Mayor Reveals Bike Boulevards Planned for Bergen and Dean Streets

by Ethan Stark-Miller, amNY

Two heavily used bike corridors cutting across several Brooklyn neighborhoods are set to be transformed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani‘s Department of Transportation later this year, amNewYork first learned.

Mamdani revealed on Wednesday morning that DOT plans to redesign 10-mile stretches of Bergen and Dean streets, both of which currently have painted bike lanes, a proposal that will include what are known as bike boulevards, his office shared with Brownstoner sister pub amNewYork ahead of its planned announcement.

The redesign will overhaul both corridors, with Bergen Street going west and Dean going east, between East New York Avenue in Ocean Hill and Court Street in Cobble Hill, according to DOT officials.

The planning process is still in the very early stages, with DOT just beginning public outreach to develop its designs, which it plans to unveil later this year, officials said. The agency launched an online portal to collect public feedback as a start to the process.

The project will be completed in phases, with the first leg installed next year and subsequent phases to follow.

Mamdani made the May 6 announcement while biking with families who participate in the Bergen Bike Bus — a caravan of children and parents riding bikes together to schools along Bergen Street from Rockaway Avenue to Court Street. The action, which took place on Bike and Roll to School Day, appeared aimed at emphasizing the importance of making the route safer for children who navigate it via the Bergen Bike Bus every Wednesday morning.

“Bike boulevards give families the peace of mind they need to start the day right: by enjoying a safe, easy ride to school,” Mamdani said in a statement ahead of the announcement. “From protected bike lanes to safer crossings, these redesigns make our streets work for people and encourage our youngest neighbors to grow into lifelong riders.”

The mayor was referencing how bike boulevards can incorporate a bevy of street safety upgrades that together prioritize biking and pedestrians, while still allowing some vehicle passage — albeit at slower speeds. Those features can include protected bike lanes, sidewalk extensions, medians, and other traffic-calming measures.

The passages often extend across multiple blocks, so as to create continuous bike routes through neighborhoods.

Bike boulevards are designed to boost safety through measures that slow vehicle speeds and/or physically separate cars from bikers and pedestrians. For instance, protected bike lanes can reduce deaths and serious injuries for everyone by 18.1 percent and for pedestrians in particular by 29.2 percent, according to DOT.

When asked how the plan would affect the B65 bus that runs on both streets, DOT said the route could be moved under the MTA’s planned redesign of the Brooklyn bus network this year.

The city has installed bike boulevards along corridors, including Brooklyn’s Underhill Avenue, Queens’ 31st Avenue, and Manhattan’s Broadway.

Like Mamdani, DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn emphasized in a statement how the redesigns are aimed at making Bergen and Dean Streets safer for children in particular.

“Streets that are the envy of the world are safe for people of all ages and abilities,” Flynn said. “Biking is a healthy and fun way for children to get exercise, and with the right street design, more students can feel safe and empowered to bike to school without the requirement of a large caravan of parents to protect them.”

Bike and safe streets advocates celebrated the move on Wednesday morning.

Ben Furnas, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, said the group was pleased to see a project it had long pushed for kicking off the public engagement phase.

“For years, our activists have been fighting for a bike boulevard along the critical east-west route of Bergen and Dean streets, and we’re excited this critical project has finally reached the planning process,” he said in a statement. “As always, we’ll keep organizing for the most ambitious possible redesign, so that seniors, parents and kids alike feel comfortable and safe biking on Bergen and Dean.”

Editor’s note: A version of this story originally ran in amNY. Click here to see the original story.

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