Blake Walker testifies on bike path signage and connectivity in Brooklyn
Park Slope resident Blake Walker describes a bike loop connecting Prospect Park to Coney Island and Bay Ridge, arguing that missing signage prevents tourists and many locals from discovering the route. He proposes adding signage to capitalize on bicycle tourism and spread economic benefits across Brooklyn.
Hi, my name is Blake Walker.
I live in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and I'd like to speak about a different infrastructure issue.
So at the start of each summer, my dad and I ride our bikes from Prospect Park to Coney Island along the Ocean Parkway bike path.
And embarking on a journey from a 585-acre urban park to the sea is an experience that's unique to New York City.
But the problem is that there's a lot of missed potential to extend this opportunity to the 10 million people who visit Prospect Park annually, as many
locals and virtually all tourists are actually unaware of the opportunity.
So on this year's bike ride, my dad and I decided to further our little biking exploration.
By figuring out a way to connect Coney Island to the Shore Parkway bike path.
So we rode along the waterfront at Coney Island to Owl's Head and Bay Ridge
before taking the New York City Greenway bike path to another protected path along 4th Avenue, then turning onto 15th Street before returning to Prospect Park, which effectively created a loop.
And the loop was an obvious missed opportunity for New York City to capitalize on bicycle to
And the current problem is that this loop that I just spoke of, which connects a lot of historic locations and beautiful landscapes, is disconnected.
And the infrastructure is in place, but the...
The signage is not like there's no signage on the bike paths to effectively guide riders.
And although some locals might be able to figure it out, a lot of tourists are just not going to even try.
So simply closing the loop.
By adding signage and calling it something like the Prospect Park, Coney Island, Bay Ridge Loop, would allow Brooklyn to capitalize on the $150 billion
a year in bicycle tourism that's generated.
It would also, sorry, have one second.
And it would also enable all of Brooklyn to benefit from the tourism, which often stay centralized and affluent neighborhoods currently.
Thank you.
Thank you so much, Blake.
I really appreciate you coming to testify today.
And thanks for having me.
Of course, always.
Always welcome.
I'm just going to do another check to see if there's anyone on Zoom who would like to testify.
Please use the Zoom raise hand function if you're testifying remotely.
And if you're in person, please come to the dais.