Dec 12, 2017 2 min read Bay Ridge

4th Avenue Protected Bike Lane Project Will Start Spring 2018

A diagram of how the lanes will be divided on 4th Avenue under the DOT’s new protected bike lane project (NYC DOT)

NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) will start implementing its plan to bring eight miles of protected bike lanes to 4th Avenue in the Spring of 2018, according to the latest update from the city.

It will start painting bike lanes and curb extensions this spring between 38th Street and 65th Street, in preparation for the capital project in Fall 2018 that will see permanent additions from 64th Street to 8th Street.

The plan was proposed in March of this year, following community calls for a protected bike lane instead of a wide parking lane to be shared by cyclists and motorists.

After a series of community engagements designed to solicit feedback, the DOT released an updated plan, which was presented at Sunset Park’s Community Board 7 meeting last night.

4th Avenue will feature a 5′ bike lane along the sidewalk, with an 8′ parking lane between bikes and traffic, which will run in two lanes each direction, with a raised and planted median in between. At intersections, concrete pedestrian islands will be poured, cutting down on crossing distance.

Those pedestrian refuges will mean the loss of about 4 parking spaces per intersection—meaning about 225 lost spots in CB7 alone.

A rush hour lane will allow for three lanes of vehicle traffic on weekday mornings (NYC DOT)

In deference to congestion, a third AM Rush Hour lane will be open 7-10 AM from 38th Street to the Prospect Expressway. Additionally, there will be three northbound travel lanes from Carroll to Dean Street.

One of the major community concerns, double parking, will be addressed as well after a DOT survey of merchants found 76% of delivery drivers are currently forced to double park and unload their goods in the travel lane. Loading zones will be established along commercial sections of 4th Avenue, and metered parking will be expanded near transit hubs.

The project’s final phase will have to wait until the summer of 2021, when improvements will be made from 8th Street to Atlantic Avenue.

The pedestrian islands will increase safety, while planting in the raised median will beautify 4th Avenue (NYC DOT)

Between 2010 to 2015, the number of Brooklynites commuting to work via bicycle increased by 83%, the DOT previously stated. The 4th Avenue bike lane will provide bicyclists a safer way to travel on the most direct route to Downtown Brooklyn from Bay Ridge and Sunset Park.