Council Member Julie Gained speaks at Saturday’s “people’s ribbon-cutting”. Photograph courtesy of workplace of State Sen. Mike Gianaris.
April 15, 2025 By Shane O’Brien
Council Member Julie Gained and State Sen. Mike Gianaris joined Transportation Options Saturday for a “people’s ribbon-cutting” on the Queensboro Bridge to demand that Mayor Eric Adams opens the now-completed Pedestrian Path throughout the bridge.
Gianaris, Gained and Transportation Options representatives raised considerations Saturday that pedestrians and cyclists are nonetheless compelled to share an 11-foot-wide pathway to cross the bridge.
The Queensboro Bridge Pedestrian Path, a long-awaited walkway devoted to pedestrians crossing the bridge, was first introduced in 2021 and dates again to former Mayor Invoice de Blasio’s Bridges for the Individuals initiative aiming to assist New Yorkers go away the “era of fossil fuels.”
At current, it’s the solely city-owned bridge on the East River with out separate paths for cyclists and pedestrians, with critics stating that cyclists and pedestrians are as an alternative compelled right into a single lane.
The pathway, which was initially delayed as the highest deck of the Queensboro Bridge underwent building in 2022, was attributable to open final month, in response to a report within the New York Instances. Metropolis officers had even deliberate an official ribbon-cutting for the grand opening, just for Adams to tug the brakes on the final minute.
Metropolis Corridor officers mentioned on the time that the Division of Transportation had didn’t correctly transient the Adams Administration in regards to the challenge earlier than the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
A Metropolis Corridor spokesperson mentioned final week that Adams should be absolutely briefed on how the DOT intends to roll out the initiatives earlier than he provides the inexperienced mild after a gaggle of elected officers in Queens and Manhattan had despatched the Mayor an open letter calling for the pathway to be opened.
“As Mayor Adams has said, this is a major project that – as the elected officials who wrote this letter themselves note – will impact several communities and two boroughs worth of traffic,” Metropolis Corridor spokesperson Allison Maser mentioned in an announcement final week. “The mayor, therefore, must be provided a full briefing on how the agency plans to roll this out smoothly and ensure New Yorkers can continue to get to where they need to go efficiently.”
Gained accused the Mayor of “playing politics with people’s lives” at Saturday’s unofficial ribbon-cutting, stating that the DOT had given the inexperienced mild for the Pedestrian Path to open final month. Gained additionally mentioned Metropolis Corridor has failed to offer a “clear explanation” as to why the ribbon-cutting was pushed again.
“For three years, we marched across the bridge with advocates and pushed DOT to give us clear timelines at hearings and in letters. Each delay threatens the safety of 10,000 pedestrians and bike riders who use the Queensboro Bridge daily. DOT must open the south outer roadway without further delays to prevent more injuries and deaths,” Gained mentioned.
Gianaris, in the meantime, mentioned present situations on the shared pathway for each cyclists and pedestrians are forcing New Yorkers into “dangerous” conditions. He added that the shared pathway is “well over capacity.”
“For three years, we marched across the bridge with advocates and pushed DOT to give us clear timelines at hearings and in letters,” Gianaris mentioned. “Each delay threatens the safety of 10,000 pedestrians and bike riders who use the Queensboro Bridge daily. DOT must open the south outer roadway without further delays to prevent more injuries and deaths.”
Gianaris at Saturday’s ribbon-cutting. Photograph courtesy of the workplace of State Sen. Mike Gianaris
Ben Furnas, govt director at Transportation Options, mentioned pedestrians and cyclists crossing the Queensboro Bridge “need more space.” He additionally accused the Adams Administration of delaying the opening of the pathway for “no reason.”
“The pedestrian path is finished – it just needs to be opened. We know there is a lot happening at City Hall, so we took the liberty of planning this ribbon cutting so all Mayor Adams had to do was swing by and open the path,” Furnas mentioned.
Round 200 activists crossed the bridge on foot throughout Saturday’s occasion earlier than the lane reverted again to a shifting lane for vehicles.
Transportation Options is now calling on the Mayor to instantly open the pedestrian lane to the general public.
Photograph courtesy of State Sen. Mike Gianaris.
Supporting Saturday’s protest, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine mentioned in an announcement that the Pedestrian Path can be “transformative” for the individuals of New York.
“This project has been years in the making – it’s time to open the pedestrian path and deliver on the promise to make the Queensboro Bridge safer and more enjoyable for all,” Levine mentioned in an announcement.
In the meantime, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards mentioned in an announcement that he was “frustrated” that the pathway continues to be experiencing delays.
“I continue to be in direct discussion with the NYC Department of Transportation on its status and I’m steadfast in my belief that this project will make this vital interborough crossing safer for all who use it, no matter how they use it,” Richards mentioned.
The long-awaited challenge includes changing a automotive lane on the southern outer roadway for pedestrians, with the present outer roadway on the northern facet of the bridge designated for cyclists.
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