Proposed Changes to Prospect Park's Drive Hope to Make Road Safer for All Users

Walking, riding and driving along can be confusing and even dangerous, due to its lack of lane designation and minimal separation between speeding cars, racing bikes and walkers.

But now with the proposal, which was leaked by The New York Times, for the 3.3-mile drive along the park, which has been , will hopefully be safer.

The Task Force, which has 14 members including the NYPD, the Department of Transportation, community organizations, cyclists and pedestrian advocates, will unveil the plan to better separate the drive's lanes for all users tonight, .

The 37-foot wide road will be split into three sections: the left lane (nearest to the center of the park) will be 14 feet wide and may only be used by pedestrians and child cyclists.

There will be a two-foot "buffer zone" and then a 10-foot lane for cyclists with two lanes, one for regular biking and one, furthest away from the pedestrian lane, will be for racing.

The right most lane will be for cars, with a three-foot shoulder on the Prospect Park West side.

During morning and evening rush hours, when cars are allowed in the park (7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on the East Drive, and from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the West Drive), the center lane, which is currently reserved for cars during the designated times and by bikers at all other times, will only be for cyclists.

Under the proposal, cars will lose one lane.

Paul Nelson, a spokesman for Prospect Park said the new lane designation is a good thing.

"It will be uniform, consistent and predictable," Nelson told Patch. "Everyone using the drives will know where they need to be in order to be safe."

Tonight, at 6 p.m. at the park's Picnic House, there will be a Prospect Park Road Sharing Task Force meeting to get community feed back on the suggested changes.

The changes to the drives are scheduled for by May. The changes are the DOT's responsibility, but the idea was a team effort.

"Everyone in the Task Force rolled up their sleeves and came up with a plan that addresses the issues for all users of the drives," Nelson said.

What do you think about this plan? Let us know in the comments!