Council Member Antonio Reynoso today urged DOT to upgrade the bike lanes on the Grand Street in North Brooklyn. The existing painted lanes did not protect Matthew von Ohlen, who was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in July.
Grand Street is an essential bike connection between the bridge and Williamsburg, Bushwick, and Ridgewood. But its painted bike lanes are often blocked by double-parked cars and provide limited separation from the heavy truck traffic generated by nearby industrial areas.
We should be making a plan now to best prioritize bus, bike, and pedestrian travel that gives community residents the opportunity to move safely and efficiently. Grand Street already serves as a main connector to and from Manhattan, yet the corridor is not equipped with adequate safety measures to accommodate the increasing number of pedestrians and cyclists who use the street.
At Brooklyn Community Board 1's August full board meeting and again at last Thursday's transportation committee meeting, Von Ohlen's friends and family called for a protected bike lane on Grand Street. Von Ohlen, 35, was riding on Grand Street early in the morning on July 3 when the driver of a Chevy Camaro knocked him off his bike and dragged him 20 to 30 feet. (Police located the vehicle on July 6, but have not apprehended a suspect.)
One friend, Amanda Stosz, told transportation committee members last week that a protected bike lane on Grand Street between the Williamsburg Bridge and Metropolitan Avenue Bridge would be "ideal," and that other safety improvements should be made if a fully protected lane is not possible. A "North Williamsburg Transportation Study" is already underway at DOT, but Stosz said she hopes the agency will move faster on making Grand Street safer, particularly in light of the L Train shutdown.
In response, CB 1 Chair Dealice Fuller, District Manager Gerald Esposito, and committee members expressed support for studying a protected bike lane. "You don't have to justify it to me. We agree with you ... and we welcome the commissioner to investigate and advise," Esposito said, referring to Bray, who was present for the meeting. "Now is the time. If there ever was a time, now is the time."
Bray said DOT would investigate, but that he wasn't sure a protected bike lane would be "geometrically" feasible. Only four committee members were present for Thursday's meeting, and no vote was held.
David was Streetsblog's do-it-all New York City beat reporter from 2015 to 2019. He returned as deputy editor in 2023 after a three-year stint at the New York Post.
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