The de Blasio Administration today announced a series of 2020 protected bike lane projects throughout Brooklyn including new lanes and the extension of protected lanes along 4th Avenue north to Barclays Center and along Meeker Avenue in Williamsburg, connecting the Williamsburg Bridge to the new Kosciusko Bridge bike path.
This is part of the Mayor’s Green Wave plan, which will create more than 30 miles of protected bike lanes citywide this year.
“I can’t imagine a better place to kick off this year’s Green Wave than my beloved Brooklyn,” said de Blasio.“We’re redoubling our efforts to protect cyclists, and New Yorkers can expect to see many more protected bike lanes across the city this year.”
As part of the Mayor’s Green Wave plan, the Department of Transportation (DOT) has committed to building 30 miles of new protected bike lanes citywide in 2020. At least ten of those miles will be in Brooklyn, including the following planned projects:
- 4th Avenue, Park Slope/Gowanus
- Flatbush Avenue, Prospect Park/Brooklyn Botanic Garden
- Ft. Hamilton Parkway, Windsor Terrace
- Franklin Street (Greenway), Greenpoint
- Meeker Avenue, Williamsburg/Greenpoint
- Navy Street, Downtown Brooklyn
- Remsen Avenue, Canarsie
- Smith Street, Downtown Brooklyn
DOT today also released its Vision Zero data about one of its major projects completed in 2018 in Gerritsen Beach. A single mile of Gerritsen Avenue, Gerritsen Beach’s major thoroughfare, had four speeding related fatalities alone from 2007 to 2016.
Starting in 2017, DOT added a two-way protected bicycle lane and installed other major safety improvements, including pedestrian refuge islands, new bus stops and enhanced crossings which have dramatically improved safety. The corridor has had no fatalities since DOT began its transformational work, with the annual number of crashes declining by 54 percent.
The announcement drew raves from a number of Brooklyn’s elected officials.
“Last year was the deadliest year for cyclists in decades, and unfortunately the epicenter of the crisis was Brooklyn. We need to make aggressive, rapid investments in street safety to stem the tide of deaths and injuries throughout the five boroughs, and ensure all can move around our city safely. I am heartened to see the DOT implementing street safety infrastructure projects our office has long advocated for, including a protected bike lane along Flatbush Avenue in Prospect Park and on Navy Street in Downtown Brooklyn, as well as along other arterial roadways where most injuries and fatalities occur. We must act swiftly to ensure needed public safety measures are equitably deployed in every corner of our city,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.
U.S. Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-Brooklyn, Queens, Lower Manhattan) said the city has seen an unacceptable and tragic loss of life from cyclists hit by vehicles over the last few years, and clearly more must be done to improve safety.
“I stand ready to work with NYC DOT, the Mayor and all elected officials in identifying meaningful solutions that make our streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists alike. This requires a multipronged approach that will include more protected bike lanes, pedestrian refuges and other innovative solutions,” said Velázquez.
Assistant Assembly Speaker Felix W Ortiz (D-Red Hook, Sunset Park) said that new protected bicycle lanes along Brooklyn’s 4th Avenue in his district will create a better environment for cyclists, motorists and pedestrians. “New Yorkers are adapting to new traffic rules and patterns that will make traffic safer for everyone. We’ve seen too many recent accidents. The Green Wave Action plan will result in a better city for everyone to travel,” he said.
Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon (D-Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Gowanus, Park Slope, Boerum Hill, DUMBO) said she is pleased that the City is adding more protected bike lanes, which ensures safer streets for all New Yorkers.
“Biking in New York should be fun, accessible, and safe, but right now cyclists risk their lives way too often. Pedestrians, too, will be helped by reclaiming street space for people, not cars. There is safety in numbers and in infrastructure, and I hope that with each new protected bike lane, more and more New Yorkers will feel comfortable getting out on their bikes. I look forward to community engagement as the City works out the details of this proposal,” said Simon.
For more information about the de Blasio Administration’s Vision Zero initiative, please see www.nyc.gov/visionzero.
