Are Shore Road’s Curves Too Dangerous For A Bike Lane?
The meandering curves of Bay Ridge’s Shore Road may harken back to the days when it was the scenic coastal road of a hamlet called Yellow Hook in the town of New Utrecht. However, a piece in yesterday’s Brooklyn Eagle reveals that after an increasing number of car crashes, Bay Ridge residents are concerned that the byway’s winding contours may pose a threat to pedestrian safety.
Resident Evie Wexler told Community Board 10 members at a recent meeting that her parked car has been hit twice in the past year.
From the Eagle:
Wexler said that the problem is particularly acute at the corner of Shore Road and Mackay Place and asked for the board’s help in getting the city to do something to make the intersection safe for children and families to cross. The intersection of Shore Road and MacKay Place is located near Xaverian High School, the Catholic boys high school at 7100 Shore Rd., and is located across the street from the ball fields in Shore Road Park.
“Sports teams from Xaverian utilize the park,” Wexler said.
Part of the problem is that motorists often speed along Shore Road, according to Wexler.
“People take on speed on Shore Road,” she said. That, plus the fact that “the curves are very blinding,” makes for a seriously dangerous situation, Wexler told the board.
CB 10 Chairperson Joanne Seminara responded that the city would examine the conditions on Shore Road.
Another resident, John P. Murphy, asked the board to reconsider the issue of bike lanes. Although members rebutted that bike lanes would cause more safety issues on the busy road, Seminara told the meeting that they hoped to readdress the bike lane issue in coming months.
The board had previously spoken out in opposition to plans by the New York City Department of Transportation to install a bike lane on Bay Ridge Parkway from Shore Road in Bay Ridge to Bay Parkway in Bensonhurst. City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan put the brakes on the new lane after both CB 10 and CB 11 in Bensonhurst opposed it.
According to the Eagle, Seminara hinted that the issue might be revisited for reasons different than those Murphy was promoting.
The board had penned a letter to DOT, asking for “a traffic and safety study at certain locations where our bike paths connect with our streets,” according to Seminara.
“At a minimum, traffic control devices are needed,” Seminara said, conceding that “we also need to continue the discussion of the creation of bike lanes on our streets.”
