Posted on July 31, 2019 at 10:49 pm by West Sider



No Stopping Anytime signs popped up on Central Park West in a matter of hours on Wednesday. Photo via city Department of Transportation.

A state judge denied a condo board’s request to halt a city plan to add a protected bike lane on Central Park West on Wednesday, and the city quickly banned parking on a large section of the avenue.

In a matter of hours, the Department of Transportation installed “No Stopping Anytime” signs from 59th Street to 77th, making room for the bike lane. When complete, the lane will run from 59th to 110th and result in about 400 parking spaces being removed.

The condo board at The Century, a building on Central Park West from 62nd to 63rd Street, sued the city on Tuesday to stop the bike lane from being built, arguing the city hadn’t undertaken the right environmental reviews. The board asked for an injunction to stop the Department of Transportation from moving forward with construction. But on Wednesday, Judge Lynn Kotler denied the request. The case will continue, however, with the next hearing set for August 20.

“We are grateful for the judge’s decision today that will allow us to move forward with a design that will transform Central Park West this summer, and make our streets safer for everyone,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg in a statement. “With so many lives being lost this year on our roadways, and with the broad support of the community, we are confident that we will ultimately prevail in our efforts to build this much-needed protected bike lane.”