Cyclists take over Queensboro Bridge to
demand space on south outer roadway
BY MARK HALLUM
The south outer roadway of the Ed
Koch-Queensboro Bridge was
packed with anything but cars on
Sept. 27 as hundreds of safe streets activists
demonstrated to the city Department
of Transportation the aching need to give
cyclists and pedestrians more space.
Of ten lanes total, the bridge reserves
nine of them for cars despite the tight
pathway for any other form of transportation
being packed with users, something
that has been exacerbated by the a 57%
spike cycling and 40% – according to
Transportation Alternatives – on the
bridge alone this year due to the pandemic
forcing New Yorkers to pick a different
way to get around as subways and buses
have given the impression of being unsafe.
Jon Orcutt, of Bike New York, told
amNewYork Metro that the city was long
overdue in facilitating its own encouragement
of cycling and the need for extra
space on the Queensboro Bridge needed
more not than ever since New Yorkers
have been taking the government up on
that advice.
“We need the city to catch up with us,”
Orcutt said. “The city has said for years,
PHOTO COURTESY OF BIKE NEW YORK
we want more New Yorkers on bikes.
There are consequences to that, now
we have a bike capacity problem on the
bridge. The city should respond, the policy
is working, more people are using bikes…
What’s pulled everyone out on bikes this
year has been more space on streets and
so bridge is incredibly timely.”
But the city believes there to be one
major obstacle to taking cars off the south
outer roadway; fences.
DOT has said the barriers on this section
of the bridge do not meet the eightfoot
standard for pedestrian and cyclist
safety, and the cash strapped agency just
can eat the cost at this time.
Another problem? DOT says that as
long as construction is forcing some traffi
c to be diverted from the upper roadway,
they will need to prioritize as much space
as they can for motorists. This work is
scheduled to wrap in the fall of 2022, according
to DOT.
Councilmembers Ben Kallos and Jimmy
Van Bramer have both agreed to use discretionary
funds to DOT so the fences can
be extended from the current four feet
while proposals to convert the roadway
have pass community boards on each side
of the Queensborough Bridge.
COMING NEXT WEEK
Our Annual
PINK PAPERS
In recognition of
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Major Sponsor
Also Sponsored by
12 October 1, 2020 Schneps Media