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Clinton Hill residents, cycling advocates demand a bike lane on Classon Avenue

In Just a Week, Thousands Have Signed Petition Authored by the Sister of a Cyclist Killed in April

August 30, 2016 By James Harney Brooklyn Daily Eagle

This past April, Brooklyn Borough President Adams laid flowers down at the ghost bike memorial, set up by nonprofit advocacy organization Transportation Alternatives for 34-year-old Lauren Davis, who was killed in a bike crash at the intersection of Classon and Lexington avenues in Clinton Hill. Photo: Patrick Rheaume/Brooklyn BP’s Office

This past April, Brooklyn Borough President Adams laid flowers down at the ghost bike memorial, set up by nonprofit advocacy organization Transportation Alternatives for 34-year-old Lauren Davis, who was killed in a bike crash at the intersection of Classon and Lexington avenues in Clinton Hill. Photo: Patrick Rheaume/Brooklyn BP’s Office

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They want it soon, and they want it green.

The sister of a Brooklyn bicyclist who was fatally struck by a driver as she peddled to work along Classon Avenue in Clinton Hill in April repeated her call Tuesday for the city to install a bike lane on the street — one painted green, to give it “increased visibility.”

Last Wednesday, Danielle Davis, in conjunction with the biking advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, started a petition demanding a bike lane on the busy route where her sister Lauren, 34, was killed on April 15. According to a report in the Brooklyn Paper, in less than a week, more than 5,000 people have signed the petition.

“My hope is that by installing a bike lane, other cyclists won’t have to endure the same death as my sister,” Danielle Davis said.

Classon Avenue in the vicinity of Lexington Avenue, where Lauren Davis was hit, has been designated a “bike route” by the city Department of Transportation, but no bike lane is painted on the pavement, forcing cyclists to ride in the midst of vehicular traffic, the Brooklyn Paper report said.

But if and when a dedicated bike lane is installed on the street, Danielle Davis would like it to be painted green, adding that “it would have increased visibility for my sister.”

Transportation Alternatives advocates stand solidly in support of Davis’ call for the bike lane and are even more critical of the city for not having taken action.

“It was a mistake for the DOT to paint a wide parking lane [along Classon Avenue] instead of putting a bike lane on a known bike route — out of fear of community board opposition,” said Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Paul Steely White.

In addition to the Lauren Davis fatality, city statistics show that six other bicyclists have been injured in 2016 along Classon Avenue, which runs from Eastern Parkway to Flushing Avenue.

A spokesman for the DOT said there are no immediate plans to place a bike lane along the avenue.

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