Last July, the DOT announced plans to calm one of the most dangerous intersections in Queens, at the foot of the Greenpoint Avenue Bridge. Greenpoint Avenue is only two lanes wide on either side of the bridge, but as the road crosses Newtown Creek, it widens to four lanes and the bike lane on the Brooklyn side disappears, allowing traffic to speed up. When that fast-moving bridge traffic hits the confusing intersection of Greenpoint Avenue, Van Dam Street and Review Avenue on the Queens side, it's a recipe for disaster.
To calm the bridge traffic, DOT proposed keeping Greenpoint Avenue at a consistent two-lanes wide as it crosses the bridge. The extra space would have been used to extend the bike lane over the bridge with an extra-wide nine foot buffer.
Last month, however, opposition from residents and local businesses led DOT to back away from its traffic-calming plan. They promised to reconsider the bike lanes, according to a report in the Brooklyn Paper, and to hold a series of meetings with community members to discuss the issue further.
One of those meetings will be held tomorrow morning and Transportation Alternatives is urging people who would use a Greenpoint Avenue Bridge bike lane to turn out. Click here for the details. For those who can't make it on a weekday morning, you can either e-mail the community board or sign this group letter written by T.A.'s Queens volunteer committee.
