ABOUT
You can make real, tangible changes to how streets and sidewalks function in Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Activist Committee chooses local campaigns and fights for changes on-the-ground in their neighborhoods, like bike lanes and new pedestrian plazas.
These are the campaigns the Brooklyn Activist Committee chose for this year. Come to the next meeting to get involved in making these campaigns a success:
WHEN & WHERE
We meet the fourth Thursday of every month at 7 p.m.
Location: YWCA Brooklyn, 30 3rd Avenue, 11217
For the foreseeable future, we will be meeting virtually. Please RSVP for details.
Our Active Campaigns
#BRIDGES4PEOPLE
The East River bridges, bike paths, and pedestrian paths are too dangerously overcrowded to safely walk and bike on. Pedestrians, cyclists, runners — we all need more space!
Stand Up for a Complete Street on Atlantic Ave
Speak up for protected bike lanes, pedestrian safety and transit improvements on Atlantic Avenue.
Join the El-Space weekly reading group
El-Space refers to elevated spaces under bridges, highways, and subways. This toolkit was created by the Design Trust for Public Space and the NYC Department of Transportation to explain the process of developing and implementing El-Space projects.
FIX Flatbush Avenue
Flatbush Avenue between Empire Blvd and Grand Army Plaza, is a non-residential strip that is plagued by speeding vehicles because of an excessively wide roadway. This puts people at risk as they walk and bike to Prospect Park, the Prospect Park Zoo, the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens and more. To ensure vehicles do not race above the speed limit, we are requesting traffic calming along this dangerous route by means of slightly narrowing the road with a two-way protected bicycle path.
Recent Victories
People First on Jay Street
Thanks to the hard work of many members in TA's Brooklyn Activist Committee, Brooklyn's Community Board 2 voted in support of the Department of Transportation's (DOT) proposal for a 2-way protected bike lane on Jay Street! This project replaced painted bike lanes between Sands Street and Fulton Street with curbside parking-protected bike lanes.The DOT implemented this project in the latter part of Summer 2016. Jay Street is an important street for Brooklyn commuters using the Manhattan Bridge and during rush hour; bikes account for 34% of vehicles.
OUR HISTORY AND LEADERSHIP
Blythe Austin and Katherine Willis, Volunteer Co-Chairs, TA Brooklyn Activist Committee
Founded in the early 1990s, the Brooklyn Activist Committee leads the charge for a world-class bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure in Brooklyn, the borough where bicycling has grown the most. With the support of hundreds of Brooklynites, the Brooklyn Activist Committee members hosted a street rally and a family bike parade in support of the two-way protected bike lane on Prospect Park West, which they helped secure by being an active force in the local community. The recently completed Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway couldn’t have been finished without their help, and the two off-street protected bike lane on Sands Street was built from their blueprint. Most especially, the Brooklyn Activist Committee excels at securing change on the local level: bike lanes, bike racks and bike corrals, from Bay Ridge to Crown Heights to Williamsburg.