Au Revoir, Brooklyn Bridge Vendors: Souvenir Seller Crackdown Begins

NEW YORK CITY — So long, Brooklyn Bridge souvenir sellers.

A promised crackdown on vendors along the iconic bridge began Wednesday as city officials unveiled a new rule and crews hauled off sellers' tables.

The ban will the 34,000 average weekend pedestrians to walk without having to navigate rows of vendor tables clogging the narrow path, officials said.

"That’s why we're giving vendors fair warning: As of January 3rd, they won't be allowed to set up shop on pedestrian walkways or bike lanes on our bridges — giving New Yorkers the ability to use those public spaces safely and freely," said Mayor Eric Adams in a statement.

Crowding on the Brooklyn Bridge has become more of a problem since 2021, when the average fall weekend saw half as many pedestrians walking it, city officials said.

Adams administration officials saw clearing out vendors as a way to open up the bridge.

The mayor Tuesday highlighted social media posts that showed some pedestrians, evidently frustrated by crowding, had even begun to jump into the bicycle lanes to avoid human traffic jams.