Bike Lane Controversy Drags On in Brooklyn

Brooklyn residents have built a makeshift detour sign in an attempt to redirect drivers away from their street. A new bike lane was implemented in the fall that has removed stop signs and, according to residents, made their street unsafe.

1 minute read

December 31, 2008, 6:00 AM PST

By Nate Berg


"A new two-way bike lane was installed on Kent Avenue this past fall, accompanied by "No Stopping" signs, which have caused an uproar among community residents and businesses who lost a number of free curbside parking spaces and say the safety of their children is now at risk."

"'You cannot even drop off your kids. Buses are getting tickets. The deliveryman doesn't want to deliver, even my grocery delivery guy doesn't want to come,' says Kent Avenue resident Leo Moskowitz."

"'It's like living on a highway. It's less safe. Trucks are zooming like crazy. Kids can't play outside. People are very upset and talking about moving away,' he says."

"Several published reports have suggested the Kent Avenue dispute is rooted in a cultural clash between the Hasidic community that is dominant in the neighborhood and the 'hipsters' that dominate the bike lane, but Moskowitz says 'this is not a Hasidic fight, it's a community fight.'"

Monday, December 29, 2008 in Brooklyn Daily Eagle

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