Five Borough Bikeway Plan Released

The Regional Plan Association (RPA) released a plan for a Five Borough Bikeway this week, calling for a revolution in the management and use of streets in the city of New York. 

"We need to develop a network of priority, high-capacity, protected bike lanes that serve as the heart of a comprehensive and cohesive bicycle network," according to the RPA. 

The report commences from a discussion about the quiet of city streets during the stay-at-home orders of the pandemic and the emergence of the bicycle as a preferred method of transportation during the trouble early months of the crisis. 

As work and travel restrictions are gradually lifted, NYC’s infrastructure will need to handle growing numbers of travelers in ways that ensure more space per person. There is also a wide consensus on the need for additional federal support for infrastructure spending to stimulate economic activity and development. One of the best ways to get NYC up and moving again quickly, and with peace of mind, would be through the proliferation of bike lanes that are laid out in this report.

The plan lays out a phased implementation plan, which would start with planters and bollards before laying the long-term cornerstones of a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the city. The entire Five Borough Bikeway would span 425 miles of continuous, protected bike infrastructure. 

The Five Borough Bikeway Plan is available in its entirety on the RPA's website.