DOT Plans Bus and Bike Lanes on DeKalb and Lafayette, Opponents Warn of Lost Parking

By Williamsburg 365 Staff

The city wants to put bus lanes and protected bike lanes on DeKalb Avenue and Lafayette Avenue in Brooklyn. Some residents say it will take away hundreds of parking spots.

The Department of Transportation plans to start the work this fall. That is according to a plan DOT showed Community Board 3 on Sept. 8. The lanes would run on DeKalb from Flatbush Avenue to Broadway, and on Lafayette from Fulton Street to Broadway. That is almost six miles of street,

The route goes through Fort Greene, Clinton Hill and Bedford-Stuyvesant. It ends at Broadway, where Bed-Stuy meets Bushwick, not far from Williamsburg.

DOT says the main goal is a faster B38 bus. The bus has 18,000 riders on an average day, DOT says. The city wants trips to be about 20 percent faster, the Daily News reported. DOT also says the streets are dangerous. Since 2021, 841 people were hurt in crashes on the two avenues, 47 of them badly, and one person was killed, according to the DOT plan.

The big worry for drivers is parking. On most of the route, the curb on one side will turn into a bus lane from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. No parking there during those hours. Cars can park there again at night and on weekends, the Daily News reported. On the other side, parked cars will move out from the curb, with the bike lane between them and the sidewalk.

Some blocks get hit harder. On DeKalb between Cumberland Street and Flatbush Avenue, one parking lane will be gone for good. It will become a bus lane that runs day and night, the paper said. On Lafayette between Marcy Avenue and Patchen Avenue, there will be no parking at all except at night and on weekends.

Local residents claim the plan will take away hundreds of parking spots. One resident says "this will take away 100's of parking spots."

Opponents claim half the daytime parking will go. A flyer was left on parked cars on Lafayette Avenue 

A flyer was left on parked cars on Lafayette Avenue says "50% of daytime parking gone on affected blocks." The flyer does not say who made it.

DOT has not said how many spots will be lost. Its plans shown to Community Boards 2 and 3 do not give a number.

A petition started by a local resident asks DOT to change the plan before work starts. Its wording is much like the flyer. It says residents "have not been provided with a clear block-by-block analysis" of how many spots will go. The petition says its signers want better buses and safer bike lanes too. It had 464 signatures on Tuesday.

DOT says most people near the avenues do not drive. About 62 percent of homes within a quarter mile do not own a car

Both local City Council members support the plan, Streetsblog reported. Council Member Crystal Hudson asked DOT to keep "limited disruptions" for businesses, schools and houses of worship during the work. Council Member Chi Ossé said he will "listen to our community's feedback."

DOT says the lanes go in this fall. The city will watch how they work over the winter. In spring 2027, DOT plans to look at more changes