Ocean Parkway Bike Path (est. 1894): Oldest Bike Path In America

On June 15, 1894, Ocean Parkway became the first street in the U.S. to have a designated bike lane. This first bike lane in America was created by splitting the pedestrian way of Brooklyn's Ocean Parkway. The parkway became New York City’s first dedicated bicycle path, and the very first in the United States. This makes Ocean Parkway Bike Path officially the oldest bike path in America. In fact, it is confirmed as the oldest bike path in the world by Guinness World Records. Ocean Parkway became the home of the country's first bike path according to NYCGovParks.org.

The history of Ocean Parkway goes back to the 1860’s when Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, who were also responsible for Central Park and Prospect Park, designed and proposed Ocean Parkway to the Brooklyn Park Commissioners. In 1868 land for Ocean Parkway was acquired by the City of Brooklyn. In 1874 construction of Ocean Parkway began. In 1880 Ocean Parkway was completed. Finally in 1894 the pedestrian path split to create the first bike path in the United States. The 210 foot-wide parkway was divided into: a central roadway 70 feet wide, two malls 20 feet wide, two side roads both 25 feet wide, and two sidewalks each 15 feet wide. 

On the official opening day of the bike path, nearly 10,000 cyclists reportedly came to ride. More than 60 “wheelman clubs” from the New York and New Jersey area, as well as bicycle police, were on hand for the opening ceremony.. To keep up with demand, the path was widened in 1896. Back in the 1890s to 1920s a rustic wood pavilion located at the intersection of Surf Avenue and Ocean Parkway served as an end-of-ride meeting place, and nearby bicycle storage facilities provided parking for riders heading to the beach. Many cyclists had photos taken with their bicycles as a souvenir of their journey to Coney Island. In 1950 the northernmost half-mile of Ocean Parkway was demolished and replaced by the Prospect Expressway. In 1975 Ocean Parkway was designated a historic landmark. 

Inspired by the grand boulevards of Europe and designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux it stretches from the southwest entrance of Prospect Park to the ocean shore of Coney Island. Ocean Parkway spans only about 5.5 miles from start to finish across the borough of Brooklyn. There’s a section for pedestrians and one for bikes, all with a median divider between the road and the path. This oldest bike lane in America is on the West side of Ocean Parkway. The path on the East side is reserved for pedestrians. The Ocean Parkway Bike Path went under much needed renovations in 2022. The "preferred" parking is at 1113 Neptune Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11224 - the parking rates change throughout the year. However, you can grab the path in a number of places from Coney Island onward. Today, Ocean Parkway remains the magnificent thoroughfare that Olmsted and Vaux envisioned.