In June 2016 the Battery Park City Authority, in consultation with Manhattan Community Board 1’s Battery Park City Committee, announced establishment of a Bicycles Working Group to discuss bicycle use on the BPC Esplanade and develop concepts about how best to balance competing interests for use of this treasured public space. The Working Group, part of BPCA’s commitment to engaging in more frequent and productive dialogue with the local community, conducted public meetings throughout the winter and spring of 2016-2017 and was comprised of representatives from the Battery Park City Authority, CB1, and the public.
As a result of its efforts the Working Group developed three concepts as follows:
1. Develop signage suggestions for bicyclists along BPC Esplanade, encouraging use of the newly-opened Hudson River Greenway, and to help them navigate to it leveraging City bike lanes
– BPCA has an active Wayfinding Signage project underway, aimed at refreshing signage throughout BPC’s 36 acres of parks and public spaces. The Working Group’s suggestions for Esplanade signage would be part of the conversations with BPCA’s wayfinding consultant as this new signage is developed.
– This concept also contemplates requesting City DOT to update/modify the NYC Bike Map to remove or re-designate the Esplanade as a mapped bike path.
2. Explore Relocation of Two Citi Bike Docking Stations from their current locations to ones closer to the Greenway
– The first Citi Bike location is currently at Liberty Street and South End Avenue. The Working Group unanimously agreed on shifting this site out closer to the Greenway. (The second Citi Bike location is currently on West Thames Street, just off South End Avenue. There was some discussion as to whether the Group would like to explore moving this station, but the Group ultimately elected to defer this conversation until a later date.)
3. Request that State DOT Make Greenway Sidewalk / Bike Path Boundary Marking Improvements
– The Hudson River Greenway is was built and is owned by the New York State Department of Transportation; it is not part of BPC property or managed by BPCA.
– At various points along the Greenway’s length in Battery Park City there are markings etched in the sidewalk to inform passersby that they are entering the bike path. These markings are themselves set in darker, vertically-laid stones intended to alert pedestrians that they are entering the flow of bicycle traffic. The request here is for NYS DOT to highlight and add additional ground markings to help inform pedestrians of oncoming cyclists.
These concepts were reviewed and discussed by Manhattan CB1’s BPC Committee during its July and September 2017 meetings. The Committee then drafted a resolution in support of these concepts for consideration by the full Community Board. That resolution was unanimously approved on September 26, 2017.
Back to Blog Homepage
