Protective barriers on a stretch of Brooklyn’s longest bike lane will be removed in response to complaints from residents, Mayor Eric Adams announced Friday.
The Bedford Avenue bike lane has been the subject of controversy in South Williamsburg since it was first installed under Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Last year, Adams’ transportation department redesigned a particularly chaotic section of the street leading up to Flushing Avenue, where traffic bound for the BQE and double-parked cars create a sketchy ride for cyclists. The unprotected bike lane was replaced with a lane shielded by parked cars, among other improvements. But on Friday, Adams announced the previous unprotected design would be restored between Willoughby and Flushing avenues.
“After several incidents — including some involving children — on a section of the Bedford Avenue bike lane in Williamsburg, Department of Transportation Commissioner [Ydanis] Rodriguez and I listened to community concerns and decided to adjust the current design to better reflect community feedback,” Adams wrote on X…