Brooklyn

Last night, Brooklyn's Community Board 6 narrowly voted in favor of a resolution supporting the Department of Transportation's plan to put Park Slope's 9th Street on a "Road Diet."

Across the Park, a blog dedicated to Brooklyn's Prospect Lefferts Gardens neighborhood, notes the striping of new bike lanes on Lincoln Road and Maple Street, just to the east of Prospect Park. We assume that this is meant to be read with an ironic tone, though, you really never know in Brooklyn these days:

A third-grader was hit on her way to school here two weeks ago.

 

A Streestblog tipster snapped this photo of workers in Williamsburg, Brooklyn preparing the southeast corner of Bedford Avenue and N. 7th Street for a historic sidewalk widening. So, what's the big deal?

The third annual Tour de Brooklyn was a special treat as New York City DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan rode the entire event with over 2,000 enthusiastic cyclists. The new commissioner introduced herself to riders at the beginning of the ride and had some very positive things to say about cycling in New York City. The ride covered 18 miles, starting in Grand Army Plaza, heading down 4th Avenue to Bay Ridge, then stopping in Dyker Heights for a respite before returning to Prospect Park. As always with the TdB, the emphasis was on friends, family, and fun.

Local elected officials appear to be moving from a "tax on the middle class" critique of Mayor Bloomberg's congestion pricing proposal to a "park-and-ride" argument. Check out these two letters from senior Brooklyn Assembly member Joseph Lentol to constituents. In the first letter, written May 15, Lentol says that he is giving congestion pricing "his full review and consideration." He expresses no specific opinion or concerns about the plan:

New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan enjoys a lighter moment with Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz as Noah Budnick of Transportation Alternatives welcomes cyclists to the 2007 Tour de Brooklyn.

A letter in the Daily News this week reminds us of the need for better enforcement as well as the open source hit-and-run investigation conducted by Streetsblog readers last November: