Locals slam Brooklyn Greenway ‘gap’
Planned work in southern BK ignores crucial cycling gaps, bike advocates say
BY JESSICA PARKS
City offi cials are planning to
renovate an already-completed
section of bike paths along the
Brooklyn Greenway between
Bay Ridge and Coney Island instead
of addressing the 3.5-mile
gap in protected cycling lanes
just steps away from the proposed
project’s scope, southern
Brooklyn bicyclists claim.
After years of advocacy
from the borough’s bike enthusiasts,
city offi cials pledged
to complete a 26-mile cohesive
bike route along Brooklyn’s
waterfront in 2012, and
they’ve been inching towards
that goal ever since.
The Parks Department, in
partnership with the Department
of Transportation, announced
plans late last month
to conduct a study outlining
cost estimates to improve and
connect fragmented segments
on greenways in Brooklyn and
Queens. In Kings County, offi -
cials are reviewing a nearly
7-mile section along Shore
Parkway from Leif Erickson
Park in Bay Ridge to Six Diamond
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Park in Coney Island.
The project, city Parks
Commissioner Mitchell Silver
said, will “enhance the pedestrian
and cyclist experience”
by creating a continuous path
of scenic routes and connecting
surrounding communities.
But southern Brooklyn bicycle
activists blast the city’s “inadequate”
plan, and are calling
on city offi cials to instead
focus on the 3.5-mile gap in the
bike Greenway between Six
Diamonds Park and Brigham
Street in Sheepshead Bay.
“In terms of the scope that
they are starting out with, we
defi nitely feel as though it is inadequate,”
Brian Hedden, cofounder
of Bike South Brooklyn,
told Brooklyn Paper.
While there are some issues
with the stretch currently
up for review, such as
glare from oncoming traffi c
and lack of restrooms, many
bicyclists would prefer to see
the “Greenway Gap” closed
fi rst, Hedden said.
“It is certainly worthwhile
to look at improving the amenities
and improving the environment
on the part of the
Greenway that exists already,
particularly between the Verrazano
Bridge and Bensonhurst
Park,” Hedden said.
“But they also need to consider
fi lling in that gap as an
important part of the scope of
any sort of effort on the Brooklyn
Waterfront Greenway.”
Parks is hosting a visioning
meeting on the project on
Tuesday, where Hedden hopes
to see good attendance in an
effort to help shift the city’s focus
towards closing the gap.
A slew of the borough’s
elected offi cials applauded the
project for bringing bike trails
to neighborhoods that have
historically had low access to
waterfronts and one another
and for highlighting the increased
need for safe bicycle
routes during the ongoing coronavirus
pandemic.
State Sen. Andrew Gounardes
vowed to secure funding
for the initiative and reshared
his vision of creating a waterfront
space along the southern
Brooklyn shoreline modeled after
Brooklyn Bridge Park.
“I will be securing funding
to ensure that this important
project for our community becomes
a reality. As the visioning
process begins, we can
work together to plan a cohesive
Narrows Waterfront Park
that will have a tremendous impact
on our southern Brooklyn
communities,” Gounardes said.
“Together, we can reimagine
and invest in our open spaces
and greenways to create a park
for every one of us to enjoy.”
Most recently, construction
began last month on a crucial
stretch of the Brooklyn Greenway
along Third Avenue in
Sunset Park — connecting the
neighborhood to the existing
bike path in Red Hook.
Bicyclists on the Brooklyn Greenway near the Verrazzano. File photo
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