timed to daytime speeds to assist scale back red-light operating amongst cyclists and in a single day rushing amongst drivers.”
Cab driver Emmanuel Jeanty stated the visitors change has made his job harder.
“[Third Avenue] was the quickest option to get uptown when there was visitors on the FDR,” the cabbie added. “Now it’s the slowest – simply one other factor they take away from us.
“It’s simply one other assault on drivers who earn their dwelling by driving.”
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