Welcome to BRBRbrooklyn! Whether you are pedaling to the shore, the store, your neighbor’s stoop, or back to your own coop, this blog is for you. Bay Ridge Bicycle Routes is an effort raise to awareness within our neighborhood and among civic groups about the activities of bicyclists in Bay Ridge and other nearby communities in southern Brooklyn.

Our neighborhood’s immediate access to the harbor, less congested street traffic, friendly atmosphere, expansive parks and flat terrain (except, of course, for the steep ridge in Bay Ridge!) makes our corner of New York City one of the most fantastic places to ride a bicycle. Whether for transportation, recreation, fun or fitness, cycling is great in Bay Ridge.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

RRR#5 - Bay Ridge to Howard Beach

Did you know that you can ride a bicycle from Bay Ridge to Howard Beach with about 3/4 of the route on bicycle lanes completely separated from traffic? It's true!

The past two weekends, we've pedaled this route and couldn't be happier about it. Admittedly, it has been a few years since we've tried going this far on this route. The path along the Belt Parkway used to end just past Carnarsie Pier at Pennsylvania Avenue. Now it goes all the way to Howard Beach.

Follow the on street lanes to Crossbay Boulevard across Broad Channel to the Rockaways, and return on the Marine Parkway Bridge on Flatbush Avenue and you have a great loop.



Sure, there are still the closer-than-you'd-like-to-be-to highway-traffic sidewalk bridge crossings over the water inlets (You can high-five the drivers if you'd like). Some of the route has a whole lot of debris from construction, winter snowplows, and those segulls near Canarsie Pier that always drop shells on the path to break them open. A portion of the path is still washed out at Plumb Beach though you can cyclocross your way through it without dismounting or resorting to the highway shoulder. And parts of the construction areas around the Fountain Ave and Pennsylvania Ave landfills are a bit tight to maneuver.

But imagine yourself as Emerson Fittipaldi buzzing the barriers in Monaco as you cruise across Jamaica Bay, and it's all suddenly a lot of fun!

1 comment:

Dave 'Paco' Abraham said...

that's a great route , and one we use for the Transportation Alternatives Brooklyn Committee's big ride in the summer - the Annual Brooklyn Waterfront Epic Ride. Glad you scoped out the scene recently... hope you join us again soon for the ride when we get the details down.