Long-Awaited Fourth, Flatbush Ave Bike Lanes Unveiled In Brooklyn

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — A long-awaited northern portion of the Fourth Avenue bike lane in Brooklyn has been completed, along with a new bike path on Flatbush Avenue.

Officials cut the ribbon Thursday on the Flatbush Avenue path and the First Street-to -Flatbush Avenue portion of the Fourth Avenue lane, which they began installing earlier this month as part of a three-year long effort to build a path from Bay Ridge to the Barclays Center.

The 3.2 miles total of protected lanes were highlighted by the city as a major step in the borough's bike network, connecting Downtown Brooklyn and the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges to Central Brooklyn neighborhoods.

“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,” DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said. “...As a regular rider, I can say the lanes are already humming, like they were always there.”

Elected officials and advocates have long pushed the city to finish the Fourth Avenue path, which now extends down to 65th Street.

Along with the path, transportation officials also plan to bring updated parking regulations, more metered parking, pedestrian islands and other safety improvements along Fourth Avenue.

The Flatbush lane, which extends from Grand Army Plaza to Ocean Avenue, also comes with safety improvements on what has been a crash-prone corridor for the borough. Most recently, the city decreased the speed limit on the Flatbush Avenue stretch from 30 to 25 miles per hour.

Some officials highlighted Thursday that there is still a long way to go in the city's bike lane network, including Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, who said he would release a plan about speeding up the installment of bike paths in the coming weeks.

Check out photos of the ribbon cutting and celebratory bike ride here, provided by DOT: