On April 16, 2025, New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced the installation of new bike lane traffic signals on Third Avenue in Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
The signals are positioned at cyclist eye-level, about five feet from the ground and help enhance safety and boost cyclist adherence to traffic laws. The City Department of Transportation has installed the initial new signal on Third Avenue at 69th Street, with plans for further installations based on their proven success across the United States. A peer-reviewed paper from Oregon State University showed that these signals increased traffic law compliance; the average rate of red-light violations among users decreased from 30.8 percent to 14.8 percent after implementation.
The City Department of Transportation is scheduled to return to the corridor this year to install similar bike and bus lane upgrades on Third Avenue’s northern end, covering East 96th to East 128th streets. The New York City Department of Transportation will perform ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the project, making adjustments as necessary. The monitoring process will assess both the installed infrastructure and how cyclists are using the wider bike lanes and signals and adapting to them
New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said, “Our transformative redesign of Third Avenue has already made the street safer —whether you are walking, biking, or driving. These new traffic signals for cyclists complement our green wave traffic timing, the next natural step in making sure the thousands of cyclists who use this street every day can keep both themselves and the many pedestrians crossing Third Avenue safe. We are working every day to make our streets safer and to make it easier for New Yorkers to get around our city.”
By: Chelsea Ramjeawan (Chelsea is the CityLaw intern and a New York Law School student, Class of 2025.)