Wheelin’ and dealin’: City in talks to turn part
of Brooklyn Bridge roadway into a bike lane
BY KEVIN DUGGAN
The city’s Department of Transportation
is in talks with Mayor Bill de
Blasio to study turning a roadway
on the Brooklyn Bridge into a bike lane,
an agency rep told civic gurus Thursday
evening.
“DOT is in talks with the mayor’s offi ce
and City Hall for conducting a study about
the feasibility of a bikeway on the mainline
of the Brooklyn Bridge and you may hear
about that in the coming weeks,” Emily
Riquelme told Brooklyn Community Board
2’s Transportation Committee at a virtual
meeting on June 18.
City transportation offi cials studied expanding
the iconic span’s existing shared
bike and pedestrian walkway to better accommodate
both users, but found that to be
unfeasible, said Riquelme, who added that
the agency is now looking at moving cyclists
onto one of the car lanes of the bridge.
“There was a study done for a pedestrian
walkway on the Brooklyn Bridge, the
BY TODD MAISEL
If you happen to enjoy dining outdoors
in New York City, you’re in luck.
Restaurants across the fi ve boroughs
are opening again thanks to a solid reduction
of COVID-19 cases — but all dining
options are, for now, al fresco.
Medical experts have said that being
outdoors vastly reduces the chances of the
spread of COVID-19, as numerous studies
have indicated that the virus is less likely
spread in open air — and can be destroyed
by ultraviolet light.
During Phase 2 of New York City’s
reopening, restaurants are being allowed
to set up seating on sidewalks and into city
streets. Most New Yorkers welcomed the
change, especially Mayor Bill de Blasio and
his wife Chirlane McCray, who feasted on
soul food at Melba’s Restaurant in Harlem
on Monday night.
Marc Glosserman, owner of Hill Country
Barbecue on West 26th Street, a popular
Flatiron eatery, spread tables out into
the street, their existing permits making it
easier for them to move into parking spaces
formerly reserved for commercial vehicles
and cars after hours.
The restaurant has been operating as a
take out and delivery food services since
the beginning of the pandemic and another
The Brooklyn Bridge walkway in February. PHOTO BY AMALIA ARMS
feasibility was unfounded,” the rep said.
The path is regularly jam-packed with
people and tourists, and a handful of threewheeled
mini police cars routinely take up
at least one of the bridge’s lanes — making
it a dangerous squeeze for all involved.
New York City is finally eating out
again – but al fresco, for now
West 26th Street restaurant open for outdoor business and Yailin Pino and
friends feast at Local Bazaar.
restaurant he operates in Washington, D.C.
is a bit ahead, already in their phase 2 outdoor
operations, working at about 50%
capacity.
“We’re still trying to fi gure out our
opening plans,” Glosserman said, adding
that he didn’t reopen his second restaurant
“The situation is a death or serious
injury waiting to happen,” said Patrick
Killackey, a member of the committee,
which unanimously endorsed a symbolic
motion in favor of the idea, adding that they
would want to make the elevated walkway
PHOTO BY TODD MAISEL
around the corner, Hill Country Chicken,
that didn’t have an outdoor permit.’
“It will be interesting to see how many
places open up we are now outdoors open
and we are doing ok, but I think it’s going
to be one day at a time,” said Glosserman,
acknowledging that outdoor dining
pedestrian-only.
While they were at it, the civic panel also
issued a recommendation to turn at least
one of the Manhattan Bridge’s vehicular
lanes into a bikeway, while turning the
existing bike lane at the crossing’s side into
another pedestrian path.
The City Council and urban design
non-profi t Van Alen Institute in February
launched a design competition to revamp
the bridge’s walkway, which is split in half
between cyclists and pedestrians.
Finalists for that competition were
supposed to be announced mid-May, but
a spokesman for Council Speaker Corey
Johnson’s offi ce told Brooklyn Paper at the
time that the schedule had been delayed
due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Finalists will be announced soon,
though this pandemic may alter the schedule
by a couple weeks,” Juan Soto said in a
statement in May.
It is unclear whether that competition
will still move ahead in light of DOT’s
newly-revealed discussions.
becomes impossible in December. “We
are easing our way back in – it’s not an
easy time to be in business. We don’t know
what twists and turns there’s going to be.
It could be great if vaccine and then we
would be in a good place on this, by end
of year – who knows.”
Brett Mendl, assistant general manager
of Hill Country Barbecue, worked inside
the restaurant helping to make sure orders
were going to the right places.
“We applied for the street permits and
now we have the tables outside and hopefully
in a couple of weeks we can start
letting people back inside with the air
conditioning and that should be about the
week after July 4, we should be able to let
people in,” Mendl said. “Between that and
outside, we should do pretty well.”
There was good reviews for the outdoor
dining along 26th Street where other restaurants
set up their tables on the street.
“It’s very nice after so long. It’s like we
are normalizing again,” said Yailin Pino,
dining with family visiting from Miami
Beach at Local Bazar Restaurant. “It’s nice
after three months after being indoors.”
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4 June 25, 2020 Schneps Media