Bicycling

Eyes on the Street: The Williamsburg Bridge Bike Path Freezes Over

Courtesy of Will Sherman, here's what the Williamsburg Bridge bike path -- one of the most important bike transportation connections in the city -- looked like this morning after the season's first snowfall. Icy and unbikeable. Sherman says he saw at least a few people take a spill.

By Ben Fried

11:54 AM EST on December 11, 2014

The Williamsburg Bridge is a sheet of ice. #bikenyc pic.twitter.com/2hLMDYW4yM
— Will Sherman (@WillSherman) December 11, 2014

Courtesy of Will Sherman, here’s what the Williamsburg Bridge bike path — one of the most important bike transportation connections in the city — looked like this morning after the season’s first snowfall. Icy and unbikeable. Sherman says he saw at least a few people take a spill.

The city has a hit-or-miss record on keeping bike routes clear of snow and ice. An early snowfall in November 2012 got a prompt response from DOT crews, and response times this January were looking very sharp, but at other times the city has taken days or even weeks to make bike lanes passable.

Doug Gordon (@BrooklynSpoke) reports that when he filed a 311 request about the Williamsburg Bridge ice, the city said it’s being taken care of. And DOT says it is treating the bridge bike paths with de-icing chemicals.

What are you seeing on the bikeways and bridge paths today? Are other routes in better shape than the Willy-B?

Ben Fried

Ben Fried started as a Streetsblog reporter in 2008 and led the site as editor-in-chief from 2010 to 2018. He lives in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, with his wife.

Bicycling | Williamsburg Bridge