Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bicycle Infrastructure

State DOT’s New Security Bollards Squeeze the Hudson River Greenway

The state DOT thinks you have enough room on the Hudson River Greenway. File photo: David Meyer

We've seen the future of the Hudson River Greenway, and unless the New York State DOT changes course, it's not pretty.

Toward the end of last week, the state DOT put down new security bollards on the greenway at 40th Street and 41st Street. As predicted, they're just 48 inches apart -- only enough room for one cyclist at a time to squeeze through. At peak hours, that's certain to jam up the busiest bikeway in the nation and create dangerous conflicts.

The bollards replaced a set of Jersey barriers state DOT installed immediately after the October truck attack on the greenway. At 31 locations below 59th Street, the agency created 20-foot cattle chutes out of these barriers, constricting a path that desperately needs to be widened. These bollards are presumably the first set of dozens that state DOT plans to implement.

While the bollards don't pinch bike traffic as much as the concrete chutes, they still cause problems. Last Friday, it was a tight squeeze, with cyclists frequently choosing to overtake someone by going through a bollard gap in the "oncoming" lane of the bike path. And that was in 90-degree heat, not peak greenway conditions.

Meanwhile, nothing has been done to slow drivers crossing the several points where driveways interrupt the bike path -- a vulnerability that the bollards simply don't address.

In May, Transportation Alternatives sent a letter to Governor Cuomo asking that the bollards be at least five feet apart, in compliance with American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials standards for shared-use paths. None of the officials responsible for the bollard design contacted TransAlt in response.

The busiest trunk line in the entire New York City bike network is getting redesigned without any discernible public outreach to bike infrastructure experts.

"It’s possible to protect greenway users from all manner of vehicle incursions while at the same time not creating a new safety hazard," said TransAlt Executive Director Paul Steely White. "It’s not a matter of if people will be injured on these, it’s when. It’s a hastily thrown-together solution, and we deserve better from our city and state officials."

Photo: David Meyer
Photo: David Meyer
Photo: David Meyer

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

‘Blood On His Hands’: Cyclists Slam Eric Adams After Judge Lets Him Remove Brooklyn Bike Lane

Mayor Adams will have “blood on his hands” for his decision to rip up three blocks of the popular protected bike lane.

July 10, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines: Fourth of July Hangover Edition

That Fourth of July lasts longer for some than others. Plus more news.

July 10, 2025

Brooklyn Judge Lets Eric Adams Rip Up Bedford Avenue Protected Bike Lane

The mayor's move to rip up the bike lane did not require advanced notification, Judge Carolyn Walker-Diallo ruled.

Universal Daylighting Has Majority Support on the City Council — Will Speaker Adams Give It a Vote?

Adrienne Adams is sitting on a landmark daylighting bill that could make every intersection safer for pedestrians.

July 9, 2025

‘Anti-Car Crusade’: Dinowitzes Slam Bronx Harlem River Greenway Bike Lane Touted by Mayor

The father-son duo are throwing a tantrum over the first leg of Mayor Adams's Harlem River Greenway.

July 8, 2025
See all posts