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Judge blocks Mayor Adams from removing Bedford Avenue bike lane — again
By
Phil Corso
Published Jul 15, 2025
Modified Jul 15, 2025
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By
Phil Corso
Published Jul 15, 2025
Modified Jul 15, 2025
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A state appellate judge on Tuesday blocked the Adams administration from tearing out a protected bike lane on Bedford Avenue, just hours before crews were set to begin construction.
The emergency order marks the second time courts have paused the city’s controversial plan to remove safety infrastructure from a key stretch of Bedford Avenue, between Willoughby and Flushing avenues. The lane had been installed by the city Department of Transportation last year in response to high crash rates and pedestrian deaths.
On July 9, a Brooklyn judge allowed the city to proceed with Mayor Eric Adams’ order to remove the protected lane, ruling it didn’t qualify as a major transportation project. But Tuesday afternoon, after Transportation Alternatives and a Brooklyn family filed an appeal, an appellate court issued a temporary restraining order, barring any construction while the legal challenge proceeds.
The Department of Transportation has previously acknowledged the legal risk of removing the lane, writing in court filings that “The City risks legal liability for knowingly reducing safety on a Vision Zero priority corridor."
Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Ben Furnas celebrated Tuesday’s ruling.
“The bulldozers might be ready to destroy the Bedford Avenue safety improvements, but the Adams administration is going to have to spend their night preparing their legal case,” he said in a statement. “The fight to save the Bedford Avenue safety improvements continues.”
More than 300 cyclists have signed a pledge to sue the city if they’re injured on the corridor, a Transportation Alternatives spokesperson said.
A City Hall spokesperson said the Adams administration decided to revert the Bedford Avenue bike lane to its previous design after hearing concerns from residents about safety, particularly incidents involving children. They noted that a state judge had already affirmed the city’s legal authority to make the change, and called the latest appeal unnecessary, arguing it delays relief for concerned Williamsburg families.
The spokesperson added that the city looks forward to defending its position in court.
This story has been updated with comment from City Hall.
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Phil Corso
Phil Corso is the evening news editor at WNYC/Gothamist. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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