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

Photo: NYC DOT
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.

jay_street_dumbo
Image: NYC DOT

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

DUMBO Street Upgrades: Big Curb Expansions + Contraflow Bike Lane

By Stephen Miller |
DUMBO, where NYC DOT launched its public plaza program more than seven years ago, is set to get more pedestrian space as the city expands sidewalks and reworks oddly-shaped intersections beneath the Manhattan Bridge. The project also includes a contraflow bike lane to improve connections from DUMBO to the Manhattan Bridge, Jay Street, and Downtown […]

Reimagining Jay Street With Shared Space and Protected Bike Lanes

By Stephen Miller |
Jay Street is one of the major north-south spines of Downtown Brooklyn. The street is full of pedestrians near MetroTech, cyclists going to and from the Manhattan Bridge, and buses connecting to nearby subways, but it’s not designed to serve anyone particularly well — except, perhaps, people with parking placards. Double-parked cars constantly obstruct bike lanes […]

Jay Street Protected Bike Lane Plan Clears Brooklyn CB 2 Committee

By David Meyer |
Last night, DOT presented its proposal for a protected bike lane on Jay Street in downtown Brooklyn to the Community Board 2 transportation committee [PDF]. Jay Street is the main approach for the Brooklyn side of the Manhattan Bridge bike path. During a 12-hour weekday period, DOT counted 2,400 cyclists on Jay Street, with bikes accounting for […]

Jay Street Protected Bike Lane Construction Begins Next Week

By David Meyer |
Work on the protected bike lane on Jay Street in Downtown Brooklyn — including a new signalized crossing at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge — begins next Thursday, July 28. With around 2,400 cyclists a day, Jay Street is one of the busiest bike routes in the city — cyclists account for 34 percent of vehicle traffic during rush […]