Manhattan CB 5 Committee Endorses 5th Avenue Protected Bike Lane DOT is one step closer to flipping Fifth.

The Fifth Avenue protected bike lane got a thumbs up from the Manhattan Community Board 5 transportation committee last night, according to Transportation Alternatives Manhattan Organizer Chelsea Yamada, who live-tweeted the meeting.

The plan to install a bikeway for 15 blocks of Fifth between 23rd Street and Eighth Street was also endorsed by the CB 2 transportation committee earlier this month.

The current buffered bike lane on Fifth Avenue is often rendered unusable by double-parked drivers. It is one of the most heavily-biked streets in the city, and TransAlt’s petition to “Flip Fifth” and install a protected lane now has more than 17,000 signatures.

Back in December 2013, the CB 5 committee passed a resolution supporting a redesign of Fifth Avenue for better walking, biking, and transit through Midtown. Last night, someone asked why the bikeway won’t extend beyond 23rd Street, and DOT said it would be too complicated, according to Yamada.

Also last night, DOT introduced a plan for a permanent “shared street” on Broadway between 25th and 24th streets, by Madison Square. We’ll have more on that later.