Are Scores Of New Sheepshead Bike Racks A Waste?

It’s no secret that parking is a huge problem along Kings Highway, but adding bicycle stations around the avenue is a wasteful solution, according to Community Board 15 Chair Theresa Scavo.

The Department of Transportation is proposing 122 new bike racks in the Kings Highway area, an addition that Scavo calls “excessive” and probably ineffective in alleviating traffic and parking problems along the bustling corridor.

“I believe the bike racks we have are not being utilized other than a few at the train stations,” said Scavo. She added that racks on the street and around Kingsborough Community College are everywhere and go unused.  “Yet there are no spots for cars at all,” she said.

The rack locations vary from Kings Highway and East 9th Street/East 10th Street, all the way down Kings Highway to Ocean Avenue. Department of Transportation is also planting dozens of bike lockups on Ocean Parkway and Coney Island Avenue from Avenue P to Avenue R. The racks themselves will not be the enclosed type preferred by commuters who cycle to subway stations. They will be traditional U-shaped racks.

Scavo requested the DOT reconsider the proposal, and officials from the agency promised another look before any installations.

The plans will undoubtedly fuel the fire between bicycling advocates and local leaders who think the city’s new bicycle-centric focus is harmful in Southern Brooklyn.

Do you think more bike racks are needed along Kings Highway? What about other locations in Sheepshead Bay?