BROOKLYN — Cycling ridership on the Brooklyn Bridge bike lane skyrocketed in the last year, the New York City Department of Transportation announced Monday.
New data showed bike ridership on the bridge jumped nearly 90% in October 2021 from October 2020. Average daily ridership on the bike path was at 4,206 for October this year compared to 3,365 last year.
The data comes as New York City continues its push to be more climate friendly.
“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. “I couldn’t be more thrilled to see people flock to this critical connection in our bike lane network. If you haven’t yet, I encourage everyone to try the new lane and embrace cycling as a sustainable and healthy way to get around our great city.”
The new protected two-way bike lane opened in September 2021.
A lane was repurposed from car usage and the existing promenade, which has been shared by cyclists and pedestrians for years, was turned into a pedestrian-only space.
Work on the bridge began in June and finished ahead of schedule. It included installing barrier segments, creating a new connecting bike path in Manhattan, including new traffic signal construction, adding protective fencing on the interior of the bridge, and implementing traffic changes to help avoid greater congestion in downtown.
