Concern has risen among Brooklyn parents in Williamsburg following repeated incidents where children have been struck by cyclists on the Bedford Avenue protected bike lane. Following a recent video showing a child getting hit by a cyclist after stepping off the school bus, local parent groups are urging the city to take immediate action. According to CBS News New York, parents have been trying to reach the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Councilmember Lincoln Restler for months seeking a resolution.
Joel Weberman, a father of 11, detailed other unrecorded crashes and his concern for community children, emphasizing the frequency of such incidents. "There's many that we didn't document. And many people don't like everyone to see how they fall and get hospitalized and have the ambulance coming down here. Actually, as we speak, an adult, a pedestrian was hit and he's still in the hospital," Weberman told CBS News New York. The community group 'Williamsburg Parents' suggests a temporary closure of the bike lane during school bus hours as a potential solution for the safety of the area's roughly 1,500 children.
An anonymous father who shared his distressing experience after his child was struck emphasized the urgent need for change. "There was a high-speed moped that was driving down the street coming down about 45 mph and he hit my child," the father recounted in an interview with PIX11. Recommendations from residents include rerouting of the bike lane to adjacent avenues less populated by children and the enforcement of tighter safety regulations, such as school bus drop-off and pick-up zones.
In response to the escalating safety concerns, Councilman Restler's office has pointed to the safety measures already implemented, which include dedicated loading zones for school buses and increased signage. "Our community's safety is of paramount importance and my office has worked with DOT and neighbors to make design adjustments to ensure the safety of all," reads a statement from Restler's spokesperson obtained by CBS News New York. However, a bus driver named Menachem noted that children are becoming frightened. "The kids are paranoid themselves the way they get off. They just stand there, they look, they are like petrified," Menachem shared with PIX11.
The NYCDOT maintains that designs such as the Bedford Avenue protected bike lane generally improve safety across the board, stating, "Designs like this have proven to improve safety for pedestrians, drivers, and cyclists where they've been installed across the city," in a statement to CBS News New York. Despite these reassurances and safety interventions already in place, the Williamsburg community continues to push for significant and immediate changes to ensure the protection of their children.
