Brooklyn Bridge Bike Lane Officially Opens On Roadway

NEW YORK CITY — Pedal power could propel even more cyclists across the iconic Brooklyn Bridge now that a long-awaited roadway bike lane is open, officials said.

A ribbon cutting Tuesday officially opened the new protected bike lanes to bicycle traffic.

The bike lane is the bridge's first transportation reconfiguration since trolley tracks were removed in 1950, officials said.

"We have banned cars from that lane," Mayor Bill de Blasio said. "It will be all for bike riders."

De Blasio announced the bike lane plan in his final "State of the City" address.

The plan promised to give the city's bicyclists — whose numbers swelled during the coronavirus pandemic — a dedicated and protected roadway lane so they wouldn't have to dodge gawkers, pedestrians and tourists on the crowded Brooklyn Bridge Promenade.

Some advocates griped the bike lanes as planned were too narrow, but transportation officials pressed forward with construction over the summer. The new, two-way lane includes barrier segments, protective fencing and a connection with a Manhattan bike path.

The bridge's promenade will be a pedestrian-only space.

About 10,000 pedestrians cross the bridge every day, officials said. Bicycle crossings numbered about 60,000 in the month before construction, they said.