Ocean Parkway

Famous for its width with generous views clear down all of Brooklyn & being a park in its walkways and a very fast convenient way up and down Brooklyn in its car lanes, Ocean Parkway is the historically relied upon roadway which will endure for another century ahead.
Its famously wide mall, officially a NYC Parks & Recreation Dept facility, is great for long-​distance bicycling. Multiple dozens of stop lights are in the way, but cyclists practically disregard them all anyways. Changes in the pedestrians along the parkway directly reflect the many communities along the way. The lovely community coming out to use this park of sorts is heart-​warming & adds greatly to good ambiance as well as real estate values.
The driving experience is very tame, given most Brooklyn roads, thanks to many red light and speed cameras which amazingly keeps the flow within speed limits. I’m not exaggerating by much! efficiency of this route from Prospect Parkway to the Atlantic Ocean is high thus preferred.
Designation or signage to segregate these 3 modes of users are so-​so, but in practice, everyone for him/​herself which is no fault of the Parkway but rather the city. Users beware and you’ll have a great time.

There are many things I like about Ocean Parkway. It is a nice tree line drive. But because of some of its responsibilities that the city does not meet, the parkway is not as nice as it should be.
1) The designation of the walking and bike riding lanes are sparsely and poorly marked
2) No one enforces the rules so bikes and unlicensed delivery guys are often running seniors off the walking side.
3) Likewise people walk in the bike lanes making it unsafe for bike riders
4) Almost no one makes any effort to shut up the people who lean on their car horns at the slightest delay such as people crossing in the crosswalk!
5) My finger will never be the same because they don’t keep up the bike path and if the hole that brings down your bike as not been reported to the city, they have no liability.

The attraction here is.
1. Speedy route to go north and south in Brooklyn with minimal traffic lights.
2. Park like walkways running along side of it complete with benches, a few pick nick tables, trees and greenery.
3. West side walkway is marked for bicycles, east side for pedestrians.
The bad here is.
1. Traffic cameras are along the road. Risk getting rear ended, or ticket, hmmm.
2. The walkways need attention. Walking and cycling, you need to focus on the ground ahead of you carefully. Plenty to stumble and jolt you on if cycling.
3. NOT everyone adheres to the cycling and walking designations. Dodging people and cyclist reminds me of playing ‘Frogger’ on my old Arari! Be warned, be safe!

Hee Hee, i cant believe that ocean parkway is really on Unilocal.This is the worst rd in Brooklyn, and the sad thing that it is one of the main. Always traffic, always dirty, the pavement cracking, the drivers ignore even if you cross on Green. You know what, this is Brooklyn.,.
There are no buisnesses on Ocean prkwy, just houses and a lot of traffic.

AHHHH, maybe the worst location if you like to run, unless you can do that after 11 at night. Too many people, bicycles, kids, smokers and more. And to run when you need to stop every other light and wait for green light, and even when there is green light, it is just too dangerous to cross. If you can avoid running here, do it. They should add a section for runners only, maybe then it will be fun.

Great for urban running. And I say urban since it is running on a very busy rd. sometime you need to stop and wait for the traffic light to change, which is very annoying. But at the same time. The cross streets help you keep track and follow the progress of your run.
Many people seeking on the benches at night and during the day. So I guess when you run among kids who drive by circles, you can easily get injured. but with all that said. For people who live in the area, it may be the only solution if you prefer to rum outdoor.

I actually do my very best to avoid driving on ocean parkway. Any attempt to avoid the massive king kong size potholes usually fails. Trying to not get that «speeding» ticket for doing 40 mph in a 25mph? Yeah forget it. How about all those cameras? F– them all. I would sooner take an out-​of-​the-​way local route than the have to use ocean parkway. Trying to drive down ocean pkwy is similar to playing pac-​man and frogger… just a constant flow of crap heading in your direction.

Ocean Pwy stretches for about 5 miles between Brighton and right before it turns to Prospect Expy. On a nice day it’s fun to ride a bike, rollerblade or go for a long walk. If you’re hanging out in the middle of the day it does it noisy because it’s a high traffic road and us New Yorkers can get a little aggressive on the roads. But and early morning run is glorious. Noise and congestion aside I still like coming here and relaxing on my lunch break. When the trees grow in it’s beautiful and when the leaves start to change color in the fall its even prettier.

Nice and quiet to walk around at night or early in the morning plus u can see people sitting on the benches playing games or eating sometimes or just hanging out with friends

Ocean Parkway is an excellent route from Prospect Park to Beaches of Brighton & Coney Island. No commercial traffic this parkway is lined with trees joggers and rollerbladers from end to end. There are many table setup with cheeses boards so old Russians are enjoying many late afternoon /​early evening games.
THE BAD. people walk their dogs so it can be unnerving to see a dog crapping 2 feet away from where you are driving 40 mph. The water people running up to to sell water as you wait for the lights can get a bit old after the 10^th time

Rarely does someone come along wishing to unwrap the subtext hidden beneath a word like «parkway.» Well, the man and the moment have finally met. Drivers and pedestrians both hear «parkway» and nightmarish traffic appears in their forebrain. Pileups, accidents and congestion. Take a look around ya, pal. It’s a park way. The way of the park. The road is there, but the parkway is all I care about. That lush green lining the path. You know who started the parkway craze? Frederick Law Olmsted. Case closed. Roads are meant to get us from point A to B. That much is true. But why can’t we enjoy the scenery along the way. Especially if traffic’s involved. Stop, roll down the window and sigh in relief. Parkways were made for leisurely gazing. And I never miss a chance to indulge.

Piles of dog feces stretching from Prospect Park to the Atlantic. Why is New York continually in Quality of Life 101. This is the kind of shit (no pun intended) Paris took care of 20 years ago.

Having been born and raised around here, it was only up until recently I started making use of these nicely paved vertical lanes on the side. It’s great for riding your bike to and from Manhattan and jogging with friends since you can count how many avenues you have jogged. Scenery is great as well — neat rows of trees, cute elderly people sitting on the benches, and nice houses too, especially around the Jewish neighborhoods. Definitely recommend here if you’re looking for a fairly empty place to exercise or to take a nice walk.

Having been born and raised in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn, Ocean Parkway was one of my frequent routes to Coney Island and family, who lived on East 52 street near Mill Basin and Marine Park.
My second oldest brother still lives off of Ocean Parkway on 15 street near Avenue M so I still find myself on this route even today many times during the year. Over the years this major route has not really changed that much. I like it because it is rarely busy. It brings back many fond memories.
The nice thing about Ocean Parkway are the park like islands off to the sides of Ocean Parkway. You can see many locals walking along ir just hanging out especially during the spring and fall months.

BROOKLYN HOW DO I LOVE THEE!!! Let me count the ways… Ocean Parkway (s) that is.
I’m sorry but there is not reason for any other place on earth to exist — that is how I feel when I am careening down the specifically-​for-​bikes greenway on Ocean Parkway, gliding underneath large trees and past cute Yeshiva boys… I could go on and on. We are truly lucky to have such gorgeous green– and bike-​friendly– spaces in our borough. Especially ones that lead you straight to the ocean (Brighton Beach)!! We are, dare I say, blessed. *gets sappy* I only want to move closer to Ocean Parkway the more time I spend there.
As someone who is not from Brooklyn (and yes thank you for all the crazy harassing emails, weirdo people who want me to stop reviewing places in «real» Brooklyn and start reviewing shitty shit in Williamsburg), my love affair with Ocean Parkway has brought me closer to the authentic (see: not recent transplant) Brooklyn in a way that has only enriched my life. I spend many-​a Thursday evening at Ocean Parkway Jewish Center. I have bolted down Ocean Parkway to get to Bensonhurst in time to see the parade of people coming home from shul on the High Holidays. I have melted in the summer and frozen in the winter trying to get my vitamin D and exercise. I have grabbed library books at Grand Army Plaza, rode through Prospect Park, and kept going til I met the sea with a Baltika and some Nabokov. I am enamored with the beautiful apartment buildings, with the cultural richness of the area, and with the the freakin’ amazingness that is a space like this in the most densely populated county in America.
Brooklyn, je t’aime. Ocean Parkway, ya tebya lublu.

It’s free, love going here to walk, jog, clear my mind, and or people watch while sitting on the benches. Quiet time for me.

I grew up here and leaned how to ride a bike along these sidewalks. Over the years it has been pretty well maintained and is still a great place to spend time outdoors.

I’m still a fan, but there are a few things I’d change:
1.) more trash cans on every street corner.
2.) better lighting for us early morning runners/​walkers.
3.) dog owners need to pick up after their dogs. Seriously, we need a dog shit task force to start fining these morons $ 200 for each infraction.*
*ooh, now there’s a way to raise some money for the borough.

The sidewalks are paved on much of Ocean Parkway, with a railing separating the pedestrian walk from the cycling side. though people tend to ignore that distinction.
There are roughly 7 miles of straightaway connecting Prospect Park to Coney Island. If you connect to the Coney Island Boardwalk and the Belt Pkway Promenade, you can bike the entire loop of Southwest Brooklyn on mostly separate bike paths. It’s close to 14 miles of greenway for biking/​blading/​walking.
Ocean Parkway is great because there’s shade and there are numerous bike routes that cut across Ocean Parkway, most going to the east towards East New York and Plum Beach. Where north Brooklyn has TONS of bike lanes, Ocean Parkway serves as the second main stretch (Bedford Ave being the other) that connects the downtown folks to the beach if riding by bike.

1. Why is Ocean PARKWAY abbreviated?
2. The running paths bring me back home.
3. The memories of autumn and walking with the sunset.
4. The benches are perfection when shooting the breeze.
5. The diverse cultures are a sight to behold.
Wow, that’s deep. LOL.