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5 Miles of Bike Lanes Proposed for Flushing Avenue

By Serena Dai | June 13, 2014 8:40am | Updated on June 13, 2014 9:50am
 Bikers on Flushing Avenue may soon have a safer ride, officials said.
Bikers on Flushing Avenue may soon have a safer ride, officials said.
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DNAinfo/Serena Dai

WILLIAMSBURG — Bikers taking Flushing Avenue from Clinton Hill to Ridgewood may soon have a safer ride.

The New York City Department of Transportation presented a plan to Community Board 1 this week that would add 5.1 miles of new bike lanes to the busy east-west street, from Classon Avenue to Woodward Avenue.

The new lanes, set to be installed this summer, would be an extension of the current bike lanes on Flushing Avenue, which run from to Downtown Brooklyn to Classon.

Currently, about 1,500 cyclists ride along Flushing Avenue past Classon Avenue on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., with 2,500 cyclists on weekends, according Hayes Lord, a representative from the department.

"Right now, cyclists are using Flushing Avenue regardless of whether it's busy or not," Lord said. "It's the most direct route. There's no alternative route."

The new path would mostly consist of shared bike lanes, where cars and bikers use the same lane, but some sections would also have separate bike lanes, including curbside ones with three of protection between cars and bikers.

No parking will be removed.

The new bike path will intersect with several north-south bike lanes, including Franklin Avenue, Bedford Avenue, Throop Avenue and Tompkins Avenue.

"It improves circulation for cyclists," Lord said. "Motorists recognize that cyclists are there."

The community board, which has an advisory vote, voiced support for the project.

"This is something that needs action for safety," board member Ryan Kuonen said. "I would like to not put up another ghost bike or have another pedestrian die."