Warm November afternoon spin on the Prospect Park loop. #bikenyc #brooklyn

Councilmembers Brad Lander and Stephen Levin released the results of their community survey about the effects of the new Prospect Park West bike lane. Click through for the full report.

Copied from an e-mail sent from Brad Lander’s office to survey respondents, here are the top level findings:

Among all 3,150 Brooklyn respondents, there is broad support for the project:
—54% (1,522 respondents) wish to keep the configuration as−is;
—24% (688 respondents) wish to keep the configuration with some changes;
—22% (633 respondents) wish to go back to the previous configuration.

Among the 272 respondents living on PPW, there is a roughly even split between those wishing to keep the bike lanes and those wishing to go back to the previous configuration:
—31% (85 respondents) wish to keep the configuration as−is;
—18% (50 respondents) wish to keep the configuration, with some changes;
—50% (137 respondents) wish to go back to the previous configuration.

DOT’s stated goals for the project were to reduce speeding on Prospect Park West, and to create a safe space for biking. Most respondents feel the project has met these goals:
—85% of survey respondents feel that the project has very much or somewhat met the goal of reducing speeding;
—91% feel it has very much or somewhat met the goal of creating a safer space for biking.
—70% also feel that the project has very much or somewhat made Prospect Park West easier to cross, although pedestrian safety (especially crossing the bike lane) remains a concern for many respondents.

The survey identified many important concerns about the project, especially around pedestrian/bike interactions, as well as parking, design aesthetics, and enforcement. Many pedestrians reported feeling unsafe crossing the bike lanes, and people do feel vulnerable parking and exiting their cars. Nearby residents expressed opinions that the design of the bike lanes does not match the design and character of Prospect Park West. Many respondents spoke of the need for more enforcement of bike rules, double−parking, and other infractions.

Potential Modifications:
A number of potential modifications were identified to address some of the most pressing concerns, including:
—redesigning the pedestrian crossings to better ensure that cyclists yield to those on foot,
—implementing raised pedestrian islands at signalized intersections,
—altering the design to better reflect the character of Prospect Park West,
—widening the parking lanes to make parking safer in appropriate locations, and
—finding opportunities to replace lost parking spots and adding or improving the function of loading and drop−off zones at congestion hotspots.

Biking makes me hungry. And after I’ve done a few loops in Prospect Park on a Saturday (or Sunday), it’s often a taco or huarache from the Red Hook Food Vendors that I crave.

It’s all authentic Latin food — very fresh, perfectly salty, and ideal for scarfing down at a picnic table with your bikes parked next to you.

After our ride this afternoon, we pedaled the 2.5 miles over to the Red Hook ballfields and tried a few dishes we hadn’t on past trips.

Head to the corner of Clinton and Bay Sts. in Red Hook. You can’t miss the trucks.

This time, we hit up the apparently un-named truck at the end on Clinton Street for some delicious flautas ($4). Added some picked onions and roasted poblanos, which gave it some nice acidity.

Country Boys is probably the most popular truck — known for its huaraches. Today, we got chalupas ($6). One with shrimp, one with beans, and one with pork.

There’s plenty to do in Red Hook, so if you’re still up for a little exploring (and still a little hungry) be sure to check out:

• Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pies
• The new Red Hook Mercado
• Louis Valentino Jr. Park, which has great views of the Statue of Liberty and Governor’s Island.

Any other hidden gems in Red Hook we should know about?

Have you been to the Red Hook Food Vendors? What did you eat??

Streetsblog reports on this amazing change in the traffic climate along the edge of the park. Reason to celebrate!

The rain held off tonight, and it turned into a perfect evening for one of Time’s Up’s monthly “Moonlight Rides” through Prospect Park.

If you’ve never done one of these (they have one in Central Park each month too!), you MUST try it out. The Prospect Park ride is always the second Saturday of every month — even in the winter!

Our leader, Jonathan, took us through some of the park’s nooks and crannies, and on paths that led to a waterfall, a dog beach, and several great waterfront lookout spots — places I never knew existed from my usual spins around the loop.

Fun fact that I learned: When workers first filled the big lake at the southern end of the park with water after they built it over a century ago, they neglected to seal the lake bed — so all the water drained out!

Here are a few photos I took from tonight’s ride:

We all know there have been a lot of improvements to the bike infrastructure in New York in recent years — and Brooklyn has been at the epicenter of that. So what, I have challenged myself to determine, are the most blissful places to bike in Brooklyn right now? Here’s what I picked (at least as of today):

5) Clinton and Henry Sts — No protected paths and lots of traffic lights, but still a couple of great streets to explore through the heart of Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens. Also connects very well to East River bridges and Red Hook. DRAWBACKS: Lots of traffic lights, so you can’t TOTALLY sit back and relax.

4) Jamaica Bay Greenway — Probably the longest stretch of separated bike path in the entire borough, from Gerritsen Beach to the Queens border near JFK Airport. DRAWBACKS: Parts of it, including many of the bridges, are crumbling or overgrown with branches. Traffic from the highway is also quite loud.

3) Kent Avenue — The new two-way bike lane from Flushing Avenue all the way to Greenpoint is fantastic, and a great place for people (bike) watching through Williamsburg! It’s also a fantastic new connection between North and South Brooklyn. DRAWBACKS: Some traffic lights and hidden driveways near the new Williamsburg condo towers.

2) Belt Parkway Bike Path — If you haven’t pedaled down this path along the waterfront in Bay Ridge, you’re missing out. It’s smooth, several miles long and has a spectacular view of Staten Island, the Verrazano Bridge and New York harbor. DRAWBACKS: It’s annoying to get to from the north, with Sunset Park not very friendly to bikes.

1) Prospect Park Loop (of course) — Three and a third miles of (mostly) car free cycling through one of the country’s premier parks. Not as crowded as Central Park. Just enough ups and downs to make it a great work out if you want. Accessible from all directions. DRAWBACKS: Wish it were even bigger!

Bonus:

Place I wish I could bike: Greenwood Cemetery — Lots of hills, well paved, great views. Wish someday I could ride my bike through it!

Place that will probably on the list next year: Brooklyn Bridge Park — The bike lane through the new park is sure to be AWESOME!

What am I missing? Did I get it all wrong?

Prospect Park West bike lane is green!

Brad Lander steps up to back proposed Prospect Park West bike lane.

(via Streetsblog)

(via Streetsblog)

Brooklyn unicyclist