NYC DOT is preparing to implement major changes to DeKalb and Lafayette Avenues, including dedicated bus lanes and protected bike lanes stretching through Community Boards 2 and 3.

We SUPPORT better B38 bus service and safer bike infrastructure. But putting both major transportation changes on DeKalb and Lafayette comes at a significant cost to the surrounding community.

On affected portions of the corridors, the proposed design would eliminate or severely restrict a substantial amount of daytime street parking. Yet residents have not been provided with a clear block-by-block analysis showing how many parking spaces will be lost, where displaced vehicles are expected to go, or how neighboring residential streets will absorb the additional demand.

But this is about more than parking.

DeKalb and Lafayette are residential and commercial streets. Their curbs are used every day for deliveries, passenger pickups and drop-offs, Access-A-Ride and transportation for elderly and disabled residents, moving trucks, construction and service vehicles, schools, and local businesses. The proposed design raises important questions about how these everyday needs will be accommodated.

We ask NYC DOT to revise the DeKalb/Lafayette plan before implementation and provide the community with a clear analysis of its impact on parking, curb access, surrounding residential blocks and small businesses.

We also ask DOT to seriously study alternative configurations and parallel bicycle routes, rather than assuming that both the bus-priority and protected bicycle infrastructure must be concentrated on DeKalb and Lafayette.

We believe we can improve bus service and bicycle safety while finding a better balance for the residents, businesses and institutions that depend on these streets every day.

Please sign to ask NYC DOT to work with affected residents, businesses and Community Boards 2 and 3 before moving forward.