The new Jay Street bike lane runs right outside the Brooklyn Paper Building in America’s Downtown, so we’ve had plenty of time to scrutinize its every marking, and chat with other cyclists and drivers about the good and the bad. Here are some ways the city could make it better, according to the people who use it.
Cyclists report that they sometimes can’t see the traffic lights at the MetroTech parking garage when riding toward the Manhattan Bridge because large trucks are parked right up the front, blocking their view of the signal as they roll in. They suggest the department install a hanging light closer to the cycling path so cyclists can see whether they should stop or go when they approach the intersection.
Do a good turn
This one comes from the drivers, who say they now can’t see cyclists when turning left into the MetroTech parking garage if cars are parked between them and the bike lane, and report a lot of near misses in the short time since the road was rearranged. The transportation department could either stop of the parking lane earlier, put a “yield” sign in the bike lane, or create a turning light for cars.
The new bike lane starts abruptly between Willoughby and Fulton streets, and riders say entering the path is tricky as they only have around a car’s-length of space to move from the old bike lane next to traffic into the new one next to the curb — and that’s when a car isn’t parked in the entryway.
Likewise, the Boerum Hill-bound lane comes to an sudden stop after the Marriott hotel, and when a car is parked there, it’s impossible to see that the old lane begins again.
The city needs to create a more defined transition from one path to the other, and put in barriers to stop drivers blocking them, they say.
