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

Prospect Perks: Activists Want City to Improve Cycling In and Around Brooklyn’s Green Heart

"Better connecting these neighborhoods to Prospect Park is a strong first step to correcting inequity," a new petition reads.

The Streetsblog Photoshop Desk

Only connect.

Street safety and sustainable transport activists in Brooklyn want protected bike lanes to connect cyclists to Prospect Park from all of the nearby Central Brooklyn communities, where car ownership is low and residents have among the least park access in the city.

"Central Brooklyn's mobility and park access is at an impasse!" Transportation Alternatives wrote in an online petition to support a comprehensive plan, dubbed Prospect Park Connections. "Better connecting these neighborhoods to Prospect Park is a strong first step to correcting this inequity."

The group is seeking many improvements that have been on activists' Christmas lists since the Prospect Park West bike lane was built a generation ago. First and foremost are similar two-way protected bike lanes on Prospect Park Southwest and Ocean Avenue so that there is a complete ring of safety around the park (now that Flatbush Avenue between Grand Army Plaza and Ocean Avenue has a bike lane).

The city missed a huge opportunity to add a protected bike lane on Prospect Park Southwest when it repaved the wide roadway in 2022, as Streetsblog mentioned at the time:

Prospect Park Southwest was repaved in 2022, but the Department of Transportation did not restripe it to encourage cycling.File photo: Gersh Kuntzman

Four cyclists have been injured so far this year on Prospect Park Southwest, according to the NYPD. And three others were injured on Ocean Avenue, the same stats show.

In addition to the marquee protected bike lanes, the petition seeks:

  • Adding signalized crossings, mid-block crossings and pedestrian safety treatments at 10th and 11th avenues along Prospect Park Southwest
  • Redesigning Bartel-Pritchard Square — where Prospect Park West hits 15th Street and Prospect Park Southwest — to fix the main cycling issue, namely no connection from Prospect Park West anywhere else.
  • Upgrading painted lanes to Prospect Park to barrier-protected bicycle lanes on:
    • Bergen Street
    • Dean Street
    • Berkeley Place
    • Lincoln Place
    • Second Street
    • Third Street
    • 14th Street
    • 15th Street
    • 10th Avenue
    • 11th Avenue
    • Ocean Avenue south of Parkside Ave/Prospect Park
    • Lincoln Road
    • Maple Street
    • Empire Boulevard
  • Adding protected bike lanes on key roads that currently lack any bicycle infrastructure:
    • Coney Island Avenue
    • Prospect Park West between Bartel Pritchard Square and the 20th Street Bike Boulevard
  • Adding loading zones near the Lincoln Road entrance to Prospect Park so vehicles do not create hazards when loading in and out for commitments in the park.

Another big ask — creating additional pedestrian space at the Grand Army Plaza entrance to Prospect Park and other design improvements that prioritize pedestrians and cyclists on Underhill and Vanderbilt avenues — are in the works, albeit slowly.

"Together, these changes will dramatically improve safety for cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers alike," the petition reads. "New Yorkers should be able to safely ride through any area in Central Brooklyn."

The Department of Transportation did not respond to a request for comment.

https://twitter.com/StreetsblogNYC/status/1668334792297832463

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Hit-and-Run Driver Kills Pedestrian on Bedford Av. Hours Before Long-Stalled Safety Redesign Begins

The driver was traveling so quickly that the victim was tossed high in the air before landing back on the car hood and being tossed to the side of the road as the killer drove off.

October 11, 2024

Manhattanites To DOT: Open Queensboro Bridge Pedestrian Path ‘Without Delay’

"It’s really inappropriate for the DOT to delay," said one member of Manhattan Community Board 6.

October 11, 2024

Council Seeks to Force DOT to Build 175 E-Bike Charging Hubs 

A new bill would force the DOT to build over 100 charging hubs, but will it be enough to keep up with demand?

October 11, 2024

Friday Video: A Vision for West 72nd Street

Maybe someday, a roadway that devotes 88 percent of its space to a tiny minority of users (drivers) could finally work for everyone. We can dream, can't we?

October 11, 2024

Friday’s Headlines: Yes, We Will Mention the Yankees Edition

We are praying for the first Subway Series since 2000. Plus other news.

October 11, 2024
See all posts