It may not be the long-proposed, long-planned, still-not-happening bike-share program that Brooklyn needs, but it’s a start, kind of: the Post reports that Brooklyn Bridge Park will be getting a touristy bike rental program this spring, one with virtually no benefits for actual Brooklynites.
The city is soliciting bids from companies to operate the one-day bike rental program, which would operate from mid-April to mid-October, from 10am to 4pm daily, making it absolutely useless for bicycle commuters heading into Manhattan or other parts of Brooklyn—although, admittedly, great for tourists interested in shopping at Ikea. The rental program would be operated from a 300-square-foot space inside the park somewhat similar to one at West 42nd Street in Hudson River Park, with renters free to ride on the park’s beautiful new bike lane, and out onto the streets (but not onto the BQE).
The Post piece provides an additional update on progress at the adjacent Empire Fulton-Ferry Park in Dumbo, whose connecting bike lane will help close a central gap in the Brooklyn waterfront greenway, and provide another dozen blocks of in-park cruising. That green patch is scheduled to open this summer, pending delays due to renovations on the Brooklyn Bridge. (Brownstoner, Photo)