The "all powerful bike lobby" is at it again, this time with a proposal for 5.1 miles of new bike lanes along Flushing Avenue between Clinton Hill and Ridgewood.
The Department of Transportation last week presented its plan [PDF] to expand the Flushing Avenue bike lane, which currently stretches from Downtown Brooklyn to Classon Avenue, and proceeds haltingly after that. But a traffic study showed that the route remains popular regardless of relatively fast-moving traffic—on weekdays, 1,480 cyclists travel along Flushing, and on weekends, the number swells to 2,519 cyclists.
The new lanes—which will feature both protected and shared lanes during various points of the route—were approved by Community Board 1 and are expected to be painted over the summer. No parking will be eliminated as a result of the lanes.
"This is something that needs action for safety," board member Ryan Kuonen told DNAinfo. "I would like to not put up another ghost bike or have another pedestrian die."
The now-massively popular Flushing Avenue bike lane was met with heated opposition when it was installed in 2010. Though Kent Avenue only recently expanded to include long-promised two-way lanes, it's an encouraging sign for those awaiting the day the entire 14-mile stretch of the so-called Brooklyn Greenway finally comes to fruition.
Click here for a complete list of the DOT's current bike route projects.
