The city Department of Transportation is expected to announce Thursday that it will adjust traffic signals on three Manhattan avenues in an effort to optimize them for slower-moving vehicles.
The signal timing is meant to ensure that vehicles traveling at 15 mph — the legal maximum for e-bikes and a comfortable average speed for pedal-powered bicycles — move in a “green wave,” hitting successive green lights.
“For a driver or a cyclist, hitting back-to-back green lights feels like magic,” Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn said in a statement.
“Green-wave corridors leverage that feeling to encourage safer travel speeds across transportation modes, with nearly no impact on nearby streets, while keeping pedestrians safer,” he added.
Traffic moves along First Ave. in Manhattan in this file photo. (Shutterstock)
The city has already tested the timing on Third Ave., where the 15-mph green wave has been in effect for more than a year.
Beginning this month, the DOT plans to re-time First Ave. from Houston St. to E. 19th St., Second Ave. from Houston St. to E. 32nd St., and Hudson St./Eighth Ave. from Canal St. to 23rd St.
An additional section of First Ave. — from E. 19th to E. 34th St. — will adhere to the new signal timing on nights and weekends.
According to city data, last year’s re-timing did not significantly impact daytime vehicle speeds on Third Ave., but did lead to lower speeds during overnight hours. Additionally, a DOT spokesman said, the green-wave signaling has led to a reduction in cyclists running red lights.