A petition is calling for the installation of a protected bike lane on Flatbush Avenue.

Just east of Prospect Park, a span of Flatbush Avenue between Empire Boulevard and Grand Army Plaza runs for nearly a mile with only one traffic signal.

Transit advocates say the stretch of road is akin to a highway in the middle of a residential neighborhood.

To slow down traffic, the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives filed a petition that would reduce car traffic to just one lane in each direction. The extra space would be dedicated to a two-way protected bike lane, just like the one along the western boundary of the park.

The advocates acknowledge their proposal may eventually have to be amended as a compromise, saying the petition is just the first word in what they hope to be a long and fruitful discussion.

By Thursday night, the petition had garnered more than 700 signatures.