Pedal pushers in transit-starved neighborhoods can rejoice, as Citi Bike honchos announced the next phase of their roll-out in Brooklyn on Monday — bringing the sharable two-wheelers to Windsor Terrace, Sunset Park, Greenwood Heights, along with parts of Bay Ridge, Kensington, and Ditmas Park.
“We have been feeling deserving of Citi Bike for a long time in this district,” said Zachary Jasie, who chairs Sunset Park’s Community Board 7 Transportation Committee. “We are glad to see this happening,”
The Department of Transportation released a zoom-able map of the current draft of the rollout, which is set to be completed in the winter of 2021, and the transit bigwigs are currently soliciting feedback from the community — including at a town hall meeting slated for Dec. 10.
The draft map shows that most docks will be installed in the road bed, rather than on the sidewalk, either in the place of parking spots or in “daylighted” intersections.
“This obviously will have an impact — it will eliminate some parking spaces throughout the community,” said Department of Transportation Bike Share staffer Lisa Morasco on Dec. 7. “That’s the trade off of bringing Citi Bike into a community.”
While a smattering of docks will be installed on mostly residential streets of Windsor Terrace, Sunset Park’s docks will mainly be installed along thoroughfares Fourth Avenue, Fifth Avenue, and Seventh Avenue.
Docks will also be installed with access to waterfront attractions such as Industry City and Brooklyn Army Terminal, but no docks are currently planned near popular waterfront greenspace Bush Terminal Park.
Other locals pushed for the city to install traffic calming measures along Third Avenue, where several cyclists have died in traffic accidents — including NYU Langone Nurse Clara Kang, who was killed in October while biking home from a night shift.
“We’re excited to have this investment in bike infrastructure but what are we doing about the safety of our neighbors?” asked board member Katherine Walsh. “It’s going to be incredibly irresponsible and result in death.”
As of Oct. 31, at least 19 bicyclists had died throughout the Five Boroughs, according to city data.
