Bikes and Bodies on the Brooklyn Bridge
In the weekend New York Times, Robert Sullivan tackles the nightmare that we all know and many avoid: the Brooklyn Bridge elevated path. Designated half pedestrian walkway, half bike lane, the white line separating the two is never enough. Tourists often wander across the line with cameras glued to their faces, unaware of the cyclists…
In the weekend New York Times, Robert Sullivan tackles the nightmare that we all know and many avoid: the Brooklyn Bridge elevated path. Designated half pedestrian walkway, half bike lane, the white line separating the two is never enough. Tourists often wander across the line with cameras glued to their faces, unaware of the cyclists zooming towards them; and cyclists, well, sometimes they zoom too much. Sullivan’s solution: instead of signs and bollards, just separate the two—give bicyclists a protected lane on the lower level, among the cars. This suggestion will surely sound unpleasant to many bicyclists: they will lack the scenic views of the upper level and it sounds like a bad deal for anyone who enjoys breathing oxygen. Sullivan resisted the idea as well, but argues that “if we bicyclists cede the Brooklyn Bridge walkway, then it might be a step toward winning the public’s respect. Then, just maybe, pedestrians would call a truce and recognize that their real enemy is the car …” It’s a respectable argument, one definitely worth mulling over, but we still voted no on the Gothamist poll asking whether bikes should be banned from the upper level (64 percent said yes at the time of writing this post).
Bicyclists vs. Pedestrians: An Armistice [NY Times]
Vote: Ban Bikes from the Brooklyn Bridge Walkway? [Gothamist]
jessi, that’s exactly how I feel!
I walk every day. Even with some annoying tourists, I still have one of best commutes in the country.
“signage reminding bikers to slow down there would also be welcome.”
I dont think signage would work (all that well) –
there used to be a stop sign on the Brooklyn side (bike lane) for pedestrians to cross over to get to the stairs – I never ever ever saw a bicyclist stop once.
there used to be signage on the Manhattan side that told bikers to walk their bikes from Centre Street to the stairs (or vice versa) – I never ever saw a bicyclist walk there bike in that section, once.
It is simply an untenable situation and since in politics #s matter and their are far more pedestrians than bikers (even bikers are sometimes pedestrians) – when tragedy strikes, and it will, the bikers are going to get the blame, the restrictions and the hassle – so in a preemptive move they should push for a solution – otherwise they face total ban from the bridge, and potentially licensing and insurance requirements after that.
Pete, there is signage already, but it’s small and, I believe, only in English, which is why I thought large signs in a number of languages would help.
CG – isnt there signage already for cyclists to stop?
I know some of the cylcists may be coming from wall street area and brklyn bridge is closer…but for others manhattan bridge is probably much faster, I wonder if they all are aware of it.
The walkway over the brk bridge has become an esplanade not a walkway to get from here to there and times of day and year is not at all practical to think they are going to fit on one side. Unfortunately some cyclists (and only some) think the one side is some sort of expressway. But that is probably just that cyclists personality – obnoxious , self-involved, rude…whether he/she is on bike, driving, walking or in a relationship.
“I guess his helmet didn’t protect him?”
By the time I walked by, he was sitting on the ground against the fence and wasn’t wearing a helmet. Don’t know if he was biking without one, lost it in the collision, or removed it afterwards.
As a daily bike commuter over the Brooklyn Bridge, I would gladly trade the worry and fear of collision with a pedestrian for a dedicated lane on the traffic deck of the bridge. Pedestrian congestion on the bridge is exacerbated by the sheer variety of pedestrians – you have your slow moving tourists who gobble up real estate in packs, your nutball photographers taking every cliched shot, your walking commuters, and even the occasional idiot jogger (don’t they know that they’re going to get stuck behind a slow moving tourist?) There is inevitable spillover into the bike lane, and anyone riding their bike over the bridge has to understand that there will be a few close calls.
On the other hand, as anyone who has ridden a bike through the city streets knows, it can be very dangerous to share the road with aggressive New York drivers. I think that we got our reputation as insane people because it takes a special breed to tangle with the traffic on NY streets.
“I saw a biker thrown over his handlebars onto the pavement after running into a tourist, blood gushing from his forehead, face, etc.”
I guess his helmet didn’t protect him?
I do like to go fast, including over the bridge. But I’ll always slow down if conditions are too crowded, and I don’t shout at people while zooming, because that’s just unnecessary. I pick my spots to zoom. As CarrollGardened points out, the biker is at risk, too. I try to be considerate while still managing to get my speed thing on.