Brooklyn Bridge sees bike
boom since new lane opened
The Brooklyn Bridge bike lane opened in September.
BY KEVIN DUGGAN
Cycling over the Brooklyn Bridge almost
doubled since the city installed
a new dedicated bike lane on the
span’s roadway, according to new data provided
by the Department of Transportation
(DOT).
During the new lane’s fi rst full month
PHOTO BY KEVIN DUGGAN
of operation in October, the DOT counted
4,206 average daily bike crossings over
the iconic span, an 88% increase from the
2,239 average daily trips in October 2020.
“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,” said DOT
Commissioner Hank Gutman in a statement.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled to see
people fl ock to this critical connection in
our bike lane network.”
The city opened the new two-way protected
bike lane on the Brooklyn Bridge
roadway on Sept. 14, taking the innermost
car lane on the Manhattan-bound side
while making the formerly-shared wooden
walkway above pedestrian-only.
Bike counts already went up by more
than half during the fi rst couple of weeks,
with a 56% increase in ridership over September
of last year, at 3,635 average daily
crossings in 2021 versus 2,336 in 2020,
according to DOT.
The new lane reversed a years-long
trend of declining bike ridership on the
Brooklyn Bridge, which saw decreases in
both months in 2020 compared to 2019,
despite a bike boom across the city during
the fi rst year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bike ridership on the Brooklyn Bridge
declined by 30% between 2015-2020,
while all four DOT-managed East River
bridges were up 21% during that time,
according to this year’s Cycling in the City
report.
However, during the last two months,
the other three East River bridges saw
ridership declining again after an all-time
high in 2020.
The nearby Manhattan Bridge, which
serves a similar route from Downtown
Brooklyn to Lower Manhattan, was down
11% in daily average ridership in October
and 5% lower in September.
But there was still a net gain of cyclists
traveling on the Brooklyn and Manhattan
bridges with 963 combined more daily riders
on both connectors in September and
1,218 more in October.
The decrease of bike traffi c on the Manhattan
Bridge is also in line with a larger
slowdown of the 2020 bike boom, which
has also led to fewer crossings on the Williamsburg
and the Ed Koch-Queensboro
bridges.
On the Williamsburg Bridge, daily bike
traffi c was down 13% in September and
16% in October compared to last year,
and two-wheeled traffi c on the Ed Koch-
Queensboro Bridge was down 11% both
months, according to DOT.
Wall Street attorney takes on world with new prosthetic leg
BY DANNY FRANK
New Jersey resident and New York
City Wall Street attorney Gary
Yerman, 57, is now “celebrating”
his second year as an amputee which he
believes has been successful.
“I’m up to running fi ve miles, biking
about twenty miles. My fi rst event was this
past June 21st in Montauk, Long Island, a
sprint triathlon. I did a July 16th triathlon
in Atlantic City. And then this past Sept.
25, I did a ‘Tough Men’ triathlon in Harriman
Park (Ramapo, NY). I came in fi fth
out of eight in my category. I was the only
amputee, prosthetic user.” Yerman fi nished
in the upper half among more than seventy
competitors.
About two weeks ago, Yerman ran in
an Old Tappan community 5-K competition
with some 75 participants, which has
important meaning to him: This included
Yerman’s sister, Lesley Finer, who was fi ve
when Yerman suffered his injury. “I never
had a chance before to run with my sister.”
The brother-sister team ran 29 minutes,
58 seconds.
Yerman suffered a freak accident
when he was nineteen playing football in
Germany while serving in the military.
Playing quarterback, a bunch of opponents
landed on his knee which got blown out,
destroying the nerve which controls the
entire foot. The injury left Yerman with a
“footdrop” and steadily deteriorating ankle.
He underwent fi fteen different surgeries
including pins placed to support the
ankle, fusions, and more—none of which
were effective. Walking became a diffi cult
agony and severely limited his ability to
enjoy sports. His orthopedists at New York-
Presbyterian believed amputating his right
leg below the knee was the best option.
Using his new prosthetic provided by
Miguel Gomez, Certified Prosthetist/
Orthotist and Ray Chaput, Certifi ed Orthotist
of East Coast Orthotic & Prosthetic
Corporation, this past spring and summer,
Yerman enjoyed several rounds of golf with
a relatively normal swing, pain-free for the
fi rst time in 38 years. “For golf season ’22,
here I come!” Yerman exclaims.
This past summer Yerman went surfi ng
with his children. “Bodysurfi ng, I would
swim out and dive onto the board. I
couldn’t do that for 38 years!”
For the person facing an amputation
Yerman’s advice: “Carefully evaluate your
Veteran Gary Yerman completes the Toughman challenge.
decision to make sure amputation and a
prosthetic is the best approach. Then do
not be afraid of learning how to walk again
and possibly run. It can open a whole new
world of opportunity.”
The NYC Olympic Triathalon in Manhattan
where Gary hopes to compete
includes a one-mile swim, a 25-mile bike
ride, and a six-mile run in 2022. “I want to
PHOTO BY GARY YERMAN
move up from the spring triathalon to the
Olympic distance triathlon.”
Vincent Benenati, the CEO of East
Coast Orthotic & Prosthetic Corporation
proclaims: “Because the staff and patients
of East Coast O & P all know about Gary
and are proud of his achievements—we are
coming to watch him at these events, and
will celebrate after he wins.”
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