Transportation Alternatives is pleased to announce that Mt. Sinai St. Luke’s Hospital is backing a safety redesign for Amsterdam Avenue. The news comes one day before the New York City Department of Transportation is scheduled to unveil its design for the dangerous street at a meeting of the Transportation Committee of Manhattan Community Board 7.
“Mt. Sinai St. Luke’s Hospital recognizes that the current design of Amsterdam Avenue is a threat to public health and safety,”
said Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives.
“As the Upper West Side’s only four-lane, one-way street, Amsterdam Avenue has long been a speedway with some of the highest injury levels in the area. We need curb extensions and pedestrian islands to make crosswalks safer, and a protected lane to keep bicyclists safe as they make their way uptown, like the lane that protects people biking southbound on Columbus Avenue. These safety improvements are like vaccines for a street. They save lives.”
With its endorsement, Mount Sinai St. Luke’s joins more than 200 Upper West Side businesses and numerous local elected officials in support of TransAlt’s call for a “Complete Street” redesign, with safer crossings and a protected bike lane.
