STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Weeks after a controversial traffic project on Father Capodanno Boulevard went into effect, cyclists and community leaders continue to express concerns, including whether the new bike lane on the road is safe.
Under the new design, one travel lane was removed in each direction on Father Capodanno Boulevard, between Midland Avenue and the northern entrance of Miller Field. In place of the travel lanes and an existing shared-use bike lane, the Department of Transportation added a protected bike lane near the median of the road and a parking lane near the curb.
“It’s my first time on [the bike lane], and it’s in the wrong spot, and it’s dangerous,” said Arthur Noland of Sunnyside, who recently stopped to speak with the Advance/SILive.com while cycling in the area.
“Me and my buddy first saw them putting [the bike lane] over there and said ‘that’s crazy’,” he continued.
Sal Monforte and George Tormo, co-presidents of the Midland Beach Civic Association, also criticized the design of the bike lane.
Under the new design, cyclists must come around the curve at the southern end of Father Capodanno Boulevard and cross over traffic to enter the nearby parks.
“If you come around the circle, they put a cut out [on the curve]. How does a bicyclist cross right over when a moving car is going,” Monforte said. “Is somebody going to get killed here?”
He also said that since the redesign, cars frequently drift into the bike lane as the road loops around near Miller Field, something the Advance/SILive.com observed when visiting the area.
According to Monforte and Tormo, the design makes little sense when considering the nearby existing bike infrastructure.
The civic leaders pointed out that the bike lane along the new road layout ultimately connects cyclists to Miller Field and the southern end of the the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Boardwalk.
Both Monforte and Tormo said they believe the same thing could be accomplished without removing a travel lane, by routing bicycles on Father Capodanno Boulevard to the existing bike path along the boardwalk.
“This is not necessary. This is only put here to aggravate the community,” Monforte said.
And these concerns are not new. A bipartisan group of elected officials came together last month to oppose the redesign.
Speaking from the intersection of Father Capodanno Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue in Midland Beach, the elected officials demanded that the Department of Transportation not move forward with the redesign, and keep two travel lanes in each direction on this section of Father Capodanno Boulevard.
“If DOT goes forward with this plan, it will change how Father Capodanno gets utilized,” said Assemblymember Michael Tannousis, a Republican who represents the East Shore of Staten Island. “It will take the road from two lanes to a one-lane street, and it will hold up traffic.”
Monforte recently provided video to the Advance/SILive.com from the recent SAFE disposal event in Midland Beach to support these concerns.
In the video, traffic between Lincoln Avenue and Miller Field appears almost completely blocked as cars along both sides of Father Capodanno Boulevard inch forward while waiting for the disposal event.
When asked about the local concerns, a DOT spokesperson referred to an earlier statement the agency issued after a the press conference against the project:
“This critical safety project addresses a wide, low-traffic-volume stretch of Father Capodanno Boulevard along which a 61-year old pedestrian was killed last year. NYC DOT listened to community concerns about the original proposal and incorporated them into a revised project that will still address excessive speeding and reckless driving along this wide street by adding median tips and a protected bike lane.”
The DOT said that between 2020 and 2024 there have been four crashes with injuries along this stretch of Father Capodanno Boulevard, culminating in the pedestrian fatality of a 61-year-old pedestrian.
The agency representative noted that once the redesign project is fully implemented, it will include guide markings in the area where the bike lane meets Miller Field.
The DOT spokesperson also added that the agency has no indication that the roadway design had anything to do with traffic for the SAFE disposal event.
When the plan was first presented to the community, the DOT said that the changes were being made to shorten pedestrian crossings, reduce speeding and address a pattern of crashes in the area.
According to agency data, the stretch of Capodanno affected by the new design sees a low volume of traffic that can easily be handled by one lane of through traffic.