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

Thursday’s Headlines: RFK Freedom Riders Edition

The Triboro Bridge pedestrian path, which cyclists aren’t allowed to use per MTA rules. Photo: Google Street View/Samuel Baumel

 Months after Streetsblog demanded the legalization of cycling and the end of ticketing on Robert F. Kennedy Triboro Bridge, Astoria Council Member Costa Constantinides and State Senator Michael Gianaris Alternatives will rally today at the base of the bridge with Transportation Alternatives activists,

The goal of the  lawmakers, per a press release, is "to reopen the  southern pathway to create separate lanes for cyclists and pedestrians as well as install protective fencing along the entire strip."

TransAlt activists also said they would seek the lifting of the cycling ban on the bridge — although there was no sign of that demand in the official media advisory.

That's backward. Free the path — that is, stop the ticketing of cyclists — and the fixes will follow.

"Outlaw Biker' Steve Scofield, who penned the clarion call for sanity and an end to harassment on the bridge, told Streetsblog that the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority "needs to accept that biking across the bridge is not just a recreational activity — it’s a vital link in the bike network, and that those of us who do it aren’t scofflaws. They need to start planning a few alternatives as to how to install a bike lane and, in the meantime, decriminalize biking on the bridge."

We hope that  Constantinides and the other pols can keep those priorities straight.
Yesterday was a busy news day — with Streetsblog publishing an exclusive story by Dave Colon, which The Post followed, on how staffers of Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie had been caught on camera speeding through school zones an astonishing seven times in the last couple of years.
In other news:
  • The family of the 10 year-old boy mowed down by a motorist in Midwood grieved. (NYDN)
  • Streetsblog reported details of the crash investigation. Gothamist pinned the crash on the motorist's seizure.
  • New York is among the best cities for e-bike and e-scooter trips, because half of all trips are under 3 miles. (Curbed)
  • Transit honcho Ronny Hakim will leave the MTA (NYP, AMNY)
  • A group of miscreants slashed a young man in the subway. (NYP)
  • The Transport Workers Union decried a jump in assaults on transit worker. (NYDN, Politico)
  • The New Yorker went to London to profile how cycling activists are working for climate justice. The Great Charles Komanoff tweeted that the reporting was "solid," although he wondered why, in 20 years of subscribing,  he could not recall that the publication had published any such positive coverage about cycling in New York City.
  • The Council looks for answers to the travails of the taxi and ride-share industries. (CityandState)
  • The Post Editorial Board wants stronger action form the governor on the subways,
  • Three scars through lower Manhattan tell the story of the birth of car culture, according to Gothamist.
  • NYDN critic Linda Stasi complained about the bike lane at FDR Drive and Waterside Plaza.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

‘Bean-Counting Street Safety’: Advocates Blast Gale Brewer’s Daylighting Flip-Flop

The Upper West Side pol's inconsistent safety record is getting a second look from activists who once supported her.

October 2, 2025

There’s Good Science Behind the Human Craving for Livable Streets

It's time to understand the science of pedestrian-friendly cities. Or, why streets should be designed like gardens.

October 2, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines: Mourning Becomes Enforcement Edition

Why were cops ticketing cyclists at the very intersection where a bike rider was killed by a driver on Saturday? Plus other news.

October 2, 2025

Trump Culture War Tantrum Turns to Gateway Tunnel and Second Ave. Subway

It's the second time the Trump administration has denied New York transit funding in as many days.

October 1, 2025

West Side Pols Call on Trump Administration to Stop Illegally Blocking 10th Ave. Bike Lane

The DEA blockade of the 10th Avenue bike lane continues, and local politicians are demanding the federal agency stop denying cyclists safety.

October 1, 2025

When the DOT Takes Your Bike: A Cyclist’s Guide to Getting It Back 

A bike commuter's frustrating journey through New York's bureaucratic maze reveals a hidden problem affecting cyclists citywide. 

October 1, 2025
See all posts