Bravo Prospect Avenue Bike Lane

John Benfatti Bicycle Program Director NYC Department of Transportation 40 Worth Street New York, NY 10013

At last, the Bronx has a bike lane. In May, the Department of Transportation installed a new two-mile bike lane on each side of Prospect Ave. between Crotona Park and E 149th Street. Marked with a "buffer" zone like the wide lanes on Lafayette Ave. and Hudson St. in Manhattan, the lanes in both direction are a roomy 10 feet wide. But our job is far from finished; our next task is to extend these lanes south about one mile to establish a direct connection for cyclists to the Tri-Borough Bridge.

John Benfatti, the Director of the DOT Bicycle Program, deserves congratulations for getting the job done.

Write to Mr. Benfatti about completing the project and let him know how much the cycling community appreciates the new bike lanes.

Keep them coming!

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State of the Lanes

In June, the Department of City Planning released an impressive inventory of bicycle lanes and paths in NYC. The report is remarkably detailed and comprehensive. It itemizes block by block the condition of every bike lane's surface, markings, striping, and signs. It also lists bicycle crashes for each lane and path by intersection. All in all, the report is an amazing piece of work that is a credit to DCP's bicycle planners, and speaks to a new level of sophistication and achievement on the part of the Department.

It has been nine years since the inception of NYC's Bicycle Network Development. This status report on the existing network is exactly what is needed. The Department of City Planning should have the report on their web site in a few months. The online report will allow users to update the bike route inventory. Look for it on the DCP website at www.ci.nyc.ny.us/planning. The report is a very important tool for the city and the public to ensure bike lanes and paths are well maintained and funded.

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Brooklyn Bridge Bike Lanes

Manhattan's Centre Street is the funnel for hundreds of cyclists going to and from the Brooklyn Bridge. Now, thanks to DOT, there are bike lanes extending three blocks north and to the south of the bridges's new Manhattan entrance. The northbound lane travels up the east side of Centre Street from Reade to Worth Streets, concluding at Foley Square. The southbound lane extends to Barkley Street alongside City hall Park on the west side of Park Row South. With their completion, Brooklyn Bridge cyclists now have lanes on both sides of the bridge as well as a new entrance on the Manhattan side. DOT's bike program has done strong work for cyclists here, especially given the tremendous volume of motor vehicle traffic the bridge carries, yet DOT should finish its good work by installing a southbound lane on Centre Street. While the lanes won't solve all of cyclists' Brooklyn Bridge woes, they are a good start and hopefully will inspire DOT to install similar connecting lanes on both sides of the Queensboro, Williamsburg and Manhattan Bridges.

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