Queensboro Bridge may get separate bike and pedestrian paths, DOT says

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - Pedestrians and cyclists share the same narrow slice of the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge. The dangerous situation is growing in intensity as bike use of the bridge steadily increases every year.

The solution may be to divide and conquer with bikers and pedestrians relegated to separate paths.

Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer and transit advocacy groups are calling on the Department of Transportation to do just that. They want the northern outer roadway to be for bikes only. The southern outer roadway—currently used by motor vehicles—would become a pedestrian pathway for walkers and runners.

The Queensboro Bridge is already undergoing an extensive renovation. The DOT said it will look at the problem and possible solution.

"DOT will continue to look at the modifications that would be necessary to convert the South Outer Roadway to a pedestrian path and use the North Outer Roadway exclusively for cyclists," the department said in a statement. "If we determine that it would be feasible, we could time the conversion to coincide with the completion of the construction work."