BICYCLE ROUTES
OUR PANEL OF BROOKLYN CYCLISTS
there, you can take the greenway to
Floyd Bennett Field.
COURIER LIFE, APRIL 9-15, 2021 5
Back route to Jamaica
Greenway
by Brian
Hedden:
Hedden’s other favorite
route is a kinder,
gentler back route from
Bay Ridge to Floyd
Bennet Field.
To start, he rides
east along 85th St,
which eventually
turns into Avenue T as
it crosses Stillwell Avenue. This goes
all the way to Marine Park (the park
and the neighborhood).
“The painted bike lane ends in
Dyker Heights, but traffi c is usually
low-volume,” he said.
A two-way bike path works its
way around E. 38th Street, Avenue
V, and Hendrickson St, and a shared
sidewalk runs on the eastern side of
the Marine Park Golf Course. From
Jamaica Greenway bike routes
by Jon Orcutt:
For Bike New York advocate
Jon Orcutt, a good bike ride usually
brings him to waterfront attractions
along Jamaica Bay, such as Floyd
Bennet Field or the Jamaica Bay
Greenway.
From as far north as the Williamsburg
Bridge, Orcutt recommends cyclists
take the Nostrand Avenue bus
lane to shoot straight into southern
Brooklyn.
“Bus lanes are pretty well respected
by drivers and so give you
a good amount of space from traffi
c versus the parked-up bike lane of
Bedford Avenue,” Orcutt says of the
Nostrand Avenue bus lane.
As the bus lane doesn’t extend
all the way through Brooklyn, riders
can head down Flatbush where
Nostrand ends, which takes them
straight into Marine Park. Orcutt
says that route is still manageable
for less road-tested cyclists, but that
the city should work to provide better
connectivity.
“Hopefully the city will put in
work to provide more generous
cross-borough bikeways,” he said.
“With the refurbished greenway and
the trails in newly-opened Shirley
Chisholm Park, Jamaica Bay has potential
to be a hot-bed of bike riding,
but it needs to be better connected to
the adjacent neighborhoods.”
From Marine Park, you can connect
to the Jamaica Bay Greenway
at Floyd Bennett Field, and ride
that along the water as far east as
Queens!
MARINE PARK ROUTE
Victorian Flatbush to the beach
by Cal DeJesus:
DeJesus, a Flatbush-based
member of the street safety political
action committee StreetsPAC and
sits on Community Board 9’s Transportation
Committee, recommends
starting from Prospect Park Parade
Grounds heading south on Rugby
Road to see some gorgeous Victorian
architecture in Flatbush.
“A lot of people take Bedford Avenue
straight down, but for someone
who wants a more laid back, scenic
route, I take the Rugby Road route,”
DeJesus said.
DeJesus said the route is calm
enough to bike the wrong way, or
“salmon” for that short stretch before
the street fl ips back to heading south.
Riders will eventually hit the historic
Floyd Bennett Field, and from
there you can head across the Marine
Parkway Bridge (the MTA offi cially
asks riders to walk their bike across
the span) and to popular beaches in
Queens, such as Fort Tilden or Jacob
Riis.
CONEY ISLAND ROUTE
Coney Island – Prospect Park –
Bay Ridge Triangle by Brian
Hedden:
Bike South Brooklyn co-founder
Brian Hedden is a strong advocate
for cycling in the borough’s more cardominated
southern belt.
One of his favorite rides is a loop
from Bay Ridge to Coney Island, Prospect
Park, and back starting at John
Paul Jones Park (or Cannonball Park
as locals call it) heading east along the
Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway.
“The waterfront is gorgeous, and
with the new-to-2019 extension, the
Greenway goes almost all the way to
Coney Island. On the way, sometimes
I’ll stop at Calvert Vaux Park, a wideopen
space with some underrated
views of Coney Island Creek and the
occasional killer sunset.”
The route continues along Cropsey
Avenue and W. 17th Street to MCU Park,
where Coney Island Brewing offers up
tasty burgers and brews. Head on to the
landmarked Riegelmann Boardwalk
(“look for fi reworks on summer Friday
nights!”) and then take America’s fi rst
bike path along Ocean Parkway all the
way north to Prospect Park.
Hedden makes a three-quarters loop
around the park drive before heading
downhill at 15th Street and back along
Fourth Avenue to Bay Ridge.
Much of the route is separated from
car traffi c, but there are some tricky
sections to keep an eye on, according
to Hedden.
“The six-lane Cropsey is the worst,
but if you take the sidewalk there, you
don’t have to be a fearless daredevil to
manage this route,” he said. “Do watch
for cars turning across t
SOUTHERN BROOKLYN ROUTE
JAMAICA GREENWAY ROUTE
“If you go, look for the garden association,
the archery range, the radio
control model airplane fi eld, and the
historical aircraft in Hanger B,” said
Hedden.
This route is suitable for anyone
comfortable riding with low to lowmedium
volumes of car traffi c, he
said.
BY KEVIN DUGGAN & BEN VERDE
Bicycling has been a favorite
pastime for many Brooklynites
long before the COVID-19 pandemic
ushered in a two-wheeled
boom last year.
As the weather warms up
again, pent-up borough dwellers
are sure to head back out
to highly-popular spots like
Prospect Park or the Brooklyn
Waterfront Greenway.
We wanted to hear from
prominent cyclists and advocates
about their favorite places
to bike in the borough, which
will hopefully offer a helpful
guide for both seasoned pedal
pushers and newcomers.
Do you have any Brooklyn
bike routes that you’d like to
share? Please email kduggan@
schnepsmedia.com with your
suggestions. Doug Dulcie Jacqueline Jon Brian Cal
/schnepsmedia.com
