City Accelerates Brooklyn Bike-Lane Construction
Amid a surge in bicyclist deaths, the city announced Wednesday that it would speed up construction of protected bike lanes on Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn, a project that has proceeded in fits and start since it was announced two years ago.
At a press conference, Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said the city would complete the lanes “along Fourth Avenue all the way up to First Street.”
Currently, only some sections of Fourth Avenue have protected bike lanes, from First to 15th Streets, and from 60th to 64th Streets. The city hopes to get the stretch from 15th to 57th Streets finished this year.
The move came after 30-year-old Em Samolewicz was killed while riding her bike on Third Avenue near Sunset Park. She had to swerve into traffic after someone opened a van door in her path last month, according to NY1.
City Council Member Carlos Menchaca said that three cyclists have died near Sunset Park, adding that building protected bike lanes is “saving lives.”
Trottenberg said the city is “doing a lot of new work to protect cyclists,” including lowering speed limits and installing speed cameras.
According to the transportation department, 18 cyclists have been killed in the city this year, compared to 10 in all of last year. Thirteen of this year’s fatalities happened in Brooklyn.
The 4th Avenue bike lane project was announced in 2017 but was delayed due to MTA subway work along R train track. Most of the project is supposed to be completed in this fall.
Danny Harris, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, a 46-year-old advocacy group, said at the press conference “the bike lanes make the city safer.”
Two weeks ago, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a plan called “Green Wave,” which includes building more than 80 miles of protected bike lanes by the end of 2021. The city currently has 1,240 miles of bike lanes, 480 of which are protected bike lanes.
Protected bike lanes are like sidewalks for bikes. They use planters, parked cars or curbs to separate bike and automobile traffic. According to the DOT, New York City’s protected bike lanes have helped reduce total traffic injuries by 20 percent and pedestrian injuries down 22 percent in Manhattan.
