The status of the planned McGuinness Boulevard redesign has been up in the air since Mayor Adams called for a compromise earlier this summer, a compromise that later became, well, compromised. While it looks like a full road diet will not be going forward as anticipated, the bike lane portion of the redesign is moving ahead.
Work crews have started adding green paint to the portion of McGuinness Boulevard spanning from Calyer Street to the Pulaski Bridge.
The pro-redesign group Make McGuinness Safe shared on Instagram that they expect bike logos later this week. The DOT previously confirmed that the bike lanes will be protected by a mix of barriers, though didn’t give any updates on a timeline or when harder barriers will be added.
The anti-redesign group, Keep McGuinness Moving, spoke out against the changes, asking concerned locals to contact the Mayor’s office.
Make McGuinness Safe Counter Protestors. Photo by Josh Katz 
Keep McGuinness Moving Rally outside of Key Food. Photo by Josh Katz
A DOT source shared with us that the (ostensibly) finalized version of the redesign “will feature one vehicle travel lane in each direction in addition to a parking protected bike lane in each direction,” on the stretch from Calyer Street to Meeker Avenue.
“The redesign from Calyer Street to the Pulaski Bridge will feature two peak-hour vehicle travel lanes from 7 am – 7 pm and protected bike lanes in each direction,” the source continued. “During off-peak hours the right lane in each direction will serve as a parking lane. Protection will be a mix of barriers where feasible and flexible delineators to allow for passengers to access the curb.”
The DOT plans to monitor the project in the months ahead, which will include taking new traffic counts. “This traffic analysis, as well as observations over the winter, will inform any adjustments to the second phase, to be completed in the spring, to realize a fully executed updating between the Pulaski Bridge and Meeker Avenue,” the DOT told Greenpointers.
The McGuinness project is one of several recent transportation projects that has been subjected to internal debate and scrutiny from within City Hall. Other projects, such as protected bike lanes in Downtown Brooklyn, an Open Street in Fort Greene, and an expanded bus lane in the Bronx, were eventually killed or watered down by the Mayor’s office after years of DOT studies. Several outlets have reported on the influence of lobbying from some of Adams’ closest advisors and donors.
We’ll keep you posted as we learn more about updates to the project.
the end of greenpoint and the rise of privilege moms
Hi Emma, I am a Greenpoint residential homeowner (previous residential rental tenant), a Greenpoint business owner, a Greenpoint commercial real estate owner and a Greenpoint commercial real estate tenant and am adamantly opposed to the redesign of McGuinness Blvd for a multitude of reasons. I couldn’t find an email address for you directly, I don’t participate in social media and so if you were to actually see this comment, please contact me and I would like to communicate some info as I and thousands upon thousands of other locals see it from a different perspective and also address some of the constant alluding to corporate interests, campaign donors, etc. that has been going on in news reports and from elected officials. Our business has been located in Greenpoint since 1998 and we only learned of the proposed redesign over the past few months. McGuinness Boulevard is an important vehicular artery for North Brooklyn and in many respects, for the entire city, and the majority of residents & business owners feel it needs to remain so without these proposed changes. It is going to be devastating not only for the neighborhood of Greenpoint, but for Astoria, LIC, Maspeth, Williamsburg, the Navy Yard, Sunset Park, Red Hook, etc. Out of the 10-12 local political offices & agencies I & thousands of others have sent emails to stating our opposition, I’ve only personally received responses from one which is discouraging. They stated they’re not changing their stance on McGuinness or listening to my concerns as a homeowner, business owner, commercial real estate owner, etc. – but at least they wrote back. However I know for a fact that thousands upon thousands of us who are either residents and/or business owners in Greenpoint have sent numerous correspondences to the same 10-12 local offices and just like my experience, they’ve received minimal to zero responses. That should be a news story in my opinion.
This redesign is not wanted by the overwhelming majority of citizens and is a well organized group of people with the loudest voices, many of whom will end up leaving the city once the detriments of these redesigns gut the city of business & commerce, the cost of living rises exponentially, and eventually there will be a mass exodus of not only businesses, but also residents, and the city will return to an NYC from the 1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s; Blighted. Thank you.
You can always contact me at editor@greenpointers.com
Hi Emma, thanks for your reply and I actually sent out an extremely detailed email sometime after you replied to your email address and another address I found for Greenpointers, but haven’t heard back. I haven’t seen any articles (local or larger news outlets) do a full piece on exactly what we the “opposition” (personally, I don’t feel like the opposition but that’s what we’re all being called) feel, our true thoughts & concerns, the facts, the statistics & math, the true implications for the nieghborhood & the city overall and not just now, but years down the line. I don’t understand how a city being destroyed & gutted in 10-years time is not a news story and how local elected officials ignoring their majority constituents in favor of a smaller louder social media active & aware constituency is not a news story. The elderly, the disabled, the lower middle class, the working class, the poor, and many of the working middle class such as myself DO NOT use social media. I wish someone with an ounce of voice would speak up on everyone elses behalf instead of for over privileged people.
Hi Nicholas, I did see your email and am working on getting you a response. Thanks.
How about we focus on improving our sewer system and other ways to improve drainage in and around greenpoint and Williamsburg so we can stop the dangerous and increasing flooding in and around our neighborhood! There won’t be a mcguinness Blvd to fight over if solutions are not sought our and met ASAP
Wonderful!!
Hi,
I have lived in Greenpoint for more than 20 years, and there is no question that McGuinness is dangerous for pedestrians. I don’t care much about bike lanes, and think even less about the lawless manner in which bicyclists behave when it comes to ignoring traffic lights and stop signs, but I do want changes that make the blvd safer for pedestrians. It is shameful that business interests have been able to undo what would have been a major step forward for public safety. Please contact the mayor’s office and insist that the redesign go forward.
Verry happy to see bike lanes getting installed and the compromised plan isn’t terrible all things considered. All those opposing the road diet and bike lanes must really love pollution and death – a very weird thing to support. I would love to hear what the homeowners who live on McGuinness have to say about these changes, I doubt you’d get anything but total support.
Also happy to see the bike lanes going in. As a car owner who lives near McGuinness, though, it does seem like the parking situation in the area is going to get significantly worse, especially factoring in the amount of construction in the area that’s also taken a lot of street parking out of commission. (And which could lead to a small uptick in pollution from circling the block looking for a spot, etc etc.)
See also: why I liked the first version of the McGuinness redesign plan a lot better. I’m not opposed to the compromise plan — all things being equal, I’d rather have bike lanes on McGuinness than not — but I am feeling grumpy enough to post a comment about it. And now I’m done.
So, I saw some of the newly painted lanes the other evening and guess who was using them? E-scooters. Yup. As a cyclist, that’s my #1 concern because at intersections, guess who is at a full stop? Cars. Look both ways, cross safely. Done. Guess who is blasting through the light, often around and between cars? Scooters (and other cyclists). This is all infrastructure theater, a full on “capture the flag” game by an elite group of “neighbors” who mock members of the community raising legit concerns about how a reduced McGuinness traffic conduit is going to cause traffic snarls, back ups to the BQE and Pulaski, more exhaust from all those idling engines, impeded emergency vehicle access.
100% true as one comment says about McGuinness serving not just Greenpoint but LIC, Queens, other New Yorkers! This stupid catchphrase about a “cut through.” We’re not a gated community. Last I checked, Greenpoint is open to all.
There are umpteen bike routes (existing official lanes and quiet side streets) that work great now to get you across Greenpoint. I know, I bike ’em all! Biking on a truck route? You’re kidding me. Unless the mission here is to PUT A BIKE LANE ON IT! then this initiative makes no sense.
Maybe the biggest problem here? Our elected officials did NOTHING to lean in and understand THEIR constituents’ concerns. They did NOTHING to dial down the temperature of this heated neighborhood conflict. ZIP. Instead, Gallagher and Restler repeatedly showed up at rallies and on social media championing the Make McGuinness Safe special interest group — how is a constituent supposed to express their concerns to elected officials who are not willing to be impartial and help find mutual ground? Representation in this neighborhood is a farce. If you don’t give two bike bells about this particular issue, substitute an issue close to your heart and imagine your elected officials mocking you, and disregarding your concerns.
Summary: This McGuinness circus is a fascinating case study in micro-local community politics, manufactured consent, gentrification, classism and ageism, urban development, and the dangers of toxic social media. There’s a dissertation in this somewhere…
Excellent response
Every time a bike lane is proposed, the motorists make the same tired complaints. Traffic will grind to a halt, seniors will be endangered, businesses will suffer. And every time, these gripes are unfounded. As more and more people ride various non-auto type vehicles, the infrastructure has to change to accommodate the changing way that New Yorkers live now. The era of motor vehicles having the exclusive rights to our public streets has come and gone. A new era of shared roadways is upon us. And these roads must reflect the changes and provide increased safety for all users.
David, where you’re wrong is that bikes, e-bikes, scooters, mopeds, etc are not regulated with licenses, insurance, registrations, property taxes paid for each device used on a public road, etc. and there’s no enforcement of any of those alternate modes of transpo by the regular police, traffic police or some type of bike police. Motorists have to have all of the above requirements. Bikes do not produce anything such as industries do to the local economy. Companies like pay major taxes for use of our roads in a way that bikers simply do not. We pay for the right for everyone to use the road, and so will our taxes go down because our use is now being limited? No, they will likely rise. I have asked all of these local officials why not pass laws to regulate bikes and so that they contribute at least something to what the rest of us major players in interconnected industries pay for. The fact is, if it was regulated then there wouldn’t be all of these redesigns happening with more bike lanes because less people would find it less appealing because you wouldn’t get from point A to point B any faster. And you really don’t think this is only in the interest of CitiBike, Lyft, Revel, Uber, Uber Eats, etc? Of course it is. These are major corporations taking advantage of a non regulated sector and see the value in it because the more this occurs, the more money in rentals. All of these TransAlt non-profits are in the pockets of major corporations who then create coalitions like MMS with people who don’t realize what it’s really all about, and believe it’s about safety, cleaning up the o-zone layer/less pollution, saving our kids, etc and it’s nonsense. Wait, 10-years, this city will be blighted
I hope that the bike lanes get proper barriers. The other day I saw about a dozen cars parked in the brand new bike lane on the southbound side of McG btwn Greenpoint Ave and Calyer. SMH!
If the bike lanes are actually comfortable and usable, then I think the redesign could work out really great and help make it easier to get around GP for the scores of neighbors who don’t own cars.