Manhattan Bridge Bike Detour: Pretty, Deadly, or Pretty Deadly?

Cyclists on the sweet, sweet north side, now for pedestrians. Via Chris Farling's Flickr

Yesterday marked the beginning of cable repairs on the Manhattan Bridge, meaning that all the pedestrians are rerouted to what is normally the bike path on the north side, while the cyclists are now rerouted to the south side. So far, reviews of the route have been mixed. The Brooklyn side for cyclists is minimally affected, and the views on the south side are stunning. But as is usually the case, shit gets real in Manhattan, as thousands of cyclists who would normally glide out into the relatively quiet bosom of Chrystie Street are now vomited out into the cycling nightmare that is Bowery & Canal.

Two of us who bike the bridge regularly took a moment to have a calm, rational discussion on the changes. After all, they're in effect for six months! Garth here occasionally takes the bridge into Manhattan after work, while Chris uses it every day to get to the office in Brooklyn.

Chris: I dunno about you, but I treat a commute as a sacred thing, only to be tinkered with in extreme circumstances. I get pissed when an ice cream truck isn't on its usual corner.

Garth: Agreed, my commute is pretty locked in and that's the way I like it. Which may partially explain why I wasn't as upset with the new Manhattan Bridge route as others—I only take the bridge after work when I'm going into Manhattan. It isn't an every day thing for me.

Chris: I see. So you're one of those B&T types I keep hearing about. What's so great about this detour anyway?

Garth: Well if I used it every day, what would irk me the most is the fact that the pedestrians probably won't bother to learn the new system until the side-switch is almost over. Meanwhile, I loved the view from the south side. After biking on the north side of the Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges for so long it was almost distractingly gorgeous to get a clear view of the downtown skyline. What did you find so irksome about the new setup?

Chris: I dug the view too, but I'm all business when pedaling to work: head down, heart pumping, dodging those people who aren't used to pedaling up the bridge and so they're all wobbling into my lane. I have no ill to speak about the Brooklyn side. What the detour has added for me in Manhattan is .3 miles of nasty traffic. As Brooklyn Spoke illustrated, just being on Bowery for a few blocks during rush hour is really dangerous.

Garth: Yeah, I mean the changes to the Brooklyn side are a piece of cake. But Bowery is one of the first places I ever biked in the city. It's my go-to artery for lower Manhattan.

Chris: Really? I got doored on Bowery when I first moved here and I still have nightmares about it. I avoid that road whenever I can. Also, the Manhattan Bridge has that insanely grandiose "plaza" on the Manhattan side— couldn't all that wasted concrete be used to help riders from Chrystie get over to Bowery instead of looping around the bridge at Division? Why hasn't Sadik-Khan invented some sort of hover-bridge with all the bike lane money she steals from the graves of dead orphans?

Garth: I always thought that entrance added a nice bit of pomp to that intersection. But I do feel your pain about the Bowery in the mornings. Though—and again, I mostly use the bridge going into Manhattan not leaving it—I actually really enjoy the access to the Bowery the south side provides. Bowery is generally closer to wherever I'm going. The thing about this switch up for me is that I understand why they are doing it (it really is impossible for two bikes to get through those sheds safely) and I can't think of a better way for them to go about it, besides maybe doing it in the winter.

Chris: Lets just hope that the DOT finds a better way to protect the 3,000 bikes that spit out onto Bowery every day, and maybe the NYPD will stop parking their vans in the bike lane.

Garth: Don't hold your breath.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Christopher Robbins in News on July 19, 2011 4:55 PM

Comments [rss]

cetriche

Bowery should not be a dangerous street to drive down. Any time a bicyclist feels threatened it means that NYC motorists have taken it upon themselves to think they own the road...F--- THAT. I'll ride my Granny Schwinn down the side of the street and you can roll your obese, gas-guzzling ass around me because this isn't the LA ----ING FREEWAY.

Obviously, the main thing that sucks about this is that it dumps you off in the middle of raging Bowery traffic and if you're traveling south, it leaves you the option of either riding in the opposite direction or hauling your ass over a median...But yeah, DOT needs to figure this effed up situation out. That's why they make the big bucks.

John Miller

The problem is there's too many hazards to keep track of at the same time. The pavement between Canal and Grand (I turn right on Grand) is thrashed, cars are directly on your left hip, and there's a lot of commercial activity on your right.

I'm just taking it relatively slowly, and getting off it at my first opportunity. As I get to know the route better, I'll pick up speed by anticipating the potholes. But the cars blocking the lane are inexcusable.

randomtransplant

I used to pass by here frequently in the mornings for a few months between about 7-9 am.

The bike route bikers take to wrap around under the bridge was always filled with fork-lift drivers, often in socks (no kidding-even though china town is full of those neat 3 dollar pairs of slippers), treating a 4 lane Bowery like their own personal warehouse. They would pull a right hand turn and use the bus lane which is also the park/double park lane & on ramp.

Be careful out there, use your brain not your balls.

Bonobo_Stud

BLAH BLAH BLAH BIKE LANES

MEDICNYC

Okay so this seems to be more of an issue for traffic enforcement or a temporary change in pavement markings on the Manhattan side to accomodate a safe exit for cyclists. Tallying negative reviews for important structural repairs to a major bridge is meaningless.

tsol

"just being on Bowery for a few blocks during rush hour is really dangerous"

It's called biking in Manhattan- grow a pair and deal with it or stick to promenading down the sidewalk.

bggb

You don't ride much or have any idea what you're talking about, do you?

There is a world of difference between different streets in Manhattan. Thought that would be obvious, but I guess nothing is too obvious for mindless generalizations.

tsol

I ride up and down Bowery every weekday on my commute, have for 8 years, rain and shine. Also Broadway, Essex, 2nd Ave, Park Avenue South, 6th Ave, 7th Ave, Lexington Ave, 145th St to Greenpoint, Greenpoint to midtown, Park Slope to midtown, Greenpoint to Park Slope, Greenpoint to Ditmas, etc etc... you get the idea.

That was just in the last 2 weeks. And I'm not special.

cetriche

Maybe you have a what you consider a very big pair and feel comfortable biking down Bowery. I also bike down Bowery almost every day, but instead of resigning to the fact that "it's a cruel world and only badasses ride bikes" I find that motorists completely disregard cyclists and refuse to share the road. I realize that you must be very brave and very strong with your extremely large balls, but the rest of the cycling community would like to see the DOT make more of an effort to ensure this dangerous car superiority does not exist.

bggb

So then you know as well as I do that some Manhattan streets are way more harrowing than others.

Like, say, Bowery during rush hour.

Gwinny

It's not unreasonable for a cyclist to seek out safer routes. I've been riding since 1998 and would never bike on the Bowery (or Canal or Houston, for that matter). It's not about growing a pair -- it's about preserving one's own existence from oblivious drivers/door-ers.

NlGGAZ

agreed on all counts. It's a changeup in POV but the hell that is Bowery is a killer. Bowery has all these bike lane markings that cars are standing on! another point of contention is the brooklyn side entrance. They've got stairs which isn't that big of a nuisance but if you go down to the furthest south point they've got the entrance to the sloped entrance which is good but the lane is only wide enough for 1 and a half bikes so if you are new to this lane it causes a bottleneck like you wouldn't believe! I saw 2 bikers graze each other and had to wait for at least a minute for them to stop yelling at each other to move on. So my tip is to just use the stairs. I'm gonna take the scenic route through willamsburg to get home though for the summer.

randomtransplant

"scenic route through willamsburg"
I believe you mean, ugly route through the asshole of the East Side and Armpit of Brooklyn which happens to cross over a very scenic bridge for a moment. .