If You Were Thinking of Sitting Out Tonight’s Clinton Ave Bikeway Meeting…

…you may want to reconsider.

DOT will present a plan for a two-way protected bike lane on Clinton Avenue between Flushing Avenue and Gates Avenue, which would create shorter pedestrian crossings and serve as a useful spur in the bike network for people heading to/from the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway. The southbound traffic lane would be removed to create space for the bikeway.

There are currently no north-south protected bike lanes in this part of town. If you want a safer, less stressful connection between North Brooklyn and Fort Greene/Clinton Hill/Prospect Heights/Crown Heights, or between the Manhattan Bridge and the neighborhoods east of Clinton Avenue, this is an important meeting to attend. It starts at 6:00 — here’s where to go.

Opponents have been busy circulating flyers like this one around the neighborhood, in an attempt to incite terror at the thought that one quarter of one street will be dedicated space for cycling:

clintonNIMBYflyer

So there you have it — reserving three quarters of Clinton Avenue for the movement and storage of motor vehicles is simply not enough. Clinton Hill is saturated with bike lanes already and has absolutely no car lanes to spare. Biking in general traffic where you can get doored and thrown under the wheels of a passing truck is great — parents with kids do it gladly!

Keep in mind that curb-to-curb, Clinton Avenue is the same width as Kent Avenue in North Williamsburg, which basically has the same design that DOT is proposing here. Pickups, deliveries, emergency access, large apartment buildings — all function fine on Kent Avenue. People on Kent Avenue — including kids — also have the freedom to get around like this.

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

DOT Defers Action on Clinton Avenue Bikeway

|
DOT has deferred its plan for a two-way protected bike lane on Clinton Avenue, saying it will return to Brooklyn Community Board 2 next month. The department’s decision was announced by CB 2 transportation chair John Dew at the beginning of last night’s committee meeting. The committee had initially intended to finish hearing comments from people who didn’t […]

This Week: Showtime for the Clinton Avenue Protected Bikeway

|
After dropping hints back in January about a two-way protected bike lane on Clinton Avenue and going door-to-door to get the word out last month, DOT will present details about the project this week at Brooklyn Community Board 2. With rumors swirling about the redesign, opponents are breaking out the scare tactics, which were on display at a gathering last Thursday: #VisionZero […]

James and Cumbo Wilt Under Pressure, Oppose Clinton Ave Bikeway

|
Last year, Public Advocate Tish James called on DOT to make protected bike lanes a standard feature of street redesigns, a stance she recently elaborated on in an interview with Streetsblog. In December, Council Member Laurie Cumbo stood with the family of Victoria Nicodemus, who was run over and killed on a Fort Greene sidewalk, at […]

DOT Bike Planning Starts From Scratch in Clinton Hill

|
After withdrawing its plan for a two-way protected bike lane on Clinton Avenue last month, DOT will start over with a series of public workshops to develop a new plan for walking and biking safety in Clinton Hill and Fort Greene. DOT Bicycle and Greenway Program Director Ted Wright shared the news at last night’s Community Board 2 transportation committee […]

Protected Bike Lanes Coming to Washington Heights After CB 12 Vote

|
Washington Heights will get protected bike lanes and major pedestrian upgrades after Manhattan Community Board 12 endorsed a DOT proposal last night. Sections of 170th Street, 158th Street, and Edgecombe Avenue will get protected bike lanes, and pedestrian crossings will be improved on Edgecombe Avenue and at the complex intersection of 158th Street, Riverside Drive, and Edward Morgan Place […]

Kent Avenue: A Bikeway for All Ages

|
While Clarence was out this weekend taping Right of Way install a memorial to victims of traffic violence, he also got this footage of the Kent Avenue bike lane in Williamsburg. Where else but a protected bike lane will you ever see so many kids biking on the street in NYC? Not that long ago, Kent Avenue […]