PARK LANES: The vehicle traffic lanes, bicycle paths and pedestrian plazas on Broadway (above) south of Times Square will be changed by the Department of Transportation next year from the configuration at left to the one at right to give pedestrians much more space. (
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Drivers and bicyclists lose — and pedestrians win — under the city’s new plan to revamp the cluttered bike and walk paths south of Times Square.
The area’s existing bike lane will be narrowed and moved to the other side of the street, and Broadway will go down from two car lanes to one, while space designated for pedestrians will dramatically increase, officials said.
The changes are necessary because the existing design — implemented in 2008 — has been confusing to both bikers and pedestrians, who routinely meander into the other’s spaces, according to the plan released by the city.
The loss of a car lane is not expected to be a problem, because the number of vehicles traveling south on Broadway from 42nd to 35th Street — where the lanes are located — has dropped in recent years, according to city documents.
City Department of Transportation officials credit that drop with the huge sections of streets closed in recent years in favor of pedestrians in Times Square and Herald Square.
The new changes will be made sometime next year. They come after complaints from the community and business improvement district about the current design.
“This is a win-win-win for everyone who uses Broadway and was unanimously supported by the local [community] board transportation committee last month,’’ a department spokesman said.
“This project gives drivers more green time, connects pedestrian space with the sidewalk, and better separates bikes from pedestrians.”
The plan — which can be found on the department’s Web site — eliminates a 21-foot lane on the west side of the street, which presently serves as a combination parking/moving lane.
It also calls for widening the current moving lane for cars from 10 to 12 feet.
The existing bike lane will be moved from the east side of the street to the west and narrowed to 5 feet from 7. The new bike lane will be bordered by an added 3-foot painted buffer on its east side and a 9-foot parking lane to the west.
There will be added curb space for cars in some stretches of Broadway, too.
Meanwhile, pedestrians gain an additional 7 feet in walking space in the plant-filled pedestrian plaza.
A recent department study found that retail sales around pedestrians plazas have jumped dramatically thanks to the dedicated new space.
“Pedestrians spend more than any other user on the street,” said Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan.
For example, sales around the pedestrian plaza on Pearl Street in DUMBO, Brooklyn, increased by 172 percent three years after it opened in 2007, according to a department analysis.