Bailey Avenue set for major safety overhaul with protected bike lanes and pedestrian upgrades

After years of neighborhood advocacy and mounting safety concerns, the city department of transportation is set to break ground this month on a long-anticipated overhaul of Bailey Avenue. 

The project is part of the city’s Vision Zero initiative to reduce traffic deaths and injuries. It plans to redesign Bailey Avenue between Van Cortlandt Park South and West 225th Street to make it a safer, more accessible route for walkers, bikers and drivers.

The upgrades come in response to persistent concerns about inadequate pedestrian infrastructure, a lack of bike lanes and dangerous driving behavior.

According to the DOT, this stretch of Bailey Avenue ranks in the top 10 percent of Bronx’s most dangerous streets.

“This is a major project on a Bronx corridor that had two fatalities between 2020 and 2024, in addition to 18 other serious injuries,” a DOT official told the Press.

In total, 179 people were injured along that stretch of Bailey Avenue during that five-year period.

The 1.1-mile, two-way corridor features an 11-foot traffic lane in both directions. On either side are 19-foot curbside lanes meant to be shared by parking and traffic, which are routinely riddled with double-parkers as things are now.

Used by roughly 150 cyclists a day, this well-traveled strip completely lacks bike lanes, forcing them to swerve around double-parked vehicles into fast-moving traffic, or move onto the sidewalk.

“I’ve seen some cars and bikes almost crash, like bad.” Jorge Rivera, a resident of West 231st Street, noted. “It’s scary to see sometimes.”

Under the new plan, the city will install two-way protected bike lanes physically separated from traffic with 5-inch barriers.

The infrastructure is also part of a broader design to improve connectivity to the southern entrance of Van Cortlandt Park. Currently, cyclists navigate through a high-risk intersection known for its history of crashes to get there.

DOT officials said a design flaw contributing to current safety issues along that stretch of Bailey Avenue is the long blocks between intersections, which encourage drivers to accelerate and speed into turns.

More than 43 percent of pedestrian injuries on the corridor were caused by vehicles failing to yield to those crossing with a green signal.

To counter this, the redesign will introduce a range of traffic-calming and pedestrian-friendly features, including dedicated vehicle turn lanes, pedestrian islands and curb extensions. 

Some of the most dangerous crossings along Bailey — at West 238th, West 231st and West 225th streets — serve as direct access points to the 1-train station and see some of the heaviest foot traffic in the area. Some crosswalks are as long as 60 feet. 

The coming upgrades will significantly shorten crossing distances while improving visibility for everyone on the roadway. At some intersections, like West 230th Street and Bailey Avenue, the crosswalks will be shortened by more than 30 percent.  

The overhaul will also benefit public transit riders. 

The Bx1 and Bx10 bus routes run along Bailey Avenue, and new or upgraded boarding islands will help reduce pedestrian exposure to traffic while improving accessibility for all riders.

While many community members, advocates and local officials have welcomed these changes, the project has not been without controversy. The mixed traffic and parking lane will be removed on each side, leaving the existing 11-foot traffic lane and an eight-foot parking lane instead. The two-way bike lanes will run alongside the west-side curb.

Some drivers and business owners along the corridor have expressed concerns to Community Board 8 about the removal of a traffic lane and the potential for increased congestion. 

But the loss of parking spots — about 46 in total — may be the most controversial.

“It’s like we’re turning into a city where you’re going to either have to give up your car, or pay like $200, $300 for lots like this,” Kingsbridge resident Sean Walker said, pointing to a gated parking lot near 3446 Fort Independence St., right off Bailey Avenue. “And there’s a whole wait list. It’s like you have to wait for someone to die to get a spot.”

Walker, a rideshare driver, adjusted his work schedule around parking availability. His system, as he calls it, means starting his shift in the early morning, around 4 a.m., and returning around 1:30 p.m. Typically, he said, it’s easier to find a spot at this time. But when speaking with the Press, he was double-parked and waiting for someone to leave a spot so he could squeeze in.

“Sometimes people fight over spaces,” Walker said. “People hold spots for each other. You park too close to a hydrant or too close to the crosswalk, you get a ticket. It’s already tough out here.”

But city officials argue the tradeoff is worthwhile. Much of the parking lane is already used for illegal double parking, and the reclaimed space will be reallocated for infrastructure that encourages slower vehicle turns and reduces conflicts between drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.

The planned safety improvements at West 230th Street and Bailey Avenue were included in Bronx Community Board 8’s Fiscal Year 2026 Statement of Community Needs.

Construction is scheduled for completion this fall.