SIDE STREETS continued from p. 7
are concerns about damaging the foundation, and, possibly, the utilities, such as gas lines, that run underneath. “Our streets are not made for the increased traffic,” Retzos said. “They are not reinforced.” Charleston agreed, saying the street was not constructed to take that weight. The street already has traffic problems, she said. “We have a lot of illegal bus and truck traffic already,” she said by phone. “When the big huge trucks [go by], the buildings rumble and shake.” Charleston pointed out that W. 15th St. is the next westbound street, and there is a bike lane slated for W. 13th St., which is also westbound. The DOT “will add Manhattan’s first two-way protected crosstown bike lane to 13th St.,” according to the plan. Currently, cars get backed up on the street, she said, and “People just lay on the horn and they don’t let up until they get through.” In addition to the noise, there are other quality of life issues, Charleston said, including pollution from the fumes. Safety is also paramount as, she noted, “There’s a lot of pedestrians and dogs and bike lanes and I don’t think it’s safe to have that kind of traffic here.” Stanley Bulbach, a longtime resident of W. 15th St., said the block knows what issues need to be addressed — it went through this before, around 1990, when all of 14th St. was redone, he said. “It was to last 15 months but lasted two and a half years,” Bulbach, who has lived on the block since 1969, said. “During that time, traffic was routed everywhere except 14th St.” Bulbach told this publication late last year, when he retired as the head of the block association, that the city rerouted traffic to 15th St., and he and his neighbors contended with the concerns residents have now: an increase in traffic, and the air pollution and noise that accompanies it. In October 2016, Transportation Alternatives, a nonprofit focused on pedestrian and bicyclists advocacy, presented its plan to CB4 for what was dubbed “PeopleWay,” which would have banned cars and trucks on 14th St. during the L train shutdown, and made the street available for buses, cyclists and pedestrian use. Bulbach said then that the block association “vigorously” opposed that proposal. “We don’t feel represented at CB4[’s] Transportation Committee,” Retzos said. In response, Berthet said, “It’s hard to understand why.” She said the committee has sent numerous letters, many of which were “focused on 15th St. and the side
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December 28, 2017
Photo by Scott Stiffler
Longtime W. 15th St. resident Janet Charleston said the street has illegal bus and truck traffic, and the sign at the corner is not enforced.
Courtesy NYC DOT
Proposed bus, bike lane, and pedestrian improvements along 14th St. According to the DOT, about 50,000 riders currently use the L train only in Manhattan.
streets.” Bulbach said, “I think the way to proceed is to have a serious discussion with those who live on 14th St. and near 14th St. to cast sunlight on all the many serious aspects that have not been discussed.” Charleston, who is also a member of
the block association, said they have meet with residents from 12th St. “We need our concerns to be heard,” she said. Retzos said the recently released plan emphasizes cyclists and commuters, but neglects the neighborhoods that it will affect. He said he would like the agencies
to “consider the residents and businesses bordering 14th Street.” “It’s an incomplete plan,” he said. “It’s incumbent on elected officials and the agencies to be straight with us.” He added, “We fear it’s going to be a complete disaster when it starts.” NYC Community Media