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New Brooklyn Bridge Bike Lane An Immediate Hit Among Cyclists, Data Shows
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Nov 9, 2021
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NYC Department of Transportation
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Nov 9, 2021
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The new Brooklyn Bridge bike lane has nearly doubled cycling rates over the iconic East River crossing, the latest sign of improved infrastructure fueling an increase in the city's biking population.
The two-way bike lane, which opened in mid-September, saw an average of 4,206 daily rides in October, its first full month of operation, up from 2,239 during the same period last year, according to the Department of Transportation, which released data on East River crossings' cyclist counts.
At the same time, ridership trends on the adjacent Manhattan Bridge and Williamsburg Bridge have remained largely consistent — suggesting the new lane hasn't just enticed existing cyclists, but coaxed more New Yorkers to get on a bike.
“We have reclaimed space from cars to make cycling over the Brooklyn Bridge safer and easier, while making the pedestrian experience better than ever – and it has been a great success,” DOT Commissioner Hank Gutman said in a statement.
Cycling advocates had long called for a dedicated bike lane to alleviate harrowing conditions on the bridge's tourist-heavy promenade. After previously rejecting the proposal, Mayor Bill de Blasio eventually came around to the idea, as New Yorkers turned to bikes en masse during the early days of the COVID-19 crisis.
The bike boom has slowed somewhat since, in part due to New Yorkers returning to the subways. The new Brooklyn Bridge lane has bucked those trends; over the last two months, crossings over the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges saw their highest ever combined ridership.
"It's clear that the new bike path on the roadway is additive to East River bike trips," said Jon Orcutt, the director of advocacy at Bike New York. "People are responding to a dramatic change in cycling conditions."
Combined monthly volumes for the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges
Studies have shown that adding bike lanes to European city streets during the pandemic induced large and rapid increases in the number of cyclists.
While the Brooklyn Bridge project was largely hailed as an improvement, it also drawn criticism among cyclists, who argue that the city would be better of building one-way lanes on each side of the bridge, rather than squeezing a two-way path in a single car lane.
Raw data from the DOT has backed up that fear: At peak times, close to 500 people per hour are making use of the Brooklyn Bridge lane.
The throngs of new cyclists have left some riders, including Gothamist founder Jake Dobkin, both grateful and cautious.
"While I will miss the many games of chicken I played with spaced-out tourists and selfie takers up on the pedestrian path, the new bike lane is both safer, faster, and more fun to ride," Dobkin said, "with the only drawback being its popularity, which makes it hard to really bomb the downhills Brooklyn steez."
(Ed note: when asked to explain what 'Brooklyn steez' meant Dobkin responded, "If you need to ask, you'll never understand.")
Tagged
bike lane
we the commuters
brooklyn bridge
mayor bill de blasio
vision zero
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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