Mayor Eric Adams has announced that a controversial bike lane in South Williamsburg will be removed by the end of the month. The decision follows over 20 reported collisions, including an incident in which a 3-year-old Chassidic girl was struck by an e-bike after stepping off a school bus into the bike lane.
By Anash.org reporter
Mayor Eric Adams has announced that a three-block stretch of the protected bike lane on Bedford Avenue in South Williamsburg will be removed by the end of the month, reversing course on a project that had drawn mounting criticism from local residents.
The decision follows a series of over 20 reported collisions – several involving children. As previously reported on Anash.org, the final straw came just weeks ago when a widely circulated video showed a 3-year-old Chassidic girl struck by an e-bike after darting from behind a double-parked car upon stepping off a school bus into the Bedford Avenue bike lane. While the child was not seriously injured, the incident ignited a political firestorm and intensified community demands for action.
The backlash was especially directed at local Councilman Lincoln Restler, who had previously resisted calls to modify the lane. “It’s time to move the bike lane before another child is hurt,” said one political opponent. Mayor Adams appeared to echo that criticism, tweeting: “When the people speak, we listen – with or without their councilman’s support.”
The Williamsburg Chassidic community was among the most vocal in advocating for the lane’s removal, citing long-standing concerns about dangerous blind spots near school bus stops. In a statement, the United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg thanked the mayor for “accepting our proposal that was presented at our meeting with the DOT Commissioner two weeks ago,” calling the decision “essential to protecting children coming and going to school.”
Adams explained his decision in a public statement: “After several incidents – including some involving children – on a section of the Bedford Avenue bike lane in Williamsburg, DOT Commissioner Rodriguez and I listened to community concerns and decided to adjust the current design to better reflect community feedback.”
The Williamsburg decision is now reverberating in nearby Crown Heights, where the city is still considering a similarly controversial proposal for protected two-way bike lanes on Kingston and Brooklyn Avenues – despite sharp backlash from Crown Heights’ large frum community and a survey conducted by the Jewish Future Alliance that found 90% of local families opposed the plan.
The Department of Transportation has yet to issue a final decision on the Crown Heights plan. But with tensions running high and the Williamsburg reversal fresh, community members are watching closely.
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I don’t think people understand the size of this miracle. The corrupt dot has been completely hijacked by literal communists that hate the freedoms that come with cars. Their entire goal is to make everyone dependent on bikes and busses
But so sad to see how many injuries and accidents this Williamsburg bike lane was allowed to cause before something has been done to finally put an end to this outrage!
More protected bike lanes, equals less street parking for families who need cars. Get rid of the cars and you get rid of families who are more conservative than the Citi-bikers. BP Antonio Reynoso, Crystal Hudson, and NYS Sen Zellnor Myrie all have policies which will add density with tons of affordable housing units, at the expense of property owners’ quality of life & street parking. Homeless funding helps fund affordable housing. CH PACs endorsements will gentrify Shchuna and will dilute your future political power.
Shared bike lanes on the other hand do not require removing traffic lanes don’t create dangerous blind spots.
Jay S