Pulaski Bridge gets bike lane, putting end to small space shared by pedestrians, cyclists
Originally published in
New York Daily News
(From l.) Assemblyman Joseph R. Lentol, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, City Council Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer, state Sen. Martin M. Dilan and Ryan Russo at the opening of the Pulaski Bridge Bikeway. -Kevin C. Downs/for New York Daily News
Cyclists and pedestrians will no longer have to fight for space on a bridge linking two popular Brooklyn and Queens neighborhoods.
The city opened a long-awaited two-way bike lane on the Pulaski Bridge Friday, giving cyclists a pedestrian-free lane to zip between Long Island City, Queens, and Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
For years, as more New Yorkers took to two wheels, cyclists and pedestrians were sharing the same cramped space on the side of the 62-year-old bridge. The old pathway will now be just for pedestrians.
While the city was planning the bike lane, officials found that the number of cyclists using the Pulaski Bridge’s shared path on weekday mornings and afternoons doubled to about 1,000 daily between 2009 and 2013.
The city Department of Transportation took out a Brooklyn-bound traffic lane to make room for the bike lane.
