SAVE Prospect Park West

i ♥ traffic calming

Grand Army Plaza, at the North end of Prospect Park West, a white grid was laid down along with reflective posts at the busy intersection where bike lanes, cross walks and traffic lights converge

two (no longer three) vehicle lanes
-- on a road that in the past 5 years I've lived in Park Slope never seemed to need three

still at the early phase last June -- just after the green paint was laid down

The four-month-old two-way protected bike lane along the eastern edge of Prospect Park in Brooklyn was a dream come true for this cyclist. What used to be a three lane high-speed corridor (which I wouldn't dare bike along) was transformed last June by the DOT into a calmer two lane road with a two-way Copenhagen-style protected bike path (separated from traffic by the parking lane). As a Park Sloper, I immediately integrated this 1 mile stretch into daily commute and it has enabled me to ride from my home into Manhattan almost exclusively using bike lanes! Pretty remarkable. It immediately become my pride and joy -- I seriously make it a point to show off Prospect Park West to out of town guests as an example of how livable and bike-friendly Brooklyn is. Streetfilms created this video "The Taming and Reclaiming of Prospect Park West" about this incredible transformation...

Excited?! Well, HOLD UP.
The new and improved Prospect Park West has grown to become one controversial topic.

Believe it.

A quick recap: The Brooklyn Paper reported that "drivers and other locals say the lane is ugly, has exacerbated traffic, reduced parking, and increased the danger for pedestrians who must dodge cyclists traveling in both directions." Meanwhile a before and after speed survey has recorded that by erasing one lane of car traffic, the new design has:

• reduced average speeds by 25%
• increased compliance with the speed limit five-fold
• reduced the proportion of cars speeding 40 mph or faster from 30% to just 1.4%

While there may be some growing pains there is no reason to abandon such a great step forward. If you are PRO keeping Prospect Park West in its enhanced state/magnificent glory:

COME OUT + JOIN a Bike/Walk to

SUPPORT THE NEW PROSPECT PARK WEST

8am THIS Thursday, October 21st (tomorrow)
Meeting @ Grand Army Plaza

Bring a sign + RSVP [here]

Coordinated by Transportation Alternatives