RPA Study Will Evaluate NYC’s “Green Wave” Bicycle Plan and Recommend which Segments Could Support a Fully Protected, Connected Network of Cycling Lanes
NEW YORK, NY - Regional Plan Association (RPA) today announced the formation of an Advisory Committee comprised of transportation and policy experts to support the organization’s efforts to produce a master plan for a five-borough, protected, arterial biking network. The project and committee continues RPA’s long history of advocating for streamlined, environmentally-friendly urban transit and comes on the heels of the recent and tragic 19 cyclist deaths this year. A final report of recommendations and a citywide public town hall are anticipated to be completed by the project’s end early next year.
The Committee, co-chaired by Jon Orcutt from Bike NY and Marco Conner from Transportation Alternatives, will help shape the organization’s ongoing land use, design and policy research around a citywide bike network. The Committee also includes Mike Lydon from Street Plans Collaborative, Terri Carta from Brooklyn Greenway Initiative and Rachel Weinberger from Regional Plan Association.
“Regional Plan Association is committed to working towards a comprehensive and protected bike network throughout the City, building upon our history of forward-looking greenway planning,” said Tom Wright, President and CEO of Regional Plan Association. “It’s a critical time for biking in the region, and a robust biking network in combination with a fully supported transit system will reduce congestion, improve air quality and help the City and the region to meet ambitious climate targets.”
“The City’s Green Wave plan is a promising first step in the creation of a protected bike lane network,” said Paul Gertner, Harbor Ring Committee Chair. “What we hope to envision is the central spine of that network, connecting all five boroughs with high quality physically separated bike lanes. The goal is to greatly increase cyclist safety while minimizing street user conflicts.”
“New York City is a global leader in business, entertainment and many other areas,” said Jon Orcutt, Director of Communications of Bike New York. “Our intention is to ensure that the City becomes a global leader in safe cycling, looking to best practices from other cities across the world and putting our own New York City spin on them.”
“Implementing the Green Wave vision and the central arterial that will be proposed through our project will require a significant transformation of some of our City streets,” said Marco Conner, Co-Deputy Director, Transportation Alternatives. ”It’s time to take an honest look at what policies will need to be changed in order to truly make our streets safe for cycling.”
