While the Manhattan Bridge may not be an iconic marvel like the Brooklyn Bridge, it is unquestionably a vital link between Downtown Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan. Now in its centennial year, the bridge has two heavily used paths; a northern side for cyclists and southern side for pedestrians. With the completion of the Sands Street protected lane, rider counts have more than tripled (~800 daily riders in 2005, ~2600 riders in 2009) and safety is finally legitimately addressed. The southern side however features a beautifully renovated plaza with benches, antique lamp posts, and NO PEOPLE.

Access to the plaza is near impossible with fences blocking natural pedestrian flow. Too often people must hop a fence or cross the Manhattan Bridge’s exit ramp without any crosswalk. In the coming months, construction on the bridge’s bike path will force even more users towards this unapproachable plaza. The Transportation Alternatives Brooklyn Committee brought these issues to Community Board 2’s Transportation Committee earlier this week, asking for DOT to re-examine the area and create a safer, more sensible plaza approach for pedestrians and cyclists. 

The CB2 committee fully supported the request in an 11-0 unanimous decision. Check out the full presentation here, check out Fort Greene Blog coverage of it here, and stay tuned for updates in the coming months as the Transportation Alternatives Brooklyn Committee rallies more local support, and hopefully DOT continues its recent successes of innovative street design.