UPDATED: 08.21.25 — City took action to remove bike lane on July 30, 2025
Fun fact: Bedford Avenue is Brooklyn’s longest street according to the New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT).
Now here is where the rest of the story gets serious. In mid-September of 2024, NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced that construction for a protected bike lane would begin that week on Bedford Avenue from Flushing Avenue to Dean Street.
“The addition of a parking-protected bike lane on Bedford Avenue will create a critical cycling link in an area where bicycle ridership is booming, while making the road safer for everyone—whether you’re walking, biking, or traveling by car,” said Rodriguez.
This section of Bedford Avenue received a protected bike lane because it was deemed a Vision Zero Priority Corridor as it is known for vehicular speeding — with five pedestrian fatalities since 2020 — in addition to the rapid growth of cycling in the area.
Photo credit: Lori Ann Doyon
“Bedford Avenue has been among Brooklyn’s most dangerous corridors for too long. Cyclists and pedestrians should not be forced to put their safety at risk just to commute to work, and the development of this protected bike lane will finally end that unacceptable situation. This project is a win for everyone: As Bedford becomes safer, more people will choose to commute via bicycle, reducing pollution that impacts our communities and, notably, reducing congestion for Brooklynites who drive. I’m thrilled that this critical bike lane will now be protected,” said NYC Council Member Chi Ossé.
Also agreeing that biking along that section of Bedford has been unsafe for many years, NYC Council Member Lincoln Restler said, “I’m elated that DOT has embraced a sustained campaign from community members and elected officials to install a protected bike lane on Bedford Avenue.”
After the protected bike lane was completed between Flushing and Willoughby avenues, there were several complaints that crossing this bike lane was unsafe for pedestrians. The final straw happened in May, when a 3-year-old girl was clipped by an e-bike after she entered the bike lane from between two parked cars. The girl suffered minor injuries.
On June 13, Mayor Eric Adams stated that he would remove the protected bike lane, “After several incidents — including some involving children — on a section of the Bedford Avenue bike lane in Williamsburg, Department of Transportation Commissioner Rodriguez and I listened to community concerns and decided to adjust the current design to better reflect community feedback.”
Transportation Alternatives and community members filed a suit on June 17 to halt the mayor’s removal of the bike lane.
Restler signed an affidavit in support of a temporary restraining order on the removal project. This is due to a law that legally requires him to be notified (Section 19-101.2 of the Administration Code, as amended by Local Law 3 of 2024). “I passed a law that requires the mayor to notify communities when proposing to add or remove bike lanes. We hope and expect the mayor will comply with the law,” said Restler.
On July 9, Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Carolyn Walker-Diallo ruled to allow the mayor’s removal of the bike lane. But then another justice U-turn on July 15, when a NYS appellate judge blocked the removal just hours before construction crews were to start relocating the bike lane next to car traffic.
During the Brian Lehrer Show on July 21, Stephen Nessen, WNYC’s transportation reporter, stated, “This is a very busy roadway. There’ve been a lot of accidents. One thing that does not bode well for the mayor’s efforts is in court filings, the Department of Transportation literally says this road will be more dangerous without this bike lane and could cause injuries, and cycling advocates are threatening, if anyone’s injured in this bike lane, they’re going to sue the city.”
As of this writing (July 28), the bike lane remains protected.
UPDATE:
On July 28, a four-judge appellate panel denied the motion for an injunction and lifted the Temporary Restraining Order. This allowed the removal of the protected bike lane on Bedford Avenue.
News 12 reported that the removal of the protected bike lane on Bedford began the night of July 30. This article offered quotes from Transportation Alternatives (TA) and the community .
“It was really interesting watching something happen really in the dead of night to make a street more dangerous,” said Alexa Sledge, the director of communications for TA.
Unnamed residents near this bike lane conveyed that they can now sleep better knowing their children won’t be hit by a wild moped when getting on the bus to school, also that more children were injured than what is on the record due to using private ambulances that don’t report to the city.
TA stands by the data that unprotected bike lanes are not a solution. Statistics from the NYC DOT show a 47% decline in injuries to pedestrians in that area since the protected lane was put in. They have shared a pledge signed by 550 bike riders who intend to sue the City if they’re hit or injured on Bedford Avenue.
The Greenline 