Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Cyclist Discovers The Key To Getting People Out Of His Way On The Brooklyn Bridge Bike Path
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 20, 2017
Modified Mar 20, 2017
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 20, 2017
Modified Mar 20, 2017
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The Brooklyn Bridge bike path is often so clogged with tourists that actually attempting to use it for its designated purpose can be an exercise in extreme futility. But while many bike commuters have simply given up on the bridge altogether, opting for the less crowded Manhattan bridge bike lane instead, it looks like one determined cyclist has found a way to make the Brooklyn Bridge work... through the power of song.
Cyclist Noam Osband says he usually avoids biking over the Brooklyn Bridge, because "the prettiest bit of construction in New York is usually a Hobbesian nightmare as pedestrians and cyclists try to share a path built in the 19th century." But on New Year's Eve, Osband "discovered the key to unlocking the madness." In a blog post on Daily O today, he explains:
I was in particularly good mood this New Year's Eve, having seen a great concert the night before, and instead of shouting like usual, I was so happy I just felt like singing. It was amazing; instead of tourists giving you stares of death, they broke into smiles of warmth. And more importantly, they moved out of the way.
Reached by email, Osband says that following his successful New Year's Eve experiment, he now sings his way over the bridge "pretty often. Unless I'm in a bad mood when I am occasionally not a singer but just an asshole who yells 'Get out of the bike lane.' But [singing] is so much more effective than yelling. That's the funniest part. It's like some biblical parable, where nice guys actually win but it's true. Best way to clear the lane."
He's also singing his way through other bike lanes. "It's like singing in the shower; why not?" Osband asks. "I mean, that's one of the things I love about New York, that you can be yourself anywhere. I'm often on the 2nd avenue bike lane loudly singing for fun."
Osband also says he didn't know he was being filmed until he spotted the video on Reddit and realized that his discovery had gone viral, as the kids say. Here's our less viral but still interesting video from last year documenting the harrowing experience of biking over the bridge without songs to save us.
Last summer the DOT announced a seven month-long study to see if expanding the Brooklyn Bridge bike path was feasible; one option reportedly under consideration is widening the existing promenade over the motor vehicle lanes below. The results of the study have yet to be made public. In the meantime, singing is free.
Tagged
bike lanes
brooklyn bridge
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Inside a photographer's journey to visit every neighborhood in New York City
What do you see when you record the whole of the boroughs?
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 5, 2026
Banned books and Winnie the Pooh: October in NYC libraries
It's a busy month at the branches.
By
Alec Hamilton
Arts & Entertainment
Banned books and Winnie the Pooh: October in NYC libraries
It's a busy month at the branches.
By
Alec Hamilton
NYC music in October: The Strokes, a Blink-182 cover band, and Polish experimentalism
By
Hank Shteamer
Are you a New Yorker? The Department of New Yorker Verification will now decide.
By
Hannah Frishberg
In the mood for a pastoral autumn experience? Try Queens.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .