SEE: Park Slope Celebrates 10 Years Of Prospect Park Bike Path

PARK SLOPe, BROOKLYN — Brooklynites celebrated 10 years of the Prospect Park West bike lane over the weekend with a special dedication to one of the activists who spearheaded the once-controversial bike path.

Cyclists, activists and elected officials gathered for a ride Sunday down the Prospect Park West bike path 10 years after it was completed in October 2010.

The celebration included an unofficial renaming of the two-way lane as the "Eric McClure Bikeway" for the StreetsPAC co-founder, whose activism helped the bike path overcome years of court battles.

Cycling advocates have heralded the fight as a turning point for the city's bike lane network.

“When the Prospect Park West bike lane went in, it was one of the few pieces of meaningful bike infrastructure in the city, and we had to fight to keep it and expand the simple but powerful vision of a city where streets are for people," Council Member Brad Lander said.

McClure, who also co-chairs Community Board 6's Transportation Committee, led a similar "family ride" in the early days of the bike path's installation in 2010.

The lane was then challenged by a group of Park Slopers in 2011. The suit was eventually thrown out, but appeals dragged on for five years.

The Prospect Park lane tripled the number of cyclists on the roadway during the week and doubled the number of weekend cyclists within a year of its installation, according to the Department of Transportation.

It also significantly decreased the number of cars caught speeding on the corridor, according to DOT. Before the bike path, three out of four vehicles on Prospect Park West broke the speed limit.

Check out more photos from Sunday's ride here:

(Photos Courtesy of Brad Lander's Office).