Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bicycling

88th Precinct Won’t Stop Blocking the DeKalb Ave Bike Lane, So DOT Is Removing the Buffer

The cars (and dumpster) that intrude into the bike lane by the 88th Precinct aren’t going anywhere — it’s the bike markings that are shifting over. Photo: David Meyer

Earlier this year, after the Brooklyn Paper called attention to NYPD's longstanding practice of parking in the DeKalb Avenue bike lane by the 88th Precinct, DOT officials did a site visit, and both agencies pledged to come up with a solution.

Now we know what the solution is, and it doesn't involve changing the police practice of "combat parking," with vehicles positioned perpendicularly to the curb, obstructing both the sidewalk and the bike lane.

In the last few weeks, the bike lane markings have been scratched off the pavement directly in front of the precinct house. Markings will be painted back but not with a buffer. Here's the update from DOT:

Working with the NYPD, DOT developed a new design shifting the bike lane to where the current buffer is located; the bike lane width will remain at 5 feet. As part of the process all the markings had to be scarified. The contractor is expected to complete the work before the end of the week.

Needless to say, this won't change what cyclists are upset about -- having to jog closer to car traffic to get around NYPD vehicles.

In December, Captain John Buttacavoli, the 88th Precinct's commanding officer, told the Brooklyn Paper that, while he's "sensitive to the complaints," his officers don't have the time to drive around the neighborhood looking for parking, and the precinct doesn't have its own parking lot. He said the 88th has 27 squad cars, plus 50 autos that belong to personnel who car commute (and apparently cannot get to a location one block from the subway by any other means).

So the precinct will continue to store its cars by bunching them onto sidewalks and taking a chunk out of a bike lane buffer. It's NYPD's city, the rest of us just walk and bike in it.

Just outside the precinct house. Photo: David Meyer
Just outside the precinct house. Photo: David Meyer
Cars parked on the sidewalk just outside the 88th Precinct back in 2017. Photo: David Meyer

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

‘Preventable’: Hit-and-Run Driver Kills Two on Third. Ave Corridor Eric Adams Refuses to Make Safer

A motorist struck and killed two men on a strip where Mayor Adams recently shelved a safety redesign amid a backlash from local business interests.

July 11, 2025

Why No BRT For NYC? Two New Reports Tackle Why Your Bus Service Sucks

Years of bus priority projects barely made a dent in speeds because Big Apple leaders won't install real bus rapid transit, two recent reports argue.

July 11, 2025

Citi Bike Riders Are Pissed About Eric Adams’s 15 MPH Speed Limit

Citi Bike's new 15 mph max speed limit is a bad deal for riders and a potential threat to safety, riders said.

July 11, 2025

Friday Video: Cyclists, Check Out Your Next City

Streetfilms' Clarence Eckerson visited London earlier this summer to check in on the Big Smoke's cycling revolution.

July 11, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Just the News Edition

We've got one more workday before we can hit the beach. Plus the news.

July 11, 2025

Council To Close Instacart Loophole, Pass Delivery Industry Regulation Bills

The City Council will vote on Monday to close the "Instacart loophole" and force all app companies to pay workers a minimum wage.

July 10, 2025
See all posts