the only "final education" towards how to ride in NYC (in the brooklyn area just like you) was to plan my trip on
http://www.nycbikemaps.com/ then just go out and ride and learn from experience.
sure coming in from Dekalb going towards the Manhattan Bridge is confusing after turning on Navy (where at the beginning there is a dedicated bike lane to a point where you have to cross over a 4 lane street to actually share the regular car lane with cars in left turn lane, only to go back unto a dedicated elevated bike lane with its own bike traffic lights, to the bridges.
there is no actual way to educate the riders on how to cross over a 4 lane street other than signs, but but more of just following other riders if they are riding - which can actually be helpful - the stuff on the NYC bike maps should be enough (make a signal to turn with your arm, look behind you and proceed with caution).
I kind of like the approach NYC is taking where they just put the lanes and maps (online or paper) and let it happen organically. its not like there is a public campaign on how to use the subway... you just look at the map and learn the transfers and nuances through actual experience.
Originally Posted by
The Human Car
I just moved to NYC and there is some really wacky stuff. For example: In trying to get to the Brooklyn Bridge there is a bike lane to the right of a double right turn lane. Supposedly there is a sign somewhere that tells cyclists that at this one intersection they are supposed to follow the ped signal and not the traffic signal for vehicles.
I am not unsympathetic in trying to accommodate the overly phobic cyclists but dropping the occasional facility where standard rules of the road don't apply without better notice is really not cool. If I live through this learning period I suppose I'll adapt to these things but so far I find NYC bike facilities inconstant, sometimes they follow the rules for pedestrains and sometimes the rules for vehicles. Does this inconsistency improve safety? I'm seeing it go both ways so I have no idea which side is winning.
So far my impression is the lacking educational component plays the most negative effect for cycling on NYC streets. They can build more bike lanes or they can take some away and it will not change the general atmosphere for cycling here. It all comes down to the 5 E's you cannot stress just one, end of story.