NYC Unveils Proposal For Upgraded Bus And Bicycle Infrastructure On Sixth Avenue In Manhattan

Sixth Avenue bike lane, via Google Maps.

The New York City Department of Transportation has unveiled a proposal to upgrade bus and bicycle infrastructure along Sixth Avenue in Manhattan. The plan would add new offset bus lanes between Watts Street and West 34th Street, upgrade existing bus lanes from West 34th Street to West 58th Street, and widen protected bike lanes along much of the corridor. The improvements are intended to benefit more than 51,000 daily bus riders and enhance safety for cyclists and pedestrians on one of Manhattan’s busiest transportation corridors.

Sixth Avenue bike lane proposal, via NYC.

Under the proposal, a new offset bus lane would be installed where no dedicated bus lane currently exists between Watts Street and West 34th Street. Existing curbside bus lanes between West 34th Street and West 58th Street would be converted to offset lanes, with some sections featuring double bus lanes. City officials said the changes are designed to improve bus reliability and reduce delays caused by vehicles blocking curbside lanes.

Sixth Avenue bike lane proposal, via NYC.

The project would also widen the existing protected bike lane north of West 35th Street to West 59th Street, creating a double-wide bike lane for most of Sixth Avenue between Lispenard Street and West 59th Street. Additional safety measures would include painted curb extensions, pedestrian islands, and turn-calming treatments aimed at shortening crossing distances and slowing turning vehicles. Sixth Avenue is designated as a Vision Zero priority corridor due to its high rate of pedestrian deaths and serious injuries.

“Every day, 51,000 New Yorkers rely on buses along this corridor to get to work, school and home to their families. And every day, too many of them are stuck in traffic that slows them down and takes their valuable time,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said. “By installing new and upgraded offset bus lanes and expanding bike infrastructure on Sixth Avenue, we’re helping New Yorkers move faster, move safer and experience the reliable public transit they deserve.”

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10 Comments on "NYC Unveils Proposal For Upgraded Bus And Bicycle Infrastructure On Sixth Avenue In Manhattan"

  1. Cheesemaster200 | June 20, 2026 at 7:36 am | Reply

    It continues to amazes me how these aggressive street redesigns still maintain parking.

    I’m also unsure what the wider bike lanes buy on 6th aside from increasing bike speeds and inviting motorbikes. This is already a problem on 6th as it is; I hate riding on this road.

  2. So an original six lane avenue for traffic will now only have two lanes. No wonder why traffic is at a standstill and goods and services can’t move.

  3. David in Bushwick | June 20, 2026 at 11:50 am | Reply

    A bus lane means nothing to TLC and Uber hooligans.
    The diagram from the top down should be:
    Full length parking lane
    Three travel lanes
    A new concrete island curb with drainage breaks
    A protected bike lane (this location is much safer with turning vehicles)
    A curbside bus lane (with low poles and a chain along the curb)

  4. The solution is not wider bike lanes but eliminate them as few bike riders use them and traffic and commerce are impeded and much business ios lost. Get traffic moving as all that lost time is also lost money. The MTA is also losing more money since too many people are riding bikes and not using mass transit.

    • yonah grossman | June 20, 2026 at 1:40 pm | Reply

      You clearly don’t ride a bike. The bike lanes are full of bikers, but, JUST LIKE CAR DRIVERS, a few don’t stay in their lanes. (Oh, and in case you didn’t know, bikers buy things just like car drivers do. They just do it faster while using a fraction of the street space.)

      • But cars are contributing to infrastructure with gas taxes, tolls, parking, and congestion pricing. Bikes contribute nothing to infrastructure development.

      • You are in a dream world. Face reality the bike lanes are empty and useless.

      • My life and everyone who visits New York or lives in New York is in danger because of the bicyclists I mean significantly in danger. Wake up, you guys are killing people literally
        Perhaps when landlords can start to show the value of their buildings decreasing because people are dying in front of them and people do not want to live there then they will somehow control the bicycles in New York.

    • To get traffic moving you have to eliminate what is causing the congestion. Automobiles and commercial vehicles. Bicycles and public transport take up less space per passenger and cause much less pollution. Commercial vehicles should only make deliveries at night or other times when not interfering with traffic flow. The only private vehicles allowed should be for those who cannot use other means of transport due to medical needs or those in public service.

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