Cool or Not Cool: Expanding Plaza Street's Bike Lane?

image via Brooklyn Spoke

After receiving a green light from Community Board 6 last week, a the much-discussed two-way bike lane on Plaza Street is finally becoming a reality. You may remember that CB6 pussied out on the proposal last year due to both the bitching and lawsuits against the Prospect Park Bike Lane. I don't need to link to that anymore, right? Alright, here's one. The Plaza Street lanes were reintroduced because a Department of Transportation study found that one third of cyclists where using the existing single lane in the the wrong direction. 

The Brooklyn Paper describes the changes:

The city’s on-street design calls for removing four feet of road space reserved for automotive traffic and giving it to cyclists, creating an eight-foot-wide patch of asphalt for two-wheelers heading to Prospect Park and bikes traveling toward Prospect Heights.

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[LINKED] Win Free Bike Gear!

Although FIPS writer Amanda wrote a hi-larious Bike Lover's Gift Guide, the big news is that she's teamed up with Fishs Eddy over at You're Welcome to give away some killer bike gear, perfect for all of you Bike Lane supporters. 

Click here to enter to win.

Cool or Not Cool: Bike Barrel Lane Created to Slow Bikers the F*ck Down?

Recently two pedestrians have been hit by bikers flying down that ginormous hill on the West Drive in Prospect Park. The latest incident involved a 55 year-old park volunteer who was struck by a biker as she stepped off the bridal path and on the main road. She was rushed to Kings County Hospital where she was put into a medically induced coma because of the nature of her injuries. 

After a similar accident in June, a task force of city agencies and park users was assembled to address the issue of safety on the West Drive. Park Administrator Emily Lloyd has maintained that they are addressing the needs of all the park users, bikers and pedestrians alike: “We’re looking at a broad array," she says. "I don’t think there’s a silver bullet on this one." 

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