Councilmember Restler Provides Affidavit For Lawsuit Against Mayor Adams’ Bedford Ave Bike Lane Plan

The fight over the Bedford Avenue bike lane has flared again. 

Following Mayor Eric Adams’ announcement that the bike lane would be rerouted, a court filing was submitted by a group of bikers seeking a Temporary Restraining Order to stop the removal. The filing argues that the City failed to provide the public notice required before making changes to bike lane infrastructure. Councilman Lincoln Restler provided the group with an affidavit confirming the accusation, and tweeted that " Mayor is legally required to provide notice to our office about removal of Bedford bike lane. This hasn’t happened. We affirmed that fact for parties filing lawsuit." 

The bike lane in Williamsburg has long been a source of tension within our community. Residents have opposed the lane since it was first implemented, as there have been many accidents involving pedestrians, including children, trying to cross from their cars to reach the street. Some of these pedestrians have unfortunately been run over. 

The legal request asks the court to pause the bike lane removal until the issue can be fully reviewed. 

Williamsburg365 reached out to the Mayor's office for a response on this update, to which they answered the following statement:

“Bike lanes are a crucial part of our city’s infrastructure, but Mayor Adams has been clear that they must be implemented with the community’s input and needs in mind. After several dangerous incidents — many of which involved children — the Adams administration listened to the community’s concerns and decided to reconfigure the bike lane to its original model while still maintaining safety measures. It’s a shame Lincoln Restler can’t seem to wrap his head around hearing from the people of Williamsburg and continues to turn his back on the very people he was elected to represent.”

Background

• We are reconfiguring the bike lane while still maintaining safety measures. For most of the stretch, the bike lane will be converted to its previous, conventional bike lane design, with parked cars at the curb, and safety measures still in place. The new design will still preserve the pedestrian islands/daylighting currently installed at the intersections. At intersections, the bike lane will remain as it is now, running between the curb and the pedestrian islands, which can help slow vehicles, improve visibility, reduce pedestrian crossing times, and protect cyclists.
• Late last month, the mayor held a town hall meeting in Williamsburg, which focused on the Bedford Avenue bike lane.
• Many community leaders have publicly come out thanking the mayor since this announcement:

https://x.com/w_parents/status/1933607661267722400?s=46

https://x.com/UnitedJewish/status/1933594598372241595

https://x.com/MoishIndig/status/1933606086185193569

• This neighborhood is home to a large community of Hasidic Jews, who rely on emergency services such as Hatzolah, which do not report to the city. Therefore, incidents may go unreported.
• Back in November, a child was struck by cyclist while ducking behind cars on a congested street, in January, a child was hit by a bike while getting off a school bus and just three weeks ago, a three-year-old girl stepped out of a double-parked car when an oncoming biker struck her. Enough is enough.