Coronavirus Biking Surge Means UWS Needs More Paths, Survey Finds

UPPER WEST SIDE, MANHATTAN — A transportation system transformed by the coronavirus pandemic on the Upper West Side means the neighborhood needs more bike lanes and open pedestrian space, an advocacy group contends.

A survey of 137 Upper West Siders by local group Streetopia Upper West Side found that even after the coronavirus crisis stay-at-home order is lifted, fears about mass transit will leave many residents finding new ways to get around, including a surge in cycling.

More than two-thirds of survey respondents said they would avoid the subway, more than half said they'd steer clear of buses and about 25 percent said they would take up biking.

"It's clear that in order to make up for the likely breathtaking drop in mass transit ridership, we need to significantly build out our network of protected bike lanes to safely accommodate those who plan to shift to cycling and to entice interested but concerned potential cyclists," Streetopia Director Lisa Orman told Patch. "Safety or the perception of safety is the number one way to get people on bikes."

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Orman admitted that the survey, which was distributed online for a week, may suffer from selection bias, but said nevertheless it produced "no shortage" of suggestions for how to make the Upper West Side safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

One of the most popular options was adding bike paths to Riverside Drive, which runs parallel to Hudson River Greenway, the busiest bike path in the country.

"The Greenway is more crowded than ever, during the stay-at-home, and protected bike lanes on Riverside Drive would relieve some of the crowding," Orman said, adding that respondents pointed out ongoing problems with a bike detour added between West 72nd and 83rd streets.

To get cross-town, survey respondents most often chose West 72nd Street, followed by 79th, 86th, 96th and 110th streets, in decreasing order of popularity Streetopia and Transportation Alternatives have campaigned for protected bike lanes from Riverside Drive to York Avenue on West 72nd Street.

When it came to pedestrian space, 71 percent of the survey respondents said that Broadway should be an open street. They also suggested expanding sidewalks on Amsterdam and Columbus avenues.

"Only 10% of respondents thought that the UWS has the right amount of pedestrian space," Orman said.

Sections of Broadway below the Upper West Side were included in Mayor Bill de Blasio's Open Streets program, though elected officials had advocated for an even larger stretch of the thoroughfare to open to pedestrians and cyclists.

Orman said that Streetopia's Celebrate Broadway event might be used to redesign Broadway, including adding space within the Broadway Malls, bike lanes and bus only lanes.

The survey also included suggestions for garbage corrals, outdoor cafes in the streets, eliminating free parking and a Central Park crosstown bike lane, which has also been part of an Upper West Side Community Board 7 push for park bike paths.

Read more about the Streetopia survey results in Orman's Op-Ed for Streetsblog.

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