The problem is that 88% of bridge roadway is allocated to cars, 5.5% to bicycles, and 5.5% to pedestrians. Those proportions need to change, rather than any discussion of education, signage, enforcement, supervision, or the like.

It’s entirely reasonable and desirable to take one lane of automobile traffic and convert it into a two-way dedicated bike path with physical separation. Pedestrians can continue to take the pedestrian path, and cyclists who want the view can walk their bikes.

Cheers,

–Ian

I think the problem on the Brooklyn Bridge is not the quantity of tourists, pedestrians, recreational bikers and commuter bikers but (non) level of supervision / guidance they they have.

The deck of the Brooklyn bridge is maintained and governed by the Dept of Transportation. They mostly put up signs, paint lines and empty pails.

If this area were under the auspicious of the Parks Dept there could be Urban Park Rangers up there. They could keep the tourists to one side and slow down the speeding bikers. They might even give tours.

I expect many other users to be unfamiliar with the customs, and I adjust my attitude accordingly.

Until which time the Brooklyn Bridge is fitted with a suitable bicycle facility, there’s not much other choice.

What rankles me much more than clueless pedestrians are impatient cyclists who take this bridge and think they’re going to be able to maintain 15 mph the whole way.

If you must go fast, take the Manhattan Bridge. Otherwise, relax, enjoy the view, go at a safe (controlled – i.e. you could stop if a “boneheaded” pedestrian stepped in front of you) speed, and be grateful for our blessing of being able to bike over one of the most beautiful structures in the world.

As usual, bicyclists and pedestrians fighting over the scraps.

SUVs “cutting you off” – are they really “cutting you off” if they’re going faster than you are? It’s idle curiosity, mostly rhetorical.

I’m with you on the Euros; they’re by far my favorite bridgewalkers. So well-dressed, too; and thin!

My question was an honest one, not an attempt to blame anyone. I use motorized transportation less than once a month, relying almost exclusively on my bike (though unaware of the relative danger of low-speed crashes).

It’s just that the way some cyclists in the video swerve between pedestrians reminds me of obnoxious SUV drivers who cut off me off in traffic because they feel entitled to go faster. Things on the bridge would certainly be a less hectic with adequate cycling facilities, but it doesn’t seem the cyclists are behaving any better than the pedestrians, given the circumstances.

BTW, it seems like pedestrians in other countries are more predictable and don’t get spooked as easily by bikes — they just kind of ignore them.

Even with the hoards of people the BB is still WAY more pleasant than the Manhattan Bridge with its truely deafening subway traffic. I’ve literally had temporary hearing loss after crossing the MB once as a train was going at exactly my speed and kept pace with me during my entire crossing.

My own Brooklyn Bridge crash was very low speed, and it’s a miracle I wasn’t more hurt than I was. The pedestrian was walking in the bike lane with her back to me, and so I slowed to a walking speed myself (and belled, and yelled, and then spoke as I got near her) to squeeze by her; when she realized I was there she spooked, flailed her arms, whacked my handlebars, and I veered into the railing, endo’d, and ate wood in my face.

(She blamed me.)

Out of curiosity, could you have been going a bit too fast?

Call 911 from the bridge. Give them a description of the dude, and then meet the cops at the foot of the bridge, for when the guy comes off it. Your insurance company will thank you.

Get better, and don’t let it keep you off your horse.

The next weekend, I heard from another friend of someone breaking their elbow in a similar incident five days later.

the brooklyn bridge is the worst!

Is not the most economical solution to the pedestrian, cyclist problem to segregate and match automobile space allotment 1 for 1? Too build a new deck and abandon the old, on top of the current framework above the roadways? North side for cyclists and south side for camera tooting tourists, any other segregation would not be respected for obvious reasons.

Does any cyclist really want to take a lane away from cars in this arena? The lane between the multi-ton guided, but not rational missiles, and the 200 ft drop?