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Read the press release here.

Classon Avenue Will Get New Bike Lane Following Death of Cyclist

By Rachel Holliday Smith | June 16, 2017 12:10pm | Updated on June 19, 2017 9:22am
 Friends and family set up a white Ghost Bike memorial for Davis at the corner of Classon and Lexington avenues in Clinton Hill.
Friends and family set up a white Ghost Bike memorial for Davis at the corner of Classon and Lexington avenues in Clinton Hill.
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DNAinfo/Alexandra Leon

CLINTON HILL — The city will install a bike lane on Classon Avenue this summer in response to the death of a local cyclist, the Department of Transportation said Thursday.

Family members of Crown Heights resident Lauren Davis, 34 — who was killed as she rode on Classon Avenue near Lexington Avenue in Clinton Hill in April 2016 — have lobbied the city to install a bike lane along the avenue since her death, according to a letter written to Brooklyn Community Board 8 from the agency.

Now, in response to “this tragic and unnecessary incident,” DOT said, a bike lane will be created from Washington Avenue in Crown Heights to Flushing Avenue near the Brooklyn Navy Yard, with certain sections built as a dedicated lane and others as a shared lane with car traffic.

“At locations where the two-lane operation currently exists, shared lane markings will be installed to guide cyclists and to remind motorists about the presence of cyclists. The upgraded design will have little impact on drivers while helping to maximize the visibility and right of way for cyclists,” the letter to the board states.

The installation will be completed sometime this summer, DOT said, and will move forward without a vote from the community board due to “safety reasons,” the board said in an email Thursday.

Davis was struck and killed by a left-turning vehicle that failed to yield, the DOT letter said; originally, police had incorrectly said she had been cycling against traffic when the crash happened.

The 34-year-old cyclist, an animal lover, crafter and vegan baker, has been memorialized at the corner of Classon and Lexington avenues with a white ghost bike.

To see the complete plan for the Classon Avenue bike safety improvements, read the DOT’s letter below:

Letter from DOT on Classon Avenue Bike Lane by DNAinfoNewYork on Scribd

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story stated that portions of the new bike lane will be protected. They will in fact be a dedicated lane, not a protected lane.