Members of Transportation Alternatives and other cyclists have created a big stink over the difficult and dangerous riding surface on the Williamsburg Bridge bikeway, and NYC DOT now says it will review ways to fix the problem.

Part of the path on the Brooklyn-Manhattan span is marked by 26 high-profile, sharp-edged metal expansion joint covers that have a jarring speed-bump effect on bicyclists. At best, they make it difficult for cyclists to get into a rhythm climbing from Delancey Street toward Brooklyn. At worst, they throw cyclists descending into Manhattan off of their bikes.

The city had dismissed T.A.’s previous requests that the problem be fixed, but is now paying more attention thanks to growing media interest. The Daily News has run a number of stories on the issue, as well as numerous letters from cyclists telling additional stories about the bumps’ hazards. One of the News stories chronicled the mounting number of personal-injury cases being filed against the city by riders who have crashed on the path. Community papers have followed up.

Cyclists packed a recent Manhattan community board #3 meeting to complain about the bumps, and the board’s transportation committee voted unanimously to request remedies for the path’s surface.

New York City has improved cross-East River bicycle and pedestrian access tremendously in the last 10 years, but the problem on the Williamsburg path remains a sticking point. 

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