January 29, 2020Part of Green Wave plan to create 30 miles of protected bicycle lanes citywide this year NEW YORK—The de Blasio Administration today announced the 2020 protected bike lane projects in Brooklyn. This year’s new lanes will include the extension of protected lanes along 4th Avenue north to Barclays Center and along Meeker Avenue in Williamsburg, connecting the Williamsburg Bridge to the new Kosciusko Bridge bike path. This is part of the Mayor’s Green Wave plan, which will create more than 30 miles of protected bike lanes citywide this year.
“I can’t imagine a better place to kick off this year’s Green Wave than my beloved Brooklyn,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We’re redoubling our efforts to protect cyclists, and New Yorkers can expect to see many more protected bike lanes across the city this year.”
“We are continuing to expand the protected bike lane network across Brooklyn to better accommodate cyclists,” said Deputy Mayor Laura Anglin. “We know protected bike lanes are key to making city streets safer for everyone on the road.” “Brooklyn had a tough year for Vision Zero in 2019, so that is why we are here at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge to announce our plans for protected bike lanes in this new year,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “With the Mayor’s leadership, we are bringing a laser focus to this borough, with a record number of protected bike lanes coming to a range of neighborhoods. Protected bike lanes make streets safer for everyone, and we have heard such great feedback on the work we did creating new protected lanes along 4th Avenue last year. As a Brooklynite, I am especially pleased to announce that in 2020, we will finish the job.” As part of the Mayor’s Green Wave plan, the Department of Transportation has committed to building 30 miles of new protected bike lanes citywide in 2020. At least ten of those miles will be in Brooklyn, including the following planned projects:4th Avenue, Park Slope/Gowanus Flatbush Avenue, Prospect Park/Brooklyn Botanic Garden Ft. Hamilton Parkway, Windsor Terrace Franklin Street (Greenway), Greenpoint Meeker Avenue, Williamsburg/Greenpoint Navy Street, Downtown Brooklyn Remsen Avenue, Canarsie Smith Street, Downtown Brooklyn DOT today released its Vision Zero data about one of its major projects completed in 2018 in Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn. A single mile of Gerritsen Avenue, Gerritsen Beach’s major thoroughfare, had four speeding related fatalities alone from 2007 to 2016.
Starting in 2017, DOT added a two-way protected bicycle lane and installed other major safety improvements, including pedestrian refuge islands, new bus stops and enhanced crossings which have dramatically improved safety. The corridor has had no fatalities since DOT began its transformational work, with the annual number of crashes declining by 54 percent. Representative Nydia M. Velázquez: "Our City has seen an unacceptable and tragic loss of life from cyclists hit by vehicles over the last few years. Clearly more must be done to improve safety. I stand ready to work with NYC DOT, the Mayor and all elected officials in identifying meaningful solutions that make our streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists alike. This requires a multipronged approach that will include more protected bike lanes, pedestrian refuges and other innovative solutions." “Last year was the deadliest year for cyclists in decades, and unfortunately the epicenter of the crisis was Brooklyn. We need to make aggressive, rapid investments in street safety to stem the tide of deaths and injuries throughout the five boroughs, and ensure all can move around our city safely. I am heartened to see the DOT implementing street safety infrastructure projects our office has long advocated for, including a protected bike lane along Flatbush Avenue in Prospect Park and on Navy Street in Downtown Brooklyn, as well as along other arterial roadways where most injuries and fatalities occur. We must act swiftly to ensure needed public safety measures are equitably deployed in every corner of our city,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. Assistant Speaker Felix W Ortiz said: "New protected bicycle lanes along Brooklyn""s 4th Avenue will create a better environment for cyclists, motorists and pedestrians. New Yorkers are adapting to new traffic rules and patterns that will make traffic safer for everyone. We""ve seen too many recent accidents. The Green Wave Action plan will result in a better city for everyone to travel.” “I’m pleased that the City is adding more protected bike lanes, which ensures safer streets for all New Yorkers,” said Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon. “Biking in New York should be fun, accessible, and safe, but right now cyclists risk their lives way too often. Pedestrians, too, will be helped by reclaiming street space for people, not cars. There is safety in numbers and in infrastructure, and I hope that with each new protected bike lane, more and more New Yorkers will feel comfortable getting out on their bikes. I look forward to community engagement as the City works out the details of this proposal.” “There’s no substitute for protected bike lanes, and we’re thrilled to see DOT taking action and making our streets safer for bicyclists,” said Ken Podziba, President and CEO of Bike New York. “Building 30 miles of protected bike lanes in the city this year, including 10 miles in such heavily used areas of Brooklyn, is a major step towards fulfilling the goal of Vision Zero and the commitments in the Mayor’s Green Wave plan -- and for this we have to thank Commissioner Trottenberg and her team at DOT.”“We’re heartened to see that the city will focus on Brooklyn in expanding the protected bike network in 2020, after what was a grim year for cycling fatalities in the borough in 2019,” said Eric McClure, Executive Director of StreetsPAC. “Protected bike lanes save lives, and not just among people who bike; they make streets safer for everyone. Completing the northern end of 4th Avenue, adding a two-way path on dangerous Meeker Avenue, and protecting high-volume routes like Smith Street and Navy Street will no doubt get us back on track toward Vision Zero, this year and into the future. We’re grateful to NYC DOT and Mayor de Blasio for making this a priority.”"After a tragic year for cyclists in Brooklyn, we commend Mayor de Blasio and the Department of Transportation for prioritizing the completion of 10 new miles of protected bike infrastructure in the borough," said Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Danny Harris. "New York must get Vision Zero back on track so that all New Yorkers may walk and bike without fear of death or serious injury. We look forward to working together to converting Brooklyn""s most dangerous routes into its safest.""We applaud the City and DOT for prioritizing cyclist safety -- these are exactly the sort of vital changes we""ve been calling for in our public realm plan to transform the highly trafficked corridors in Downtown Brooklyn," said Regina Myer, the president of Downtown Brooklyn Partnership. "As the borough has experienced widespread change with a surge in residents and workers in the downtown area, our streetscapes have been stuck in the past, designed to serve cars and little else. We look forward to working with DOT on making even more bold changes to the public realm that further reorientate the streets toward pedestrian and bike uses and transform our public realm into a friendlier, safer downtown for everyone."
About Vision Zero: Vision Zero is the de Blasio administration’s initiative to use every tool at its disposal to end traffic deaths and injuries on New York City streets. Since the program’s inaugural year in 2014, when New York City became the first American city to adopt Vision Zero, the City’s traffic fatalities have declined more than 25 percent — bucking national fatality trends, which have increased 15 percent over the same period. For more information about the de Blasio Administration’s Vision Zero initiative, please see www.nyc.gov/visionzero.