By Joseph Morales

              White Plains Rd is a major residential and commercial corridor in The Bronx. About 5.0 miles of the corridor between Bronxdale Avenue in the Pelham Parkway area to E 241st St in the Wakefield section near the Westchester County Line are located underneath the elevated tracks for the IRT White Plains Rd Line(2 and 5 trains). Given all the congestion on White Plains Rd plus its location underneath elevated rail tracks, White Plains Road faces some unique transportation challenges. These include double parking, lack of safe accessible bus stops, pedestrian safety and more. In 2021, the city completed a project on White Plains Rd between Burke Avenue and East 226th Street that addressed some of these issues through various measures such as bus boarding islands, safer intersections and more. Based on the results of that project, Bronx Community Board 12 has requested that the NYCDOT continue that project north to East 241st St. The NYCDOT plans to accept this request and look to make continued improvements northward to East 241st St.

               One of the most visible transportation issues on White Plains Rd is its lack of safe and accessible bus stops. There are 3 bus routes along this section of the corridor, the Bx39, BxM11 and Bee-Line 42. Since the columns on White Plains Rd for the elevated rail are in the middle of the road, buses cannot merge next to the sidewalk to pick up passengers. Thus, they must stop adjacent to the columns, forcing riders to board/disembark buses in the middle of the road creating safety concerns especially for those with mobility disabilities. Therefore, the NYCDOT is building bus boarding islands at bus stops on White Plains Rd at East 228th, East 235th and East 239th Sts to allow riders to board and disembark buses safely similar to how its been done at other bus stops along White Plains Rd. According to NYCDOT data, 22% of crashes along the corridor in this area are sideswipe collisions, putting bus riders waiting at stops without islands at increased risk.

              Pedestrian safety issues are not limited to bus riders along White Plains Rd. According to NYCDOT data, there were 325 total crash related injuries between 2015 and 2019 and 76 of them involved a pedestrian. White Plains Rd is a Vision Zero priority corridor and there are Vision Zero priority intersections at E 233rd St and Nereid Ave. In addition to 22% of crashes being sideswipe crashes, another 35% of crashes have to do with a vehicle failing to yield to a pedestrian while turning. For starters, the darker nature of streets under the elevated train may be enough to make pedestrians less visible to drivers, especially at night. In addition, the columns make it harder for motorists to see other cars at intersections as well as pedestrians and other motorists while exiting parking spots.  The DOT plans to install a new signal and crosswalks at East 228th St. Additionally, they plan to install painted pedestrian spaces when feasible along with delineators.

              Also, contributing to pedestrian and vehicular safety issues and serving as an inconvenience for motorists is double parking along the corridor. Double parking along the corridor exists not only because of the large number of businesses and residences with little parking lots, but also the amount of deliveries that are arriving to the businesses. This is why the NYCDOT has proposed to add commercial loading zones at Key Food between E 232nd at E 233rd St, Foodtown Supermarket between E 236th and E 237th St and at Fairbanks Lumber True Value between East 239th St and East 240th St. The NYCDOT is also reconfiguring the street to provide more organized parking, to make parking simpler and more convenient.

             To improve cycling safety, along the corridor the NYCDOT plans to build parking-protected bike lanes between East 226th and 241st Sts similar to how they did it between Burke Ave and East 226th St.  According to NYCDOT figures on protected bike lanes installed between 2007-2017, cycling injuries only increased 3% despite a 61% bike volume increase as a result of protected bike lanes being constructed. In addition,  protected bike lanes are associated with a 15% drop in all crashes with injuries and a 21% drop in pedestrian injuries.  The only possible caveat to the bike lanes along White Plains Rd, is that they might be suddenly obstructed at areas around train stations where there is a large swath of curb space. Here, cyclists would either have to share the space with pedestrians or merge back into regular traffic until the lane resumes. However, the bike lanes are still much better than the status quo.

Parking Protected Bike Lane on White Plains Rd between East 225th St and East 226th St.

This project along the White Plains Rd corridor has the potential to improve transportation along White Plains Rd in many ways. Hopefully, road users find traveling along and visiting White Plains Rd to be a safer and more convenient experience after the project’s implementation.

Works Cited

NYCDOT. “White Plains Road, East 226th Street to East 241st Street.” NYC.gov, 14 April 2022, https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/white-plains-rd-e226-st-e241-st-apr2022.pdf. Accessed 18 September 2022.

NYCDOT. “White Plains Rd (E Gun Hill Rd to Burke Ave).” NYC.gov, 12 April 2021, https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/white-plains-rd-burke-ave-e226-st-cb12-apr2021.pdf. Accessed 18 September 2022.