Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bicycle Parking

Starting the School Day Off at the Bike Corral

1:46 PM EDT on April 27, 2018

Photo: Ben Fried

It was ribbon-cutting day at P.S. 118 on Seventh Street in Park Slope this morning, as parents and students at this pre-K/elementary school broke in their brand new bike corral. By 8:15 a.m., the racks were mostly full.

When DOT installed the bike corral a week ago, it solved some longstanding storage issues at P.S. 118. Because kids were tripping on bikes and scooters that piled up in the school yard, the school banned them in 2015. DOT installed sidewalk racks in time for the 2016/2017 school year, but they were on a narrow sidewalk next to busy Fourth Avenue, not by the main drop-off location on calmer Seventh Street.

Doug Gordon (a.k.a. Brooklyn Spoke, the grown-up in the top photo), whose two children attend P.S. 118, started working with the PTA and the school administration to get an on-street corral for Seventh Street.

"My daughter, who was in second grade at the time, was excited about the idea so she and her friends took on the task of gathering petition signatures from kids, parents, school staff, and neighborhood residents," he said in an email. "DOT finally came to present the plan to the transportation and public safety committee of [Community Board 6] in March and it was approved unanimously."

Parents and students at any school can apply to the city for a bike corral. DOT requires a maintenance partner to clear debris and snow around the bike corral, and to report anything that needs fixing. At P.S. 118, the PTA is the maintenance partner.

The bike corral has made it easier for Delia Awusi to walk her two sons to school with their scooters. During the bike ban, she ended up lugging the scooters back to their home on 13th Street after dropping the kids off.

Kids at the school are young enough to ride legally on the sidewalk. With a protected bike lane coming to Fourth Avenue in the next few years (and the school expanding to fifth grade), the route could get safe enough for older students to ride on the street.

For now, the bike corral has given the students a place to keep their rides in the same place grown-ups put their cars, leaving the sidewalk for the walk to school.

Photo: Ben Fried
Photo: Ben Fried

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

City Pays $150K to Settle Suit Over Cops Who Harassed Man Who Reported Police Parking Misconduct

Justin Sherwood and his lawyer will pocket $152,000 to settle his federal civil rights suit against the city and several officers who harassed him following his 311 calls.

September 28, 2023

Police Brass Gets Booed During E-Vehicle Safety Alliance Meeting for Applauding Deliveristas

Attendees of the E-Vehicle Safety Alliance's latest meeting castigated a Transportation Bureau deputy inspector for saying that delivery workers are responsive to safety issues.

September 28, 2023

Thursday’s Headlines: Unsafe School Streets Edition

A school crossing guard was injured by a drunk driver on Tuesday. Plus more news.

September 28, 2023

EYES ON THE STREET: Drivers Dominate Former W. 22nd Open Street

Meh. The barriers are gone and the cars are back on W. 22nd, but some spaces for people remain.

September 28, 2023

‘Not Grieving Alone’: A Father’s Artistic Journey After Losing Two Kids to Road Violence

Colin Campbell and his wife Gail Lerner lost both their children in a car crash with impaired driver. Now, it's a show.

September 28, 2023
See all posts