Making Greenways

Read the latest news on this subject.

The most important steps for financing and constructing greenways are for city and other agencies to map out greenways and include them as part of major capital projects. Such a process has been quickly and effectively institutionalized by the Bicycle Advisory Committee, Public Space for Public Life, the Metropolitan Greenway Committee, and the New York Regional ISTEA Task Force chaired by the NY State Parks Office. This approach also minimizes costs, since greenways are often just finishing touches in more extensive engineering projects. Moreover, as noted earlier, several sections of ISTEA permit direct federal funding of bike and pedestrian projects, while other federal money is often available when greenway construction is included as part of highway or mass-transit projects.

For example, the city has stated a goal of a continuous pedestrian path around the entire circumference of Manhattan. While repaving South Street north of the Seaport in 1990, the DoT also painted a bike path and a jogging lane, for almost no additional cost, in response to a request by Transportation Alternative's Greenways Committee. Although the path, like other painted bike lanes in Manhattan, is frequently invaded by cars, the right-of-way is in place and can easily be upgraded the next time the road requires major work. Indeed, with the East River bulkhead needing extensive rebuilding, a first-class bike-pedestrian greenway facility could be installed within a few years.

As discussed below, the Bronx has developed an ambitious borough-wide greenways plan, under the leadership of a borough greenways office established several years ago by Borough President Fernando Ferrer. An important first step for other boroughs to create extensive, interconnected greenways systems would be for each borough to set up comparable borough greenways offices.