Vaad Hakohol: Protect Our Children, Elders, and Neighbors – Say No to Dangerous Bike Lanes
The City has proposed installing protected bike lanes on Kingston Avenue and Brooklyn Avenue. While the intention may be to encourage cycling, the reality is that this plan will put our most vulnerable community members directly in harm’s way.
Why This Matters to Crown Heights
– Children’s Safety: Every school day, buses discharge children on both sides of Kingston and Brooklyn Avenues. With protected bike lanes, children would be forced to cross into the path of oncoming bicycles — an unacceptable risk.
– Elders and Disabled Residents: Many seniors and disabled neighbors rely on ambulette services or drop-offs from family cars. They, too, would have no choice but to cross through active bike lanes.
– Motorized Bikes and Scooters: These lanes are not only used by pedal cyclists but also by motorized bikes and scooters that travel at high speeds, leaving little reaction time for pedestrians.
– A Proven Hazard: Similar bike lane designs in other neighborhoods have already been reversed after multiple serious accidents involving mothers and schoolchildren.
Our Community Has Never Supported This
We are aware that there have been suggestions that our community is “okay” with these bike lanes. Let us be clear: the Crown Heights community has never supported, and does not support, the installation of protected bike lanes on Kingston or Brooklyn Avenue.
Our children, elders, and disabled neighbors are not numbers. Their safety cannot be reduced to statistics or traffic studies.
What We Are Asking
The Crown Heights Jewish Community Council (CHJCC) is calling on the City of New York to:
1. Immediately halt the planned installation of protected bike lanes on Kingston and Brooklyn Avenues.
2. Work with community representatives and safety experts to design alternatives that keep cyclists safe without endangering pedestrians.
Add Your Name
This is a matter of life and safety. Together, we must make our voices heard.
Jay Sorid
CB 9 Transportation Cmte Meeting: Wed, Sept 10, 2025 at 7pm – 890 Nostrand Av
https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/brooklyn-ave-kingston-ave-empire-blvd-winthrop-st-jun2025.pdf – ( Bike Lane Proposal – see pp 31-33 ) , ( Assemb Cunningham, City Councilwoman Rita Joseph & Sen Zelnor Myrie support this proposal., p 4)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPG4hKWWj9g – Williamsburg removed them
P. McDonald
Yes! bike lanes on Kington Ave.
G.Singh
Need bike lanes on Kington Ave.
Wrong
This is all wrong. Say YES to bike lanes. The community would be so much healthier if we used bikes instead of cars. Not to mention how much cars, gas and insurance costs, which many of us can’t afford.