Months after implementation began on a bike lane on Greenpoint's McGuinness Boulevard, elected officials and residents are less than thrilled with the project's outcome — including those who favored the redesign.
The controversial bike lane has polarized Greenpoint residents all year, splitting many of them into two groups: Make McGuinness Safe, a pro-bike lane organization that has support from politicians including Borough President Antonio Reynoso, and Keep McGuinness Moving, a group against the bike lane that has connections to the powerful local company Broadway Stages.
The original plan for the lane removed one lane of traffic on each side of the busy throughway, but it was revised after outcry from Keep McGuinness Moving. The revised version aims to compromise with both groups and includes a "flex lane" next to the bike lane for traffic during busy hours and parking overnight.
After going back and forth on plans for the bike lane, the city settled on the second plan in August, and implementation began shortly after.
So far, this plan has been implemented on McGuinness from Calyer Street to Green Street. But despite the clear markings observed on the lane, those who favor its existence are still unsatisfied.
In November, North Brooklyn politicians, including Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez, City Councilmember Lincoln Restler and Rep. Nydia Velázquez, published a letter to the Department of Transportation expressing disapproval over the lane's current state.
"While the bike lane is a welcome asset to our cycling community, the recent changes on McGuinness Boulevard do not provide the safety benefits that our constituents have demanded, and that this community deserves," said the letter. "Nothing has been done to improve conditions for pedestrians; if anything, crossing the section north of Calyer Street has become more challenging."
The letter explains that overnight parking in the "flex lane" is nonexistent, and trucks frequently park in the bike lane. It ends by calling for additional barriers to protect the lane for vehicle parking, clearer paint, and signs to show when overnight parking should be used.
The Make McGuinness Safe group members have voiced similar concerns, calling for a return to the lane's original design.
"We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity, with millions of dollars on the line, to build a safer, greener, cleaner, quieter McGuinness Boulevard. The best choice for the design is easy and clear, even more so now that we are suffering the consequences of a watered-down compromise plan," said Bronwyn Breitner, a longtime Greenpoint resident, in an op-ed this month.
However, members of Keep McGuinness Moving say the complaints about the bike lane further prove that the solution is harmful to the area.
"McGuinness Blvd is wrong for a road diet and wrong for bike lanes - and the recently implemented bike lanes and the opposition letter only prove us right," said the group in a statement over Instagram direct messenger to BK Reader. "[Keep McGuinness Moving] continues to hope that bike lanes remain only on the side and local streets and not the main artery, as allowing e-bikes, scooters and moped into the mix creates an unnecessary hazard for the pedestrians to have to navigate when crossing."
Keep McGuinness Moving called on the city to conduct more studies to assess the potential impact of the lane, which they say drives trucks away from the main street and onto busy side streets. In their letter, elected officials similarly asked for transparency from the DOT on what they are studying to inform ongoing implementation.
In the spring, the city plans to implement the original, more robust plan on McGuinness from Calyer to Meeker Street, according to NY1. DOT did not respond to requests for comment but told NY1 the boulevard would undergo more analysis during the winter months.
