Bedford Avenue protected bike lane can be removed, judge rules
The protected bike lane at Bedford Avenue and Flushing Avenue. Streetview © 2024 Google
Part of a protected bike lane along Bedford Avenue in Bed-Stuy will be removed after a New York state judge said Mayor Eric Adams can move forward with a plan to get rid of three blocks of the lane. Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Carolyn Walker-Diallo on Wednesday gave the green light to the city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) to shift the lane from the curb to the center of the avenue between Willoughby and Flushing Avenues, according to Gothamist. Adams first announced the change in June after community backlash over collisions between cyclists and pedestrians, which prompted a lawsuit from street safety advocates to block the removal.
The ruling marks a political win for Adams, who is running for re-election as an Independent. His push to remove the bike lane came just weeks after a town hall in South Williamsburg, where residents have long opposed bike infrastructure.
Adams’ order also followed local outcry after a three-year-old Orthodox Jewish girl was hit by an e-bike rider in the lane in May, as reported by Gothamist.
In the lawsuit, Transportation Alternatives argued that Adams couldn’t relocate the bike lane without an environmental study, prompting a temporary pause on the project in June. However, on Wednesday, the judge ruled that the mayor could move forward with the project because it “is not a major transportation project.”
Walker-Diallo noted that the city’s decision to remove the protected bike lane was based on “community feedback, continued illegal parking in drop-off zones, and underutilization of drop-off zones by school bus drivers.” She added that “a bike lane will still exist at that location.”
Ben Furnas, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, criticized the ruling in a statement, saying it would make Bedford Avenue unsafe for everyone.
“Mayor Eric Adams wants to make Bedford Avenue more dangerous for everyone walking, biking, and driving along the street,” he said. “Today, a judge agreed that his administration can move forward with ripping up proven street safety improvements.”
He continued: “We’re frustrated by this decision, but all the more incensed at Mayor Eric Adams endangering New York families just trying to get home safely. If the Bedford Avenue safety improvements are destroyed, this all but guarantees that there will be blood on Eric Adams’ hands.”
Furnas also noted that the ruling failed to mention Exhibit B—a June 2025 DOT report warning that removing the protected bike lane could make the avenue less safe and expose the city to liability. According to a press release, the DOT presentation showed that injuries between DeKalb and Flushing Avenues had dropped 47 percent and stated, “removing the protected bike lane (PBL) won’t remove cyclists—it will only make the street less safe.”
The bike lane was built in October 2024 and protected from traffic by a parking lane. It also added new pedestrian islands and loading zones for curbside access. This section of Bedford Avenue was designated a Vision Zero Priority Corridor because of dangerous speeding conditions, with five pedestrian fatalities since 2020, according to the city.
Bedford Avenue’s bike lane marks another transportation project halted or downgraded under the Adams administration. Last week, the mayor also paused work to install an exclusive busway on 34th Street, as reported by Streetsblog.
In August 2024, Adams also scaled back plans to redesign Greenpoint’s McGuinness Boulevard after a campaign led by the Argento family, a prominent local family and an ally of the mayor. The original proposal would have removed two traffic lanes and added protected bike lanes separated by parking. The revised plan extends a bike lane to the southern half of the boulevard but preserves all traffic lanes and drops the protected lane.
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