A group of Upper West Side condo owners have failed in their attempt to stymie a protected bike lane on Central Park West, after a state judge tossed their "meritless" lawsuit this week.
Following a blueprint laid out by several other bike- and bus-lane opponents, board members of the Century at 25 Central Park West sued this past summer, claiming that the new street redesign—which will eliminate 400 parking spaces—should have triggered a lengthy environmental review.
That argument was shot down this week by Justice Lynn Kotler, who noted that the project essentially amounts to "a reorganization of parking and a pre-existing bicycle lane."
"[The Department of Transportation's] determination that such an action will not have any significant adverse environmental impacts is rational and otherwise supported by the record,” Kotler wrote. The homeowners' call for a statewide review of the city's Green Wave plan was also "meritless," according to the judge.
DOT has already installed the new bike lane between 59th Street and 77th Street. Once complete, it will run northbound from 59th Street to 110th Street, and be separated from traffic by plastic bollards and a seven-foot buffer. The redesign will also add signal timers that give pedestrians a head start at intersections, while banning left turns into the park at 96th Street.
"Myself and many of the other residents of CPW who use our street for walking and biking and not car storage are relieved to see this decision which will ensure a street that works for everyone," said Nevona Friedman, a 25-year-old cyclist who lives on Central Park West.
Community Board 7 overwhelmingly voted in favor of the proposal this past July, following a campaign by many locals in the wake of the death of Madison Lyden last summer. The 23-year-old Australian tourist was killed by a drunk driver after she was forced out of the unprotected lane by an illegally stopped livery cab.
Some residents of the Century said they were disappointed by the ruling, but not surprised. "I think the pendulum has swung very far toward favoring cycling in this city," Bonnie Eisler, one of the suit's named plaintiffs and wife of the board's president, told Gothamist on Friday.
"It''s not politically correct—people are more concerned about the hot issue, the bicyclists," she added. "I think at some point we'll probably find some middle ground."
The city expects to complete the project by Spring, according to DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “As we have seen so many times under Vision Zero, protected bike lanes save lives,” she said.
