Bergen Street near Flatbush Avenue used to be a trouble spot for cyclists going from Prospect Heights to Park Slope, with one segment of the bike lane frequently obstructed by police vehicles. Last summer, a guerrilla protected lane appeared, buffered by orange cones, then disappeared, then reappeared, incredibly, in the form of metal crowd control barriers from the NYPD's 78th Precinct. The barriers have stood in place for over five months. Now, cyclists are thanking the precinct for taking action.
A few weeks ago, the Transportation Alternatives Brooklyn volunteer committee organized a group photo to show their thanks. The photo, snapped by Dmitry Gudkov, was presented to Deputy Inspector Michael Ameri, the 78th Precinct's commanding officer, at last night's community council meeting. Streetsblog has reached out to Deputy Inspector Ameri via e-mail and phone for comment. We'll let you know if we hear anything back.
While a few precincts have taken small steps forward on safer streets, the department as a whole, despite improved crash investigation procedures and endorsing speed cameras, has not made traffic safety a top priority. In that context, these gestures from the 78th Precinct are a welcome breath of fresh air.
