October 14: Schermerhorn Bike Lane, Ride to School, Harlem Family Bike Ride
“Schermerhorn Street had been the worst bike lane in Brooklyn for years,” said Council Member Lincoln Restler on Wednesday, as he, NYC DOT Commissioner Rodriguez, and TA activists and staff were on hand to open the new 1.1-mile, two-way bike lane between Smith Street and Third Avenue.
Our Brooklyn activist committee had campaigned for years to build a more protected lane, and thanks to their activism and the advocacy of Council Member Restler, cyclists now have safe passage through this stretch of Downtown Brooklyn. But even with this new bike lane, the City of New York still has more than 20 miles to build to reach their required amount for 2022. Visit our Protected Bike Lane Tracker to follow the status of projects like these across the city, and while you’re there, sign our petition in support of the NYC Streets Plan.
VIEW OUR PROTECTED BIKE LANE TRACKER
THREE THINGS TO KNOW
1️⃣ Vision Zero Cities Conference is next week. Check out the latest updates to our schedule of speakers and be sure to register for access to all three days of programming.
2️⃣ Bike, Walk, or Roll Back to School Day. On Wednesday, TA led our first “bike train” down Bergen Street in Brooklyn, providing a safe way for kids, parents, and teachers to travel to school together. We’ll be back every Wednesday this fall starting at 7 a.m. – sign up to join us!
3️⃣ In the news. Here’s what we’re reading this week:
Curbed follows the sequence of events that led to NYC delivery workers getting their first charging and rest stations.
A $6 billion high-speed vacuum tube that can move a grand total of…16 people at a time? The New York Times breaks down the concept of a “gadgetbahn,” citing some recent proposals from Elon Musk, and offers some alternative solutions to his bad transit “solutions.”
After a family member was injured in a crash, housing activist Darrell Owens calls for bringing tactical urbanism back to make streets safe.
Check out coverage of the Schermerhorn bike lane event from CBS News New York, amNY, and the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
TWO THINGS TO DO
1️⃣ Harlem Family Bike Ride tomorrow. Come along with TA and the office of Council Member Kristin Richardson Jordan this Saturday for a free, family-friendly bike ride through Harlem, and stick around for a post-ride social in Jackie Robinson Park.
2️⃣ Ride for safer access to Ridgewood Reservoir. Join TA, Ridgewood Rides, and NYC H2O this Sunday for a bike ride that highlights the issues bicyclists and pedestrians face when trying to access the Ridgewood Reservoir. The ride will begin at 9 a.m. at Rosemary’s Playground (Woodbine Street and Fairview Avenue), and followed by a clean-up at Ridgewood Reservoir.
ONE ACTION TO TAKE NOW
Support the family of Kala Santiago. This week, the driver of a tractor-trailer killed 25-year-old mother Kala Santiago as she biked on Parkside Avenue in Brooklyn. Please join us in sending our deepest condolences to Kala’s family, especially her two young children, and consider donating to their GoFundMe to support them if you are able to do so. On Twitter, we shared our full thoughts in response to this tragedy.
-Ted and the TA team
Header photo credit: @NYC_DOT