Protected bike lane completed along Fourth Avenue

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the completion of the protected bike lane (PBL) project along Fourth Avenue.

On Thursday, officials and advocates cut the ribbon for the Fourth Avenue PBL and the Flatbush Avenue PBL.

According to the mayor’s office, the Fourth Avenue PBL is 0.8 miles each way and 1.6 miles total and has added protected lanes to the entire corridor from 65th Street in Bay Ridge to Barclays Center in Prospect Heights. It took three years to complete.

In both directions, Fourth Avenue now has more than eight miles of protected lanes. The new lanes provide cyclists with safer access on a crowded and critical corridor.

Other major DOT PBL projects for Brooklyn this year include Smith Street, Tillary Street, and Seventh Avenue in Bay Ridge.

“Our city’s recovery depends on giving New Yorkers safe, reliable, and green transportation alternatives, and I’m proud to support the growing cycling movement in Brooklyn and beyond,” said de Blasio. “I know these lanes will be used well and often, and I’m looking forward to cutting the ribbon on even more lanes across the city this year.”

The New York Department of Transportation worked with MTA New York City Transit to coordinate the project around major track and station improvements along the R train line, which runs beneath the entire length of the new protected bike lane.

“Brooklyn is getting a real enhancement today, as cyclists from as far as Sunset Park and Flatbush have now gotten easier and safer bike access they deserve to get them to downtown Brooklyn and the East River crossings into Manhattan,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg.

The city also plans to further build out and beautify the roadway, which is a Vision Zero Great Street, a Vision Zero Priority Corridor and the initial Brooklyn path of the annual New York City Marathon.

State Senator Zellnor Myrie said the additions will help keep streets safe.

“At least 20 cyclists have been killed by cars this year in New York City,” Myrie said. “At a time that people are seeking alternatives to mass transit, and when delivery workers are even more essential, it is imperative that the DOT continue to do more to realize Vision Zero and meet its commitment to keep New Yorkers safe on our streets.”

The new lanes add another 3.2 miles of protected bike lane capacity to Brooklyn, bringing this year’s total to 15 miles citywide.

“The completion of the Flatbush Avenue and Fourth Avenue protected bike lanes are much anticipated milestones to help connect New Yorkers to jobs, parks, and each other,” said Councilmember Brad Lander. “Especially as more and more New Yorkers are turning to cycling as a primary form of transit during the pandemic, we need more infrastructure like this to keep people safe and moving around the city.”