Bicycling

Eyes on the Street: Jay Street Bikeway Segment Connects DUMBO to Downtown Brooklyn and the Manhattan Bridge

This short, contraflow parking-protected bike lane segment gives cyclists a safe, direct route out of DUMBO.

By Ben Fried

5:31 PM EST on November 29, 2017

Eyes on the Street: Jay Street Bikeway Segment Connects DUMBO to Downtown Brooklyn and the Manhattan Bridge

Photo: NYC DOT

Yesterday DOT tweeted this pic of the new bike connection on Jay Street, between Prospect and York streets.

This is a contraflow, parking-protected bike lane segment giving cyclists a safe, direct route out of DUMBO. (There’s also a painted curbside bike lane heading into DUMBO.) It’s a short connection that does a lot to improve the network, creating better access to the Manhattan Bridge, Downtown Brooklyn, and Fort Greene.

DOT went through a few design iterations before landing on this one. In an earlier version, the protected bike lane was bi-directional, but the agency pulled it after deciding downhill cyclists wouldn’t be able to get a clear view of traffic approaching at York. The next version had no protection at all. This one gives protection to the cyclists who need it most, going uphill against car traffic.

Community Board 2 voted for the project in May. DOT says a new traffic signal will be installed at Jay and Prospect, beneath the bridge.

Ben Fried

Ben Fried started as a Streetsblog reporter in 2008 and led the site as editor-in-chief from 2010 to 2018. He lives in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, with his wife.