New "super sidewalks" mean fewer lanes for drivers, more space for pedestrians and cyclists
NEW YORK - Say hello to "super sidewalks" in Manhattan.
Tuesday was the ribbon cutting on the long-awaited Ninth Avenue sidewalk and bike lane extension in Hell's Kitchen.
Wheels spinning, and bike helmets on, a quartet of city leaders rolled into Hell's Kitchen to announce Ninth avenue just became more bike and pedestrian friendly.
"What we are calling 'super sidewalks,'" said NYPD DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez.
"Whatever was happening on the sidewalk is less of an obstruction because you have another way to go," said Christine Berthet, co-chair of the City Council's transportation committee.
It meant scrapping a southbound vehicle lane, so drivers now get three, down from four.
"They're shrinking up the streets more and more, and they're trying to avoid for people to be driving. and I don't know what they're doing, and it's devastating for us," one driver said.
You'll see more signs to clear up confusion, so people get it straight that pedestrians only belong in the beige area, and in the green lane you'll have cyclists.
"The sidewalk is absolutely too crowded on the other hand. I don't know what that's going to do traffic," one woman said.
"As long as people pay attention to each other, and watch the speed on their bikes There probably won't be any problems like that," said cyclist Anthony Muller.
Construction for the project was combined with underground work on water and sewer upgrades and led to noise, dust and the sudden removals of dining sheds. City Council member Eric Bottcher said with it done, a remaining challenge is to get people to stay in their lanes.
"We should be doing 'Biker's Ed,'" Bottcher said. "We have to enforce the rules better."
City leaders welcome this "new Ninth" and want similar projects to come through for Tenth and Eleventh Avenues as well.
The underground upgrades that went hand in hand with the super sidewalks project added 14 miles of new water mains and sewers to the area.