Removal Of Bike Lane Sign At Fort Greene Open Street Prompts Confusion

FORT GREENE, BROOKLYN — The recently chaos-filled Willoughby Avenue Open Street briefly descended into confusion once again Thursday morning.

In a now-deleted tweet, which included a photo of Department of Transportation workers removing a bike lane sign from Willoughby Avenue, a neighbor cited workers as saying that at least part of the marked-off space for bikers was being removed over drivers' complaints of getting ticketed for double parking in the bike lane (a ticketable offense, according to the DOT).

Reached for comment, the DOT refuted the claim that the bike lane was being removed. "We are not removing the Willoughby Ave bike lane and it is not acceptable for drivers to block our lanes," DOT Deputy Press Secretary Vincent Barone said in a written statement to Patch.

The department, though, confirmed that a bike lane sign was removed from the corner of Willoughby and Waverly avenues, noting that this has become an agency practice as of late.

"In recent years, DOT has relied on clear street markings instead of signage as a better way to demarcate bike lanes," Barone wrote.

This is not the first miscommunication of sorts to hit the Willoughby Avenue Open Street.

In February, the DOT began dismantling the Open Street without notice, citing "local concern" in a subsequent community meeting, a neighbor told Patch.

Several hours later, though, the city's transportation agency reneged on its actions, swiftly restoring the Open Street and calling the incident a "miscommunication."

A follow-up meeting with DOT and local political leaders, intended as a chance for neighbors to ask questions, devolved into chaos, the Brooklyn Paper reported, noting that opponents of the Open Street showed up en-mass to complain.

The eight-block Willoughby Avenue Open Street, one of the city's few streets that permanently prioritizes pedestrians and bikes, was set up amid the coronavirus crisis.

At the end of last year the DOT made infrastructure investments to make the street even more friendly to pedestrians and cyclists.

Related Coverage:

• 'Beloved' Fort Greene Open Street Briefly Closed Over City Mishap
• Willoughby Avenue To Get 'Open Street' Upgrades This Month: DOT