NYC Community Board Approves Controversial Plan To Wipe Out 400 Parking Spots For Bike Path
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A big vote in Manhattan has literally paved the way to inconvenience hundreds of drivers on the Upper West Side.
Community Board 7 approved a plan to eliminate 400 parking spots on Central Park West in order to create a wider, protected bike path in the area.
The protected lane with a seven-foot buffer would run along the east side of Central Park West from 59th Street all the way to 110th Street.
The board asked the city's transportation department to draft a plan after a cyclist was struck and killed by a truck last summer.
Last August, Madison Jane Lyden was riding on a rented bike along Central Park West while visiting from Australia. She was fatally struck by a private garbage truck after she swerved to avoid a car parked in a bike lane, something local cyclists claim they deal with often.
While cyclists said it will bring needed relief, drivers said it's a bad idea, adding not only would it give them fewer parking spots, but they fear parking garages will take advantage.
"They are going to significantly increase the prices that they charge. You can't park on the street," resident Ed Emmer said.
"It's going to be a real nuisance for us to have to find parking elsewhere. It's going to really cut down on supply," resident David Salant added.
