CHAIR

DISTRICT OFFICE RESILIENCY AND WATERFRONTS

8203 3rd AVENUE _______________
BROOKLYN, NY 11209
(718) 748-5200 COMMITTEES
FAX: (347) 578-7717 CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND BUSINESS LICENSING
EDUCATION
CITY HALL OFFICE FIRE AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
250 BROADWAY, SUITE 1776 THE COUNCIL OF
PARKS AND RECREATION
NEW YORK, NY 10007 THE CITY OF NEW YORK PUBLIC SAFETY
(212) 788-7363
FAX: (212) 442-5875 JUSTIN BRANNAN YOUTH SERVICES

Email: JBRANNAN@COUNCIL.NYC.GOV COUNCIL MEMBER

RD
43 DISTRICT, BROOKLYN

September 22, 2020

Polly Trottenberg
Commissioner
New York City Department of Transportation
55 Water Street
New York, NY 10041

Dear Commissioner Trottenberg,

We are writing to once again urge you to expand the CitiBike network to Southern Brooklyn.

Now more than ever, advancing multimodal transit options is critical. The COVID-19 pandemic
has demonstrated that while mass transit is essential to getting people to work, it falls short of
being the solution for all New Yorkers – especially during a citywide crisis.

As you know, our districts include transit deserts, which lack reliable access to transit even in
normal times, and some of the worst performing lines in the subway system. Those of our
constituents who live in neighborhoods like Bath Beach, or the West End of Coney Island,
continue to suffer from a disparate lack of public transit access. Many of us will not live to see the
day that the subway system extends to those neighborhoods, or substantially improves
performance, but we can immediately expand access by connecting our neighborhoods to the
CitiBike network.

We know that biking is a viable option when citywide crises compromise our mass transit system.
During the height of the pandemic, when mass transit was shut down overnight, CitiBike stepped
up to donate bikes to essential workers at Coney Island Hospital, to be sure they could get to and
from work safely and on time, and we were grateful for that partnership. During Superstorm
Sandy, bikes were used in order to get emergency supplies to the most affected neighborhoods.
And now, given the risk of transmission in enclosed spaces, more of our constituents than ever
are biking to work, or commuting via NYC Ferry. As we continue to face climate and public
health disasters, and knowing there are more on the horizon, we need to shore up bike
infrastructure in the very neighborhoods that are likely to see damage – and especially in the outer
boroughs, where public transit is the most lacking.

As elected officials, we have made substantial progress on improving bike infrastructure in the
hopes that, as the saying goes “if we build it, they will come.” We have made improvements to
Shore Parkway and the Shore Road Promenade, and allocated funding to improve the Ocean
Parkway Malls--the country's first bike path. We have supported the installation of bike lanes and
protected bike lanes in our neighborhoods. And while ridership has increased as a result, we
know that many more constituents would be able to take advantage of this improved
infrastructure if they had access to CitiBike.
Finally, as elected officials who represent neighborhoods on the waterfront, we know that gaining
access to CitiBike would increase access to our waterfront communities, businesses, and green
spaces. With a Coney Island ferry on the way, and a Bay Ridge express ferry in the works, now is
the time to bring CitiBike to our districts so that our neighborhoods can take full advantage of
these options.

We know that this discussion has been an ongoing one over the years, but new circumstances
make the need increasingly urgent. We implore you to work with us, and to grant our
neighborhoods access to this valuable program.

Sincerely,

Councilman Justin Brannan, 43rd District

Councilman Mark Treyger, 47th District