New ‘Green Wave’ on Third Ave: As Cars Slow, Bikes Fly; Julie Menin Blasts Lack of Notice

From East 60th Street all the way up to 96th Street, there is a long green line. It stretches for two miles, covering more than 30 blocks of Third Avenue. And while it looks like any other green-painted bike lane, this stretch is being called a “green wave” thanks to adjustments in the timing of traffic lights.

Upper East Side Council member Julie Menin is not happy, objecting to the new traffic pattern in a recent letter to Department of Traffic (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “I am writing to express the concerns of local residents regarding the retiming of traffic lights between 60th and 96th Streets without any prior public notice to our ‘‘local stakeholders.”

She said she only learned of the change when an article appeared in the New York Times.

“Constituent complaints and a report from the New York Times informed my office that the Department of Transportation had retimed traffic lights to effectively reduce the speed of vehicular traffic from 25 miles per hour to 15 miles per hour for commuting by car or bus.”

Menin continued, “Local residents are troubled by the lack of transparency, communication and solicitation of community feedback that did not occur before the speed reduction plan was implemented,” Menin wrote.

She pressed the DOT for data on the change. “Does the DOT have any data on the expected improvements to motorist, cyclist and pedestrians that will result from this speed reduction?”

She also wanted to know the breakdown of cyclists versus motorists on that part of Third Avenue.

The red stop lights for vehicular traffic have been recalibrated to the 15-mph speed that is more favorable for bikers

The DOT hopes the new traffic pattern creates an environment where cars will still move steadily up Third Avenue, hitting more green lights than they would otherwise. The same would be true for bicyclists, going from green bike light to green bike light. And while the traffic lights are slower, this does not actually slow down traffic, according to DOT Commissioner Rodriguez. He said the expectation is vehicular traffic will remain steady and at a safe speed.

Despite Menin’s concerns, biking advocates have pushed for the change for years and are supportive of the Third Avenue changes. The nonprofit group Transportation Alternatives, which advocates for sustainable, car-free transportation in the city, took to Twitter/X to celebrate the green wave. “This green wave,” the post read, “is a direct result of the hard work of our Manhattan Committee activists, who fought for this win.”

A video from the DOT from Feb. 13 shows a bicyclist hitting 35 green bike lights in a row. Traveling at 15 miles per hour, the cyclist flies up the 36-block-long green wave with ease.

Of course, it has yet to be learned if the speedier, unimpeded bike lanes will lead to more collisions with pedestrians, since many bicyclists tend to ignore red lights anyway.

Our Town staked out the corner of 72nd Street and Third Avenue, on Feb. 14 at the bright, bitterly cold noon hour, and saw bikes come speeding up the green wave. Most of them were ridden by delivery workers, using the green bike light at the intersection and stopping for nothing even when they occasionally hit a red.

One who did stop said of the green wave, “Yes, yes! I like it,” before speeding away.

While the green bike light keeps bikes going for 36 blocks in a single stretch, the light does eventually turn red. The rules of the road dictate that a bicyclist stop on red. A few do, most don’t. If there is space to get through the intersection, the bicyclists—delivery drivers, daily riders, high school kids—all thread their way through the “safe” gaps between cars.

The difference the green wave makes appears to be that bike traffic moves faster when the bike light is green. It still moves anyway when the light is red.

On a cold day like this, the cyclists didn’t stop for long. Those who did merely nodded when asked about the green wave and travel times. It was a quick approving nod, maybe a quick thumbs-up, before they were off again.

A deliverista named Louis stopped for longer. The long-time delivery driver (he cannot remember how long he has been doing this) liked the new green wave system. “Yes, it’s been good!” he said, waving to the bike lanes. Do trips go faster? “Yes, it is faster!” That was all he could contribute before hopping back on his bike and pedaling off to another delivery, joining the stream of bicycles cruising up Third Avenue.