The Ridgewood Reservoir is one of the largest greenspaces near Ridgewood, yet getting there is an unpleasant and dangerous experience for people who walk, bike or take public transit. Ridgewood, Glendale and Bushwick locals who visit the reservoir, and the nearby Highland Park, without a car are forced to negotiate unsafe traffic conditions on Cypress Avenue and Vermont Place, the most direct route to the reservoir from central Ridgewood. 

The two streets are plagued by speeding vehicles entering and exiting the Jackie Robinson Parkway, sidewalks that are often full of trash and overgrown vegetation and illegally parked cars. There is no safe area for biking on either Cypress Avenue or Vermont Place, forcing cyclists and pedestrians to share the avenue with cars that often go far faster than the citywide limit of 25 miles per hour, or to use the narrow and, in some areas, non-existent sidewalks along Vermont Place to safely access the entrance to the reservoir.

People in Ridgewood, Glendale and Bushwick need a safe way to access one of the only large greenspaces in our neighborhoods. People of all ages and abilities should be able to safely travel to and from the park in a way that is convenient to their homes – whether on foot, bike, bus or scooter.