The city will be able to remove portions of the protected bike lane installed on Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg after a judge lifted a temporary restraining order on Wednesday.
Mayor Eric Adams, under pressure from some Orthodox Jewish residents, on June 13 said he was removing the protected bike lane on Bedford Avenue, between Willoughby and Flushing Avenues.
"After several incidents– including some involving children– on a section of the Bedford Avenue bike lane in Williamsburg, Department of Transportation Commissioner [Ydanis] Rodriguez and I listed to community concerns and decided to adjust the current design to better reflect community feedback," the mayor's statement on Facebook read. "In doing so, the city will restore the original configuration of the Bedford bike lane between Willoughby [Avenue] and Flushing Avenue, while maintaining existing intersection daylighting treatments to protect pedestrians, cyclists and motorists alike, and ensuring that pedestrians and cyclists can move safety around the neighborhood."
A subsequent lawsuit filed by the nonprofit Transportation Alternatives and Brooklyn residents Baruch and Rafael Herzfeld said the mayor removing portions of the Bedford Avenue bike lane was improper, irrational and without proper legal notice. A judge then issued a TRO to stop the city from proceeding with its plan.
On Wednesday, however, Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Carolyn Walker-Diallo ruled that the Adams administration can proceed with its plan to remove the Bedford Avenue safety improvements and protected bike lane, according to the Gothamist.
The judge lifted the temporary restraining order and denied the petition brought by Transportation Alternatives and the Herzfeld family.
"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," Ben Furnas, the executive director of Transportation Alternatives said in a statement. "If the Bedford Avenue safety improvements are destroyed, this all but guarantees that there will be blood on Eric Adams’ hands. This is not how a mayor committed to Vision Zero behaves, and while this decision allows the mayor to move forward, it doesn’t compel him to."
The bike lanes can now be placed in the center of the avenue, instead of being protected by parked cars as it is currently configured.
