The East River Greenway is poised to become the backbone of an incredible sustainable transportation network on the East Side…but first we need to complete it!

This Thursday evening the Environment & Sanitation and 197a committees of Community Board 8 will be discussing whether to support retaining the caissons from the former FDR Drive Outer Detour Roadway, to be used as part of the project to close the midtown gap in the East River Greenway.

Its crucial that we have as many vocal supporters in attendance as possible!

Here are the meeting details:

• 6:30 on Thurs., 7/22, at the NY Blood Center (307 E. 67th St., between 1st & 2nd,) conference room 1
• Discussion of retention of existing caissons installed in the East River, for FDR Drive reconstruction, to complete the Greenway. (joint with 197-a Committee)

Learn more about the ODR caissons and how they play a critical role in closing the gap here.

looking north from Glick Park

As the City unveils a brand new over-water segment that will give the West Side Greenway a continuous bike path from the Battery to the George Washington Bridge (with some inland detours), the gap in the East River Greenway still remains. Many people forgo using the East River Greenway altogether because of the dangerous detour associated with the gap. New York City’s own Department of City Planning 2004 Manhattan Waterfront Greenway Master Plan states that:

First and Second avenues have both been signed, but neither is appropriate for inexperienced riders.  Overall, both streets are busy and should be used only with extreme caution.

Hearing our calls for an improved, world-class waterfront esplanade and greenway, a group of East Side politicians and Community Board 6 will be hosting a community town hall meeting on the future of Manhattan’s East Side waterfront Sunday June 6. Potential projects up for discussion include completion of the gap in the East River Greenway from East 38th to East 63rd Streets, the extenstion of the United Nations campus and the future of Robert Moses Playground and new improvements to parks at Asser Levy Place & 23rd Street, Saint Vartan Park and around the Midtown Tunnel Entrance.

NYC Parks Department Commissioner Adrian Benepe and NYC Economic Development Corporation Executive Vice President Madelyn Wils will both be giving presentations.

We need Greenway supporters to show up in force to make sure that our voice is heard!

RSVP to eastsidevision@gmail.com or just show up!

Call 212-979-9696 for more information.

What: Community Town Hall on the future of the East Side Waterfront

When: Sunday, June 6, 2010 2:00pm – 4:00pm

Where: Schottenstein Cultural Center

239 East 34th Street (between 2nd and 3rd Aves)

Tonight is the critical CB6 meeting where the transportation committee will vote on a official resolution regarding the transportation improvements for 1^st and 2^nd Avenues from 14th to 59th, including the DOT’s proposed safety upgrade of the bike lane from sharrows to a Class 2, green, curbside bike lane in the Midtown gap on 1^st avenue.

TA will be there early with stickers and encouraging words. There will likely be folks there tonight who will be opposed to the plan and will cite bike behavior as a reason why this transformation for East Side transportation should not happen. It is SO important that supporters of better bus service, biking and walking are in the room and confidently speaking out in support.

If protected bike lanes, pedestrian safety and faster buses are important to you, we need you at this meeting!

All of the details are below:

What: CB6 Transportation Committee Meeting

When: Monday, May 3, 6:30 pm

As a result of hundreds of letters and pressure from elected officials, the DOT has filled in a missing link in the First Avenue protected bike lane. Instead of sharrows, the section from 49th to 57th Street will now have curbside buffered bike lanes. These are changes we strongly support. Come to this meeting to stand with us and support:

1.)        Safer streets for everyone-drivers, pedestrians and cyclists-on 1st and 2nd Aves.
2.)       More reliable, faster bus service for 60,000 daily M15 riders
3.)       Bike lanes that finally make it possible to cycle safely on the East Side

See you there. Bring friends, family, coworkers-anyone you can!

The gap in the East River Greenway can be broken down into three distinct segments:

The FDR Drive ODR Caissons

The United Nations Consolidation and Alienation of Robert Moses Park

The former Con-Ed Pier/ current Solow Development Site

The gap in the East River Greenway is approximately 1.2 miles long, stretching from Glick Park at East 37th north of the Queensborough Bridge to about East 60th street. The official route of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway in this area detours users inland, forcing pedestrians and cyclists to negotiate the highly congested and dangerous avenues of East Midtown.

City administrations, local agencies, community organizations and elected officials have long advocated for completing the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway along the East River. However, some of the best laid plans to finally close the gap have recently come to a screeching halt. See how the Greenway got to this point.

- Timeline

A completed world-class East River Greenway will provide East Side residents with new waterfront access, open-space, parkland and sustainable transportation options.

The East River Greenway Initiative supports:

• Adaptively re-using the FDR ODR caissons to build a waterfront esplanade and greenway from East 52nd Street to East 60th Street.

• Building a waterfront esplanade along the length of the United Nations campus as mitigation for the alienation of Robert Moses Park.

• Redeveloping the former Con Ed pier to include waterfront access and new recreational uses while connecting the greenway to points both south and north.

The East River Greenway Initiative supports the adaptation of the Greenway Planning Primer when new segments of the East River Greenway are eventually planned and developed. Originally developed for the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway Initiative by the Regional Plan Association, the primer is designed to guide the planning of any urban waterfront greenway.

We are building a coalition of community stakeholders that supports closing the gap and improving the East River Greenway.

Join the over 50 community and environmental organizations that have signed a letter of support urging our elected officials to work together to close the gap in the East River Greenway.

East Village Community Coalition

Friends of Luther Gulick Park

Lower East Side Ecology Center

Hester Street Collaborative

Turtle Bay Association

Go Green Lower East Side

Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance

5 Boro Bicycle Club

Brooklyn Greenway Initiative

Times Up!

The Weekday Cyclists

Shorewalkers

Neighborhood Open Space Coalition

Friends of Hudson River Park

Solar One

Project for Public Spaces

New Yorkers for Parks

Earth Day New York

Tri-State Transportation Campaign

Citizens Committe for NYC

Regional Plan Association

New York Cycle Club

Urban Trail Conference

Bike New York

Bike Works

Bicycle Habitat

Spokesman Cycles

Manhattan Velo

Murray Hill Neighborhood Association

Straphangers Campaign

Turtle Bay CSA

305 East 40th Street Co-Op Board

Conrad’s Bike Shop

Bike and Roll

Sid’s Bikes

My Bike Heaven

Bicycles NYC

Larry’s Bicycles Plus

NYC Velo

Common Ground NYC

Earth School

Urban Divers Estuary Conservancy

Environmental Defense Fund

GrowNYC

Friends of Seward Park

As of 5/14/2010

Is your organization interested in joining the East River Greenway Initiative?

This month NYC DOT will be making the rounds to the various East Side Community Boards to present their plans for bus and bicycle infrastructure improvements along 1st and 2nd Avenues from Houston to 125th Street. Check out the schedule below:

Community Board 6 –February 1, 2010 (TONIGHT!), 7 pm
NYU Medical Center 550 First Avenue at 33rd Street, Classroom B – Ground Level

Community Board 11 – February 2, 2010, 6 pm
1664 Park Avenue (between E 117th and E 118th Streets)

Community Board 3 – February 10, 2010, 6:30 pm
University Settlement, Speyer Hall – 184 Eldridge Street (between Rivington & Delancey Streets)

Community Board 8 – February 25, 2010, 6:30 pm
NY Blood Center Auditorium, 310 East 67th Street (between First & Second Avenues)

Community boards are the best way for local residents and stakeholders to get involved and make a difference. These meetings are free and open to all.

Currently, DOT is NOT planning to include a protected bus lane for the  SBS corridor nor or they planning to include a protected cycle lane in Midtown (as we touched on earlier).

Strong progressive transportation voices will be needed at these presentations to ensure that DOT implements and adopts the best design improvements possible for the East Side. Be there to tell representatives from the Community Board and DOT that you want world-class bus and bike improvements along 1st and 2nd avenues that will make our streets more livable by prioritizing buses, creating pedestrian traffic islands, and providing safe bicycling infrastructure.

Not sure what Community Board district you live in? Find out here.