DOT Plans Bike Lanes in North Brooklyn

By Wayne Sheppard

The DOT has plans to open new bike lanes on Meeker Avenue and improve southbound bike connections from the Williamsburg Bridge.  With the shutdown of the L train around the corner, the bike plan offers an alternative to anticipated congestion on bus and subway routes.

DOT is currently in the process of improving pedestrian crossings along a dangerous stretch of Meeker, but bike lanes weren’t a part of that project. The agency also wants to improve bike connections between Meeker Avenue and the Williamsburg Bridge by installing bike lanes on Marcy Avenue and Rodney Street, which both run parallel to the BQE.

DOT is looking at southbound bike connections from the Williamsburg Bridge, as currently, there is no direct way to get from the bridge bike path to the neighborhoods to the south. “There is a major missing connection across the mouth of the Williamsburg Bridge entrance, and DOT plans to make changes on South 4th Street and Havemeyer Street to address the issue.

Further east, the agency hopes to connect the Bushwick and Williamsburg bike networks via a short stretch of buffered bike lane on Metropolitan Avenue between Grand Street and Onderdonk Avenue. The design will go before the local community board in June.