New! 14th Street and the L Train in Manhattan

With the MTA and NYCDOT releasing their preliminary L train shutdown plan (for Manhattan) there has been much in the way of public discussion about various options, community based plans, and supplemental & alternative proposals. With the current estimated start of the project being Spring 2019, it is important these proposals and likely impacts be comprehensively fleshed out and assessed. Certain challenges present themselves. It's likely any plan may fail without prioritizing buses on the Williamsburg Bridge and both sides of the East River. Current projections indicate ferry options being discussed may only fulfill a small capacity of projected need. Bicycle infrastructure will need to be sufficiently increased, yet level of demand may be hard to predict. On 14th Street, advocacy groups have proposed the car-free “PeopleWay” where buses, bicycling and walking take precedence, a concept that the MTA and DOT say is on the table. (DOT is also “looking at” a car-free transitway for Brooklyn’s Grand Street). However, questions about where displaced traffic might go, pedestrian flow and impacts on 14th Street businesses are of concern to people connected to the affected area. In the shadow of local elections this season, join urban planners Zeke Mermell and Laurence Frommer as we visit Manhattan’s 14th Street to examine these impending issues. Use of a single MetroCard fare will be required. Cost: $30 / $20 Members.