Clinton Hill

Instead of changing how police park so their vehicles don't obstruct the bike lane and the sidewalk, a segment of the bike lane will lose its buffer from car traffic.

The same local business groups that publicly supported the city's plaza program often take a huge hit from the Department of Design and Construction's lengthy and unpredictable construction process.

Danielle Davis lost her sister in April. Lauren Davis was biking on Classon Avenue in Clinton Hill when a driver turned left across her path, killing her. Now Danielle is calling on the city to add a bike lane to the street where Lauren lost her life.

After withdrawing its plan for a two-way protected bike lane on Clinton Avenue last month, DOT will start over with a series of public workshops to develop a new plan for walking and biking safety in Clinton Hill and Fort Greene.

DOT has deferred its plan for a two-way protected bike lane on Clinton Avenue, saying it will return to Brooklyn Community Board 2 next month.

Last year, Public Advocate Tish James called on DOT to make protected bike lanes a standard feature of street redesigns, a stance she recently elaborated on in an interview with Streetsblog. In December, Council Member Laurie Cumbo stood with the family of Victoria Nicodemus, who was run over and killed on a Fort Greene sidewalk, at a vigil for safer streets.

DOT has been going door-to-door in Clinton Hill to get the word out about its plan for a two-way protected bike lane on Clinton Avenue, which the agency first previewed at a Vision Zero town hall held by Council Member Laurie Cumbo in January. While a full presentation on the project is scheduled for next month, it's expected to come up for discussion at a forum this Thursday hosted by 57th Assembly District Leader Olanike Alabi.

Update: The victim of this crash was identified as Lauren Davis, according to the Daily News.

When shop owners oppose new plazas or protected bike lanes, even in the city's most walkable neighborhoods, they often say their businesses rely on street parking to attract customers. Removing even a handful of spaces, they claim, would lead to economic ruin. The reality, of course, is that an overwhelming majority of New Yorkers don't drive to do their shopping, and making streets better for walking and biking tends to pay off for merchants even if some parking spaces are removed. A new survey shows that Fulton Street in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill is another New York City shopping street where the vast majority of people arrive without taking a car [PDF].