Sunset Park Community Board Approves Fourth Ave Bike Lane

SUNSET PARK, NY — Community Board 7 voted to approve the city's plan to build a parking-protected bike lane along a stretch of Fourth Avenue on Wednesday night.

The board overwhelming approved the plan at their general meeting, with only five members voting against it, that would build lanes along Fourth Avenue connecting Bay Ridge, Sunset Park, Park Slope and Downtown Brooklyn.

"This will increase safety," said board member Fred Wolf. "Why can't Fourth Avenue be a safe block for people? Why does it have to be a high-speed area for cars."

The Department of Transportation's plan would narrow driving lanes and calls to expand pedestrian spaces near intersections to force cars to make wider turns.

It would remove about four parking spaces per block — about 225 total in Community Board 7 — and add loading spots for local businesses on the street. The proposal will also add more metered spaces along Fourth Avenue in an effort to cut down on double-parking.

While the board overall felt the plan would increase safety on the block, others were against it because of the loss of parking and the amount of traffic on the road already.

"I feel that you're putting people in harm's way," board member Marilyn Melman said during the meeting. "These are commercial streets. I don't think they should be for recreational biking."

The bike lane would run across Fourth Avenue from 65th Street to Atlantic Avenue and be built in phases, according to the DOT. The first section in Sunset Park, between 38th to 64th streets, would start construction this spring with the final stretch not starting until 2021.

The project was previously approved by neighboring Community Board 6 at their meeting last week.

Image: New York City Department of Transportation