O Sleepless as the river under thee,
Vaulting the sea, the prairies' dreaming sod,
Unto us lowliest sometime sweep, descend
And of the curveship lend a myth to God.--
From --"To Brooklyn Bridge" by Hart Crane
In this town (New York City), there are some things in-the-know cyclists never, ever do. One of them is to pedal across the Brooklyn Bridge. Even if it's the Sistene Chapel or Notre Dame of bridges, it's best seen while riding across the Manhatan or Williamsburg Bridges.
On its upper deck, the Brooklyn Bridge has a wide lane that's off-limits to cars and trucks. Although that lane is wider than the ones on some of the other bridges, cyclists have to share it with pedestrians, scooters, skaters and all other manner of tourists who might stop dead four feet in front of you to take a "selfie."
I'm not complaining about the tourists: Many are on once-in-a-lifetime trips to the Big Apple. I'd just prefer not to dodge them if I'm riding to get to someplace, or even for fun. (Forget training: You can't keep any kind of a steady pace on the bridge!)
All of that will soon change. Construction has begun on a protected bike lane in the center of the bridge. Manhattan-bound drivers will lose one of their lanes for the two-way bike lane.
When completed, it will mark the first reconfiguration of the Bridge, opened in 1883, since the trolley tracks were removed in 1950.
I hope that the lane includes a safe and easy transition to the street. Too often, I've seen bridge bike lanes that "dump" cyclists into chaotic traffic intersections.
Otherwise, the best option for cycling across the East River, in my opinion, will remain the Williamsburg Bridge, which I take whenever possible.
