BK's Berry Open Street Becomes Permanent Bike Boulevard

WILLIAMSBURG, NY — Brooklyn's Berry Open Street will now permanently prioritize cyclists and pedestrians thanks to a redesign completed last week.

Every intersection was redesigned on Berry Street from Broadway to North 12th Street, the site of an Open Street since the pandemic.

The stretch now features permanent two-way cycling on a previously one-way street and safety enhancements like pedestrian curb extenders.

On several of the blocks, one-way vehicle traffic was reversed from northbound to southbound, effectively "reducing traffic volumes to only necessary local access," said Transportation department officials. The traffic change is marked by coral paint.

The effect of traffic flow changes would be cars traveling at five miles per hour, officials said.

And to reduce large truck traffic on the corridor, neighborhood loading zones were installed at every block.

"This new design ensures cars and emergency vehicles have access to Berry and significantly expands delivery and neighborhood loading zones, but it prioritizes Berry as a safe space for kids, older adults, cyclists and all neighbors to enjoy," said Council Member Lincoln Restler.

Even with the permanent bike boulevard, Berry Street's Open Street will continue along the full corridor from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, officials said.

"Streets are public space, and designs like this show that we can reimagine the use of public space to benefit all road users," said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez.

And many locals supported the permanent move on Berry. Over 3,500 locals signed a petition to make the Open Street permanent and consider its extension to Lorimer Street.

"We share a common belief that Berry Open Street benefits our community in many ways — improving the health, happiness, mobility, and opportunities of residents, organizations, and businesses," the petition reads.

But like many other Open Street corridors, some locals opposed the permanent plans, expressing concern about logistics like emergency response vehicle access and elderly residents, News 12 reported.

"Closing one street inherently affects all the surrounding streets. Not every block or street is the same," read a petition that garnered over 2,400 signatures in opposition.

"Concerns about the permanency of North Brooklyn Open Streets, including safety, disruption, overflow of traffic to adjacent streets, environmental impact and reduced quality of life for residents due to increased noise/street parties, have been disregarded by the NYC DOT."