Upper East Side residents say they are blinded to slowing down the traffic lights that have turned the third avenue into a “racecourse” and “glaciers” for drivers.
The Transportation Agency retimed the lights from 25 mph to 15 mph between 60th and 96th Avenue. Local city council members said they were not given notices of the sudden change that had not been entered by the community.
“The bike riders are holding field days here, and this did nothing to improve the lives of the drivers,” said 54-year-old Upper East Sider Anthony Lassa.
“Third Avenue was once a favorite street for all drivers because of the way the lights were timing, but the city doesn't know how to get away enough,” La Lassa added. “Now they're forcing drivers to stay 10 miles below the speed limit, and all they're doing is turning third avenues into glaciers – [but] It's not a problem for e-bikes. They treat the roads like their own racetrack. ”
According to DOT data, changes occur after a 79% increase in cyclists' traffic between October 2022 and October 2024. However, the road safety scale, which is part of a dot plan called “Green Wave,” is because unregulated e-bikes pose their own dangers.
“Who is forcing E-Bike Riders, a bike rider, to go as fast as you want and pass the red light without a ticket?” said Kasper Overgaard, a 43-year-old delivery driver. .
For drivers, it is another measure that makes it more difficult to roam the city.
“Third Avenue was once a last option on a relatively smooth running boulevard, but now it's not like that anymore,” says Upper East Sider Rengenovese, a semi-retired tech worker. Masu.
“Now by treating this as a very local road, they are now almost impossible to become an effective highway until it's slower than the speed limit,” said 58. added.
Council member Julie Menin admitted that the effort would “definitely slow traffic,” but she remained in the darkness until a New York Times article mentioned the change a week ago. He said he was.
“We didn't receive any communication at all about these very important changes in traffic patterns on third avenue,” Menin told the Post, and her office was “inundated” with concern last week. He added. She has since written to DOT Commissioner Idanis Rodriguez asking him to know why the decision was made without the community's awareness.
“This will have a real world impact on traffic flow on third avenues, and we will discuss this with the community and share that the data that supports this decision is very troublesome. This is what we do,” said the council member.
In an email to the post, the dot, called timing change, said, “It's safer for pedestrians and more continuous green lights for the day, making it more comfortable for cyclists and drivers by providing more continuous green lights for the day. The purpose is to “minor adjustments” with the aim of making this.
Preliminary data shows that vehicle and bus traffic has flowed without issue since the changes were implemented, Dot said.
City data shows that five crash deaths have been reported on 3rd Street from 60th to 96th Avenue since 2020-2023. There have been no deaths since the 2023 redesign of the main street.
“The redesign of NYC Dot's third avenue has significantly reduced serious injuries, whether they walk, cycle or ride a car in the hallway. This green wave is based on that work. “Daytime speed to reduce red light rides between cyclists and reduce overnight speeding between drivers. ”
Emmanuel Jeanti, a cab driver, said the changes in traffic made his job even more difficult.
“[Third Avenue] Previously, it was the fastest way to get Uptown when there was traffic in FDR,” Cabbie added. “It's the slowest now, another thing they take away from us.
“It's another attack on drivers who make a living by driving.”
