West Village: Quaint Streets and Congestion

The city estimates that 21,000 people will take to bikes during the L train shutdown, playing a critical role in moving people from Brooklyn. To make crossing Manhattan easier, a two-way bike lane will be added along 13th Street, which is expected to carry 5,000 cyclists a day. To make room for a bike lane, 13th Street will lose 236 parking spots. The Transportation Department is considering splitting the bike lanes between 12th and 13th Streets in response to community concerns about the sheer volume on one thoroughfare.

But bikes will be just one new addition to the streets of the West Village: During the height of the morning rush, traffic is projected to increase by 71 percent on 12th Street as drivers seek ways around the car ban on 14th Street, according to the Transportation Department. At night, the estimate predicts an increase in traffic of 29 percent along 12th Street, which has only a single lane.

Bob Walsh, a bartender at the White Horse Tavern in the neighborhood, predicts “giant traffic jams’’ and “a total mess,’’ though eventually he believes that “we’ll work it out.”

“We always do,” he said.

Jonathan Warner, 23, who works in information technology on 14th Street, took a more realistic position. He knows that life in the neighborhood will be hard, but he also knows that the subway system is riddled with problems and if closing the L line will yield better service, then the looming upheaval would be worth enduring.

“Everyone, whenever there is a crisis, has to play their part,” Mr. Warner said, “to make sure the city as a whole keeps functioning.”