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New Brooklyn Bike Lanes But Not Parking Approved for the Waterfront

 Community Board 6 approved new bike lanes on Union and Sackett Streets between Van Brunt Street and Third Avenue, but not a new bike corral on Columbia Street.
New Bike Lanes but Not Parking Planned for Waterfront
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BROOKLYN — Bikers will soon have a new route stretching from Park Slope to the waterfront. They’ll just have one less spot to park.

A new pair of bike lanes on Union and Sackett streets between Van Brunt Street and Third Avenue will soon be installed by the city as Community Board 6 approved the proposal at a Wednesday night meeting.

The board’s only concern with the Union Street bike lane was its proximity to the 76th Precinct station house at 191 Union St., where police cars are often angle-parked on the street.

While CB6 agreed to the lanes, they rejected a proposal for an eight-bike parking facility on Columbia Street, arguing that there was greater need for a car parking space.

The planned bike corral, a row of bike racks installed on a street, would have taken over one parking spot at 153 Columbia St., in front the office of Brooklyn Greenway Initiative, which first proposed the structure, according to the Department of Transportation.

Giving up car parking would set a bad precedent for future projects, CB6 said, recommending that the DOT explore other bike-parking alternatives that would not take over car spots.

Two bike corrals were installed last year on Smith and Sackett streets in Carroll Gardens and in front of Gorilla Coffee on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope.

Brian McCormick, co-founder of the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative, the group creating a 14-mile route for pedestrians and cyclists, called the Columbia Street corral “a perfect fit” in March.

McCormick said the corral would have served bikers who frequent their office, including board members and visitors, as well as other businesses in the Waterfront District. While there are bike racks in the neighborhood, there are currently no corrals, according to the DOT website.

“We made an attempt and it didn’t work,” said McCormick, after the proposal was rejected.