The new Kosciuszko Bridge‘s bike lane is a safe, spacious route between Brooklyn and Queens — until it dumps cyclists onto treacherous, truck-filled roadways far from the nearest bike lanes.
The 20-foot path opened Wednesday, but riders found the whole thing pointless if they have to cycle with heavy traffic in an area that has already seen three cyclists killed this year.
“Getting on the span right now does feel a little like playing ‘Frogger,'” said Williamsburg cyclist Patricia Bohner, 41, referring to the classic arcade game where players have to direct frogs home through hazardous roads.
“There are no bike lanes yet, so you have to be extra careful to avoid huge trucks coming fast around sharp corners.”
Drivers worry the new bridge path will nevertheless attract more cyclists — leading to more collisions.
“We do our best to drive carefully around here, but there are going to be a lot more bike riders now that the bridge is opened up,” said one FedEx driver on the Queens side.
“Most likely you’ll start seeing the accident count go up, unfortunately.“
Three of the 19 cyclists killed on city streets this year were hit in Greenpoint and Williamsburg.
The bridge is the responsibility of the state, while the city controls the streets around it.
The city’s Department of Transportation has some bike lanes — mostly unprotected — planned for both sides of the bridge, but they’ve yet to be installed.
And given that the new Kosciuszko has been in the works for more than a decade, transit advocates say it’s mind-boggling more wasn’t done in time.
“Given how long this bridge has been planned, it is surprising how sketchy the city’s plans are,” said Jon Orcutt, the communication director for Bike New York.
He said the city must make the area safer and more accessible — especially for kids, since the bridge’s gentle incline makes it easier to ride than others in the area.
“We want to be able to get there with small kids, and that’s going to take more work and more planning by the city than what they’ve proposed,” said Orcutt.
Asked when the new bike lanes would be implemented, a DOT spokesman said “soon.”
Cyclist Anthony Davis, 30, called both sides of the bridge in Brooklyn and Queens “industrial hellholes” — but said he plans on riding there anyway.
“The truck traffic is constant and fast-moving,” Davis said. “I do plan on taking the Kosciusko because it’s so convenient, but getting onto the bridge is going to be dangerous unless they put down bike lanes.”
Additional reporting by Tamar Lapin