Do me a favor?
It seems like NYC's Department of Transportation is beginning to take bike infrastructure in my neighborhood seriously, as they've recently added bike lanes up Woodward Ave. and down Onderdonk Ave., connecting Ridgewood, Glendale, and parts of Bushwick to Flushing and Metropolitan Aves.
Gorgeous new bike lane into the horizon of Onderdonk Avenue.
(Of course this cab driver was excited for the added parking as well...)
Clearly I geeked out over this, considering the above evidence that I immediately took out my phone and started taking photos of the new bike lanes as if they were my firstborn children. I was delighted to see them added, as formerly unprotected Woodward and Onderdonk were my normal paths into and out of Manhattan and Williamsburg anyway. However, this new infrastructure leads nowhere -- the lanes end up in/begin from Metropolitan and Flushing Aves., and to call those roads industrial deathtraps that are currently not at all conducive to cycling would be an understatement. Large trucks, glass all over the street, potholes, lack of police presence, and NYC's charmingly aggressive drivers...these two roads have the whole shebang. But what they lack in safety they make up for in existing space for easy expansion. There are two simple and relatively inexpensive methods that the DOT could use to plug a serious gap for me and my fellow Ridgewoodians and Glendaleites (and even some Bushwickers), connecting us to the existing infrastructure of Brooklyn and Manhattan, and thusly the rest of planet Earth.
You can help by rattling your digital shields and/or spears by suggesting these same provisions to them online. Follow the instructions below and it will only take you a shake-and-a-half of a lamb's tail!
Please note: Use Chrome or Firefox as your browser when visiting the NYCDOT's website. Certain aspects of the site won't appear if you're using Safari or Internet Explorer. (Seriously, just never use Safari or Internet Explorer in general.)
Suggestion One: Bike Lane Connecting Ridgewood to/from Brooklyn/Manhattan via Flushing Ave.
1. Click here for the NYCDOT's website.
2. Choose "bicycle lanes & programs" from the first dropdown
3. Choose "street or sidewalk" from the second dropdown
4. Select "Queens" for the borough
5. Under "Specific Location" choose "Street Segment"
6. Under "Street" enter "Flushing Avenue," under "First Cross Street" enter "Woodward Avenue," and under "Second Cross Street" enter "Bedford Avenue"
7. Under "Describe Your Concern," feel free to copy/paste the following text, or write your own:
"My suggestion is for an east/west running bike lane along
eastern Flushing Ave., connecting the new infrastructure on Woodward/Onderdonk
Aves. to the existing infrastructure in west and north Brooklyn, also
preferably extending far enough to connect to the existing infrastructure on
Flushing Ave. and Bedford Ave. This small addition would plug a major gap in
the newly-created infrastructure, allowing Ridgewood, Glendale, and Bushwick
residents to cross into Manhattan on an entirely protected route."
8. Under the "Why Are Your Writing" dropdown, choose "Suggestion"
9. Enter your personal info or click "I would like to be anonymous" and you're done!
Suggestion Two: Signage Allowing Cyclists to Use the Sidewalk on Metropolitan Ave. between Woodward Ave. and Grand St.
2. Choose "bicycle lanes & programs" from the first dropdown
3. Choose "street or sidewalk" from the second dropdown
4. Select "Queens" for the borough
5. Under "Specific Location" choose "Street Segment"
6. Under "Street" enter "Metropolitan Avenue," under "First Cross Street" enter "Woodward Avenue," and under "Second Cross Street" enter "Grand Street"
7. Under "Describe Your Concern," feel free to copy/paste the following text, or write your own:
"Add signage allowing bikes to ride on the sidewalk beginning
on Metropolitan and Woodward Aves. and ending where the infrastructure begins
after the bridge at the beginning of Grand Street. The sidewalk in that area is
wide and mostly free of pedestrian traffic. This small change would add
infrastructure keeping bikes safely off of the road/bridge in an industrial
area and give residents of Glendale and Ridgewood more direct access to
Williamsburg and LIC than only adding infrastructure on Flushing would."
8. Under the "Why Are Your Writing" dropdown, choose "Suggestion"
9. Enter your personal info or click "I would like to be anonymous" and you're done!
