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| A Bridge From Queens to Manhattan, but No Cars Allowed | A Bridge From Queens to Manhattan, but No Cars Allowed |
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| New York City has taken street space away from cars for dozens of pedestrian plazas and for hundreds of miles of bike lanes that make up the largest urban bike network in the nation. | New York City has taken street space away from cars for dozens of pedestrian plazas and for hundreds of miles of bike lanes that make up the largest urban bike network in the nation. |
| It has significantly expanded those efforts during the coronavirus pandemic, adding more than 40 miles of open streets for pedestrians and cyclists, some of which may become permanent. | It has significantly expanded those efforts during the coronavirus pandemic, adding more than 40 miles of open streets for pedestrians and cyclists, some of which may become permanent. |
| Now, a new proposal calls for the city to build the first new bridge to Manhattan in decades — one just for cyclists and pedestrians. | Now, a new proposal calls for the city to build the first new bridge to Manhattan in decades — one just for cyclists and pedestrians. |
| The car-free bridge would connect Midtown Manhattan to Long Island City in Queens, near the site that Amazon had planned to build a headquarters before pulling out under intense community opposition. | The car-free bridge would connect Midtown Manhattan to Long Island City in Queens, near the site that Amazon had planned to build a headquarters before pulling out under intense community opposition. |
| The bridge would also link to Roosevelt Island, where Cornell Tech is nurturing a new generation of tech entrepreneurs. | The bridge would also link to Roosevelt Island, where Cornell Tech is nurturing a new generation of tech entrepreneurs. |
| Called the Queens Ribbon, the $100 million bridge would be narrower than one designed for cars and would resemble a relatively thin line across the East River, according to the proposal, which was developed by a group of transportation engineers led by Samuel I. Schwartz, a former city traffic commissioner. | Called the Queens Ribbon, the $100 million bridge would be narrower than one designed for cars and would resemble a relatively thin line across the East River, according to the proposal, which was developed by a group of transportation engineers led by Samuel I. Schwartz, a former city traffic commissioner. |
| London, Paris, Singapore and other cities have built car-free bridges as part of a global movement to make more room for people in urban streetscapes. In New York, several major bridges carry only pedestrians and cyclists, including the High Bridge connecting Washington Heights in Manhattan and Highbridge in the Bronx. | London, Paris, Singapore and other cities have built car-free bridges as part of a global movement to make more room for people in urban streetscapes. In New York, several major bridges carry only pedestrians and cyclists, including the High Bridge connecting Washington Heights in Manhattan and Highbridge in the Bronx. |
| The Queens Ribbon would serve the growing bike and foot traffic in Manhattan’s central business district. As New York City has begun reopening after a three-month shutdown, city officials have warned that the streets could be jammed by cars, and have urged commuters to take mass transit or alternatives, such as bikes. | The Queens Ribbon would serve the growing bike and foot traffic in Manhattan’s central business district. As New York City has begun reopening after a three-month shutdown, city officials have warned that the streets could be jammed by cars, and have urged commuters to take mass transit or alternatives, such as bikes. |
| City officials have stepped up efforts to make cycling safer after a spate of deadly crashes last year. Twenty-eight cyclists were killed in 2019, the highest number in two decades. This year, there have been eight cyclist deaths, compared with 12 during the same period a year ago. | City officials have stepped up efforts to make cycling safer after a spate of deadly crashes last year. Twenty-eight cyclists were killed in 2019, the highest number in two decades. This year, there have been eight cyclist deaths, compared with 12 during the same period a year ago. |
| Cycling has surged in recent months as people have traded in the potential health perils of subway and bus rides for those of bike lanes. Citi Bike, the city’s bike-share program, averaged 63,481 daily rides for June 15-17, up 45 percent from June 1-3, according to Citi Bike data. | Cycling has surged in recent months as people have traded in the potential health perils of subway and bus rides for those of bike lanes. Citi Bike, the city’s bike-share program, averaged 63,481 daily rides for June 15-17, up 45 percent from June 1-3, according to Citi Bike data. |
| Bike rides over four East River crossings — the Ed Koch Queensboro, the Brooklyn, the Manhattan and the Williamsburg Bridges — that are popular bike routes for commuters increased to an average of 21,033 trips per weekday in 2018 from 12,206 in 2008, according to city data. | Bike rides over four East River crossings — the Ed Koch Queensboro, the Brooklyn, the Manhattan and the Williamsburg Bridges — that are popular bike routes for commuters increased to an average of 21,033 trips per weekday in 2018 from 12,206 in 2008, according to city data. |
| “Covid-19 has drawn tremendous attention to walking and biking as increasingly safe modes of transportation,” Mr. Schwartz said. “We know there will be future epidemics, superstorms, blackouts and transit strikes.” | “Covid-19 has drawn tremendous attention to walking and biking as increasingly safe modes of transportation,” Mr. Schwartz said. “We know there will be future epidemics, superstorms, blackouts and transit strikes.” |
| The Regional Plan Association, an influential planning group, recently unveiled a master plan for a Five Borough Bikeway: a 425-mile continuous network of protected, priority bike lanes. It would build upon the city’s current bike network, which includes sections that are not connected and do not have physical barriers separating cyclists from drivers. | The Regional Plan Association, an influential planning group, recently unveiled a master plan for a Five Borough Bikeway: a 425-mile continuous network of protected, priority bike lanes. It would build upon the city’s current bike network, which includes sections that are not connected and do not have physical barriers separating cyclists from drivers. |
| Still, the bridge proposal faces big hurdles. It would require city and state approvals, and a hefty investment at a time when the pandemic has plunged the city into its most dire fiscal crisis in generations, which may require other transportation infrastructure projects to be put on hold. | Still, the bridge proposal faces big hurdles. It would require city and state approvals, and a hefty investment at a time when the pandemic has plunged the city into its most dire fiscal crisis in generations, which may require other transportation infrastructure projects to be put on hold. |
| City and state officials said they would review the bridge proposal. City officials added that they had made expanding cycling and mobility options a priority. “We appreciate the engineers’ hard work in crafting a proposal to reimagine mobility in our city,” a spokesman for the mayor said. | City and state officials said they would review the bridge proposal. City officials added that they had made expanding cycling and mobility options a priority. “We appreciate the engineers’ hard work in crafting a proposal to reimagine mobility in our city,” a spokesman for the mayor said. |
| Andrew Rein, the president of the Citizens Budget Commission, a nonprofit watchdog group, said the bridge’s potential benefits must be weighed against the city’s competing transportation needs. “There are trade offs,” he said. “When you weigh these projects, something has to give. If the city were to do this, what project would it decide not to do?” | Andrew Rein, the president of the Citizens Budget Commission, a nonprofit watchdog group, said the bridge’s potential benefits must be weighed against the city’s competing transportation needs. “There are trade offs,” he said. “When you weigh these projects, something has to give. If the city were to do this, what project would it decide not to do?” |
| Updated August 24, 2020 | |
| Other things to consider, Mr. Rein added, would be where the bridge fits into the city’s overall plan for cycling and how much it would cost to maintain the new bridge once it was built. | Other things to consider, Mr. Rein added, would be where the bridge fits into the city’s overall plan for cycling and how much it would cost to maintain the new bridge once it was built. |
| Mr. Schwartz said the new bridge could potentially be funded with private money through a public-private partnership. | Mr. Schwartz said the new bridge could potentially be funded with private money through a public-private partnership. |
| His group sees the Queens Ribbon as the first of three pedestrian-and-bike bridges. The other two, which are still being developed, would link Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, and Manhattan with New Jersey across the Hudson River. Each bridge would be 20 feet wide, and could carry up to 20,000 people a day. | His group sees the Queens Ribbon as the first of three pedestrian-and-bike bridges. The other two, which are still being developed, would link Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, and Manhattan with New Jersey across the Hudson River. Each bridge would be 20 feet wide, and could carry up to 20,000 people a day. |
| The Queens Ribbon was designed by T.Y. Lin International, an engineering firm. It would be a slender, flexible suspension bridge modeled after industrial bridges that carry pipes for gas or electrical power, said Michael Horodniceanu, a professor of civil engineering at New York University who helped develop the bridge proposal. | The Queens Ribbon was designed by T.Y. Lin International, an engineering firm. It would be a slender, flexible suspension bridge modeled after industrial bridges that carry pipes for gas or electrical power, said Michael Horodniceanu, a professor of civil engineering at New York University who helped develop the bridge proposal. |
| Dr. Horodniceanu said the bridge would expand biking and walking options, and would also help the city’s economy recover by creating new construction jobs. “There are so many ways that this will be a winner,” he said. | Dr. Horodniceanu said the bridge would expand biking and walking options, and would also help the city’s economy recover by creating new construction jobs. “There are so many ways that this will be a winner,” he said. |
| Polly Trottenberg, the city’s transportation commissioner, said at a news conference this week that the Koch Bridge and Brooklyn Bridge had been “pinch points for cycling in and out of Manhattan.” | Polly Trottenberg, the city’s transportation commissioner, said at a news conference this week that the Koch Bridge and Brooklyn Bridge had been “pinch points for cycling in and out of Manhattan.” |
| The Koch Bridge, which opened in 1909, is the only direct connection for pedestrians and cyclists between Midtown Manhattan and Queens. It becomes crowded partly because cycling is banned across another major bridge crossing nearby, the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, which connects East Harlem in Manhattan to Astoria, Queens. | The Koch Bridge, which opened in 1909, is the only direct connection for pedestrians and cyclists between Midtown Manhattan and Queens. It becomes crowded partly because cycling is banned across another major bridge crossing nearby, the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, which connects East Harlem in Manhattan to Astoria, Queens. |
| Mr. Schwartz said he had called for new pedestrian-and-bike bridges in Manhattan for more than a decade as the city’s population grew, tourism boomed and development spread to practically every neighborhood. | Mr. Schwartz said he had called for new pedestrian-and-bike bridges in Manhattan for more than a decade as the city’s population grew, tourism boomed and development spread to practically every neighborhood. |
| “We never learn that we have to fit all the pieces together,” he said. “We can build up to the sky, but if we can’t get people in, we will never fully use what we build.” | “We never learn that we have to fit all the pieces together,” he said. “We can build up to the sky, but if we can’t get people in, we will never fully use what we build.” |