New Delancey Street Bike Lane Could Cause Dangerous Bottleneck

LOWER EAST SIDE, NY — Transit officials unveiled a new quarter-mile of protected bike lane leading up to the Williamsburg Bridge for a more seamless commute, but a narrow gap at the start of the Delancey Street lane threatens to dangerously clog with up to 22,000 cyclists expected to roll over the bridge per day during the L train shutdown.

The two-way lane closes a gap in the city's network of protected bike lanes by stretching from the base of the Williamsburg Bridge to Chrystie Street. From there, bikers can continue north or south onto existing lanes.

As part of the project, transit officials added Jersey barriers to shield riders along the south side of the Delancey Street median and built a first-of-its kind “bike island” at the intersection of Allen and Delancey streets intended as a refuge for cyclists caught between lights.

An average of 7,300 cyclists cross the bridge each day and that number is expected to "double or even triple" during the 15-month L train shutdown set for April 27, according to Ed Pincar, the Manhattan Borough Commissioner with the city's Department of Transportation.

A protective concrete barrier wraps around the Manhattan entrance to the Williamsburg Bridge with openings for cyclists and pedestrians to travel on and off the span. But despite the glut of cyclists expected on the bridge during the L train shutdown, transit officials say they can not widen those gaps without a major overhaul that simply cannot happen this close to the L train closure, said Pincar at a Thursday news conference.

"We can’t just open up a new whole in the wall without a proper project because of the anticipation of the L train. We can’t have a capital project ongoing during the closure," said Pincar.

"So we are going to continue to work and make whatever modifications we’re able to through our in-house forces while we’re working toward a longer-term capital fix."

Opening the barrier may look like a relatively simple job of removing hunks of concrete, but the structure extends deep into the ground and modifying it will be a complex undertaking, said the director of the Department of Transportation's Bicycle and Greenway programs.

"It’s a security feature that stems very far into the ground. You can’t just cut it because it would comprise the entire structure," said Ted Wright at the Thursday news conference.

"I’m not a big fan of narrowing it down, but there is a positive element to the fact that it makes it safer for [pedestrians and cyclists]."

Some cyclists biking off the bridge from Brooklyn Thursday were grateful for the extra protection of the bike lane, but skeptical that riders will have a smooth transition into the Lower East Side during the L shutdown without a wider entry onto Delancey Street.

"I appreciate the safety upgrades to bike infrastructure, but in this case it sounds like a safety precaution might end up causing more trouble in the end," said Gabriella Polur, 37, who regularly bikes from Brooklyn to work in Manhattan.

"There is going to be a lot more people on this bridge so that worries me, but I guess we'll have to wait and see."

Photo courtesy of Caroline Spivack/Patch