Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Brooklyn

Brooklyn Bridge’s SUV Ban Hidden in Plain Sight

BklynBridge_1.jpg

It isn't just in California where SUV's are secretly banned from certain roadways. Right here in New York City, many SUVs are banned from the Brooklyn Bridge, but nobody seems to know it.

Following on a Slate article about a similar phenomenon in California that came to our attention on Tuesday, Streetsblog correspondent Jason Varone snapped pictures of the signs pointing out the three-ton weight limit on the Brooklyn Bridge. Guess what? Navigators and Escalades are over the limit. So are Chevy Surburbans, Dodge Durangos, GMC Yukons, Hummers, Land Rovers, Range Rovers, Mercedes M Class 320 and 500s, Toyota Land Cruisers and Sequoias, and Ford Expeditions, among other SUV models.

Coming as it does underneath a sign reading "No trucks or buses," most motorists undoubtedly assume that the 3-ton weight limit is meant to discourage trucks and buses only, not SUVs. And so they drive over it every day while the police, heavily present on a bridge that has been the target of foiled terrorist plots, fail to enforce the law.

As the decades have gone by, the number of people crossing the Brooklyn Bridge has decreased tremendously, but the weight of their stuff has gone up. One hopes the SUV owners stuck in traffic next time the bridge has to undergo the extra maintenance required by all that extra daily weight will pause for a moment of introspection and look in the rearview mirror when they wonder who's to blame.

The weight limit is posted on the Brooklyn entrance as well.

BklynBridge2.jpg

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

‘Preventable’: Hit-and-Run Driver Kills Two on Third. Ave Corridor Eric Adams Refuses to Make Safer

A motorist struck and killed two men on a strip where Mayor Adams recently shelved a safety redesign amid a backlash from local business interests.

July 11, 2025

Why No BRT For NYC? Two New Reports Tackle Why Your Bus Service Sucks

Years of bus priority projects barely made a dent in speeds because Big Apple leaders won't install real bus rapid transit, two recent reports argue.

July 11, 2025

Citi Bike Riders Are Pissed About Eric Adams’s 15 MPH Speed Limit

Citi Bike's new 15 mph max speed limit is a bad deal for riders and a potential threat to safety, riders said.

July 11, 2025

Friday Video: Cyclists, Check Out Your Next City

Streetfilms' Clarence Eckerson visited London earlier this summer to check in on the Big Smoke's cycling revolution.

July 11, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Just the News Edition

We've got one more workday before we can hit the beach. Plus the news.

July 11, 2025

Council To Close Instacart Loophole, Pass Delivery Industry Regulation Bills

The City Council will vote on Monday to close the "Instacart loophole" and force all app companies to pay workers a minimum wage.

July 10, 2025
See all posts