Brooklyn
Streetsblog Basics
Guerrilla Stripers Paint Back Bedford Avenue Bike Lane
Looks like some New Yorkers who bike on Bedford Avenue decided not to sit idly by after the city removed 14 blocks of bike lane in South Williamsburg. Multiple sources informed Streetsblog this morning that DIY, unofficial bike lane striping has appeared along the stretch of Bedford Avenue that was sandblasted last week. We don't know who is responsible for this act of civil disobedience and guerrilla safety enhancement, but apparently, their efforts have run afoul of the law.
December 7, 2009
NYPD Sidewalk Hogs Make Way for Bike Parking and Benches (Updated)
Elizabeth Press sends these shots of the northeast corner of Hoyt and Schermerhorn in downtown Brooklyn. In what may be a first for New York City, this nifty little DOT reclamation includes bike racks installed on the roadbed, not the sidewalk. (Update: DOT confirms that yes, this is something new for the city.) More on that later. First, take a minute to appreciate all the ways this project, which cost a mere $5,000, according to Ben Muessig at the Brooklyn Paper, has improved life for New Yorkers.
November 30, 2009
Eyes on the Street: Bigger Sidewalks, Better Bike Lanes, Safer Streets
Clarence Eckerson sends these shots of DOT street safety improvements taken on a recent ride near the Brooklyn and Queens waterfront. Above is the newly traffic-calmed intersection of Joralemon and Hicks -- part of the Downtown Brooklyn Traffic Calming Project -- which now sports two sidewalk extensions. (According to the Post, a third corner was slated for a curb extension, but DOT changed plans after residents said they were worried about how fire trucks would negotiate the turn.) Says Clarence: "I am sure the speed reductions will be dramatic, the equivalent of a chicane."
November 23, 2009
Brooklyn Bus Stop Draws Bigger Crowd Than Thompson Anti-BRT “Rally”
With extremely low turnout expected for tomorrow's mayoral election, Bill Thompson and Mike Bloomberg canvassed the city over the weekend trying to drum up some enthusiasm for their candidacies. For Thompson, the itinerary included a stop in Bedford Stuyvesant this Saturday to protest plans for improving bus service along Nostrand Avenue.
November 2, 2009
Streetfilms: The Sands Street Bike Path, a New Kind of Bridge Approach
Chalk up more bikeway innovation
to the folks at the NYC Department of Transportation. Nearly
complete, the Sands Street approach to the Manhattan Bridge is now
safer and more enjoyable thanks to a New York City first: a
center-median, two-way protected bike path. The facility is a
perfect solution to counter the dangers posed by a tangle of roads and
highway on-ramps that burden the area. Dramatic before-and-afters tell
the delicious story.
September 25, 2009
Latest Kent Avenue Bike Lane Complaint: Truck Traffic
We've got another dispatch from the ongoing bike lane drama that is Kent Avenue. At Wednesday night's information session hosted by Brooklyn CB1, the DOT team gave a short presentation [PDF] outlining their plan to address truck traffic changes caused by converting Kent to one-way flow. Then the public was invited to comment.
September 18, 2009
What Happens When Mom and Pop Shops Depend on Cars?
A reader sent this photo to Streetsblog soon after we reported that Park Slope restaurateur Irene Lo Re had asked for the Fifth Avenue bike lane to be removed. According to Lo Re's theory, which few other merchants seem to buy, the bike lane was causing delivery costs to rise. We saw this photo and thought there might be some sort of detente on the horizon. Maybe someone had reasoned with Lo Re and convinced her that a nice environment for pedestrians and cyclists is great for business at Aunt Suzie's.
September 11, 2009
Double-Parkers Gravitate Into Sands Street Bike Path
Cyclists riding across the Manhattan Bridge have had about a month to try out the new Sands Street bike path, and based on the reviews so far, two major kinks are marring an otherwise sterling project. First, motorists, especially delivery vehicles, can't resist using the mountable section from Navy to Gold as a double-parking zone. And second, the two-phase crossing from the Sands Street path to the Manhattan Bridge path encourages cyclists to make some risky diagonal movements.
September 8, 2009
Cyclist Injured in Collision on Jay Street This Morning
A cyclist was struck this morning at around 9:30, riding on Jay Street near the Manhattan Bridge. Reader Dave Abraham emailed this report about the scene of the collision.
August 31, 2009
Legacy of Downtown Brooklyn Traffic Calming Advocates Continues
A bit more background on the generous neckdown at Smith and Bergen spotlighted earlier today: This pedestrian amenity never would have been built without the long-term organizing for the Downtown Brooklyn Traffic Calming Project. Street protests and advocacy campaigns stretching back more than a dozen years are bearing fruit now.
August 28, 2009