STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- With the somewhat dangerous nature of bike lanes on Clove Road, combined with speeding vehicles and the propensity for that roadway to play host to numerous car accidents, politicians and members of the public feared for the safety of bicyclists when the bike lanes were unveiled last year.

The lanes aren't used that often, but those who do use them say they feel pretty safe doing so.

Along Clove Road, from Richmond Terrace to Howard Avenue near the Staten Island Expressway, is a bike lane on each side of the road.

Sometimes it's a dedicated bike lane running along the curb, sometimes it's a dedicated lane sandwiched between the lanes of traffic and a line of parked cars, and sometimes it's not dedicated, pushing bicyclists into a lane shared with vehicular traffic.

But inevitably, the lanes end abruptly at both ends of Clove Road, leaving bikers to fend for themselves.



DRIVERS 'MORE AWARE'

Laura Barlament lives on Grymes Hill and rides on Clove Road a few times a month.

She rides both on the portion of the road that includes a dedicated bike lane, as well as the portion where bikers share with cars, like between Forest Avenue and Richmond Terrace.

"I'm quite used to it," she said. "For me it's better to have sharrows."

She was referring to the shared lane marking that includes a stenciled figure of a bicyclist with arrows above it, noting that cars and bicyclists both use the space.

It makes drivers more aware that bikers might be around. "It's definitely an advantage," Barlament said.

"The roads are narrow so I understand they can't put a dedicated bike lane everywhere," she said. "I've -- knock on wood -- never had a problem."

The bike lane and even the sharrows have made Barlament feel safer while biking there.

"I would avoid it like the plague" before the bike lanes, she said

Now she rides to New Springville Greenway and feels safe.

Even the awkwardly placed bike lane on Clove Road at Forest Avenue heading toward Richmond Terrace is OK in her book.

There is a left-turn lane, a straight lane, the bike lane and then a right-turn lane.

"It works great," she said.



RIDING MORE SINCE LANES WERE ADDED

Rose Uscianowski lives on Van Duzer Street and also rides along Clove Road once or twice a week, more frequently than before the lanes were added.

She does mostly recreational riding "so I tailor my rides toward roads that have infrastructure for bicyclists," she said.

While she appreciates the bike lane, when it ends it makes her feel unsafe.

"If that were designed better and if the ending point made more sense, then more cyclists would use it," she said.

Uscianowski was hit by a hit-and-run driver recently and broke her shoulder while riding her bike on McClean Avenue. She has had a sling for a few weeks and still has some healing to do.

While she feels pretty safe riding along Clove Road, that street is a dangerous artery that the Department of Transportation (DOT) ranks as one of Staten Island's high-crash corridors. It has 7.3 traffic deaths or serious injuries per mile and is among the top 33 percent of dangerous roads here.

The bike lanes were added in part as a traffic-calming feature, narrowing the road to slow down cars.



POSITIVE FEEDBACK

Greg Mihailovich, the Staten Island organizer for Transportation Alternatives which supported the bike lanes, said he has gotten positive feedback on the project since last year.

"Anecdotally it seems like it's working," he said.

While you run into issues with "separated sections of bike lane ... which limits the access," he's hoping the DOT can find smart ways to connect it to other bike lanes and make more of a network.

He is specifically asking to extend the existing bike lane on Richmond Terrace past Snug Harbor so it would connect directly with Clove Road.

"In a vacuum, people are happy with Clove Road and it seems to be working," Mihailovich said.

Chris Rooney, the second vice chair of Community Board 1, which gave the plan the green light last year, lives close by and doesn't see the bike lane utilized much.

He has lived in that neighborhood for years and didn't see the need for bike lanes, as he almost never saw bikers there.

He compared the street to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and said the so-called road diet has worked

"It did slow down traffic on Clove Road by sheer volume into one lane."

But it also has increased the traffic on Broadway as traffic diverts off Clove Road, he said.



DOT ANALYZING RIDERSHIP

Asked whether the DOT has seen more ridership on that road, a spokesperson said since it "typically evaluates project impacts one year after implementation, [it] is therefore currently in the process of collecting and analyzing data related to this project."

The DOT spokesperson said the agency expects to see greater ridership as the bike network on Staten Island expands and connects to other destinations, and as Clove Road is connected to other arteries.

"Cyclists using this route now experience a safer and more comfortable trip," the spokesperson said. "In certain locations along the route, there was not sufficient space in the roadway to accommodate dedicated bike lanes and the existing traffic volume. In these locations, shared lane signs and markings were installed to help guide cyclists and alert motorists to the presence of cyclists."

While Borough President James Oddo and Councilwoman Debi Rose said they both heard concerns from residents shortly after the project was completed, the complaints subsided.

"My understanding is that these lanes have helped improve safety without impeding the flow of traffic," Rose said.