Park Slope
Streetsblog Basics
DOT’s PPW Data Greeted With Cheers, Paranoia at CB 6 Meeting
The loudest applause at last night's Brooklyn CB 6 meeting on the Prospect Park West bike lane went to DOT Assistant Commissioner Ryan Russo, after he wrapped up his presentation documenting the redesign's effect on safety, bicycling rates, and traffic. The brief summary: injuries are down, cycling is up, and speeding has been tamed while travel times and traffic volumes are the same as before. The project has been a success so far and DOT will be moving ahead with further tweaks, like installing raised concrete islands in the pedestrian zones between the bike lane and the traffic lanes.
January 21, 2011
With the Facts In, DOT Plans More Improvements for Prospect Park West
The city has released its final findings on the redesign of Prospect Park West [PDF]. With the data showing it a success by most any objective measure, DOT is recommending a few tweaks to further improve the design.
January 20, 2011
Tonight: Support the New PPW and Stand Up for Safer Streets
At tonight's Brooklyn Community Board 6 meeting, NYC DOT will present its final report on the re-designed Prospect Park West. The Brooklyn Paper has the latest safety stats from the city, and they show what one would expect from a project that has substantially reduced speeding: crashes and injuries are down across the board.
January 20, 2011
At CB6 Meeting, PPW Foes Take Stand Against Waving and Smiling
This dispatch from last night’s meeting of Brooklyn Community Board 6 comes to us from reader Doug Gordon. You can follow Doug at his blog, Brooklyn Spoke.
December 17, 2010
New PPW Results: More New Yorkers Use It, Without Clogging the Street
On the heels of Brad Lander's survey showing that a whopping 78 percent of interested Brooklyn residents want to keep the traffic calming Prospect Park West bike lane, DOT has released still more data [PDF] showing that the new street design keeps New Yorkers safer and helps them get where they're going.
December 8, 2010
Confirmed: Former DOT Commish Weinshall Wants PPW Bike Lane Gone
David Goodman's City Room piece on the PPW bike lane survey includes the first new information in months about the extent of former DOT Commissioner Iris Weinshall's involvement in efforts to do away with the current design.
December 7, 2010
Last Chance to Tell Lander and Levin How You Feel About the New PPW
Today is the last day you can fill out the Prospect Park West bike lane survey. City Council members Brad Lander and Steve Levin set up the survey a few weeks ago to see what their constituents think of the redesigned PPW.
October 29, 2010
Former Deputy Mayor Under Dinkins Lobbies City Hall to Kill PPW Bike Lane
Last week's rally to defend the Prospect Park West bike lane, organized in response to a concurrent anti-bike lane protest, was a clear-cut demonstration of the public support enjoyed by a project that's calmed speeding traffic and made cycling more attainable for people of all ages. By most estimates, supporters of the new PPW outnumbered opponents about 5 to 1.
October 28, 2010
Results of the New PPW: Speeding Down Dramatically, Cycling Up Big
Kate Hinds at Transportation Nation got her hands on an advance copy of DOT's Prospect Park West radar gun study and cyclist counts [PDF]. The data on traffic speeds confirm the results that Park Slope Neighbors observed this summer: The new configuration -- two traffic lanes and a two-way protected bike path instead of three traffic lanes and no bike path -- has drastically reduced speeding on PPW. Drivers now travel at average speeds that give them more time to react to pedestrians crossing the street, which will avert injuries and lessen the severity of any crashes that do occur.
October 22, 2010