DeKalb and Lafayette bus lanes break ground two days after Question 3. What the Council's pending street bills would do

Two days after voters approved a charter change meant to speed up street safety projects, the city broke ground Thursday on new bus and bike lanes along DeKalb and Lafayette avenues in Brooklyn. The project adds about 2.7 miles of offset and curbside bus lanes, protected bike lanes and other safety changes on DeKalb from Broadway to Flatbush Avenue and on Lafayette from Ashland Place to Patchen Avenue, VIN News reported, citing the city's announcement.

Why it matters to residents: the B38 bus, which serves Downtown Brooklyn, Bedford-Stuyvesant and Bushwick along the corridor, carries about 18,000 riders a day. Since 2021, crashes on the two avenues have injured 841 people, 47 of them severely, and one person was killed, according to the city figures VIN News cited. "New Yorkers shouldn't have to choose between getting where they need to go on time and getting there safely," Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.

What Question 3 changes

Question 3 passed Tuesday with about 65% of the vote. Its aim, in the ballot's words, is to "simplify the review of street safety projects to reduce construction timelines," Gothamist reported. The mayor's office estimates major bus and bike lane projects could be built at least 33% faster. The city must still ask community boards for input before going ahead, Gothamist noted.

Supporters and opponents agree on one thing: expect more projects. Transportation Alternatives' executive director told Gothamist the measure "defangs" opponents who have tried to slow street projects. A lawyer who has sued the city over bike lanes in Astoria and on West 72nd Street told Gothamist the change hands the transportation commissioner broad authority.

Our Question 3 story covers the measure's other pieces, including land sales and the City Planning Commission.

What our records add

Members have pushed on community input. At the Economic Development Committee's Sept. 30 hearing, Council Member Shanel Thomas-Henry asked whether it was fair to fast-track World Cup-related street projects without community board input. She said a bus lane built to speed trips from LaGuardia Airport ran through her community board with no heads-up and was a hardship for the community (44:29). An administration official said they would need to get back to her on the specifics of the process.

Three pending bills pull in different directions on bike and bus lanes:

• Int. 620, from Linda Lee, would require DOT to mail notices to residents, businesses and groups along a proposed bike lane route and take their comments. It has three sponsors and has had no hearing in the 266 days since Feb. 12.
• Int. 375, from Vickie Paladino, would remove the bus and bike lane benchmarks from the city's Streets Master Plan. Its sponsors are Paladino, Joann Ariola, David M. Carr, Farah N. Louis, Frank Morano, Inna Vernikov and Phil Wong. It has had no hearing in 280 days.
• Int. 613, from Rita C. Joseph with 11 sponsors, on installing protected bike lanes, was heard and laid over at the Transportation Committee's Oct. 27 Vision Zero hearing.

Where the project runs. By our district maps, the DeKalb and Lafayette corridors cross District 35, represented by Crystal Hudson, and District 36, represented by Chi A. Ossé, among others.

What's next

• Construction on DeKalb and Lafayette is under way. The city has not published a completion date.
• The project is part of a city-state-MTA bus program covering 175 routes. Other 2026 projects include Fordham Road, 161st Street and Tremont Avenue in the Bronx; 34th Street, 116th Street, Madison and Lexington avenues in Manhattan; Victory Boulevard on Staten Island; and Broadway in Queens, VIN News reported.
• The Board of Elections must still certify the Question 3 vote. Streetsblog's October preview of the DeKalb and Lafayette plan has more detail on the design.