Comments (0) Best bike lane (if only it were longer) - 2007
Bike Lane on Lower Eighth Avenue
Behold, cyclists of New York, a vision of your new green city. With five feet of travel space shielded by a five-foot buffer zone, the bike lane on lower Eighth Avenue offers plenty of room for everyone—you, the messenger who just zipped past, the lunatic pedaling against traffic, the dad with the stroller trying to hail a cab, and the Fresh Direct driver who couldn't possibly find another place to park. The lane, which was painted last year, extends a much older double-wide route up Hudson Street. After 23rd Street, the route loses that wonderful buffer, but it remains enjoyable through the high 20s and tolerable almost all the way to 42nd. Owing to whatever combination of urban habit and engineering logic, Eighth Avenue is often remarkably free of traffic. I tend to be a nervous cyclist, but I find this ride uptown worth it, all the way to Columbus Circle and Central Park. The amateur view from the saddle suggests you could turn a lane over to cars the whole way north and still not clog traffic.
