In response to the recent terror attack, security measures on the Hudson River Greenway are creating unnecessary risks of bicycle accidents. The NY state DOT and the NYPD have installed extremely intrusive security barriers on the Hudson River Greenway. 57 crossings have been fortified between 59th Street and Battery Par and on more than half of them, long concrete barriers have been installed diagonally. These safety installations are forcing cyclists as well as pedestrians from both direction to use the same narrow path creating a high risk of head-on collision accidents.
Mayor de Blasio said the barriers need to change so “people can still ride their bike” after many users complained about the bottleneck created by the huge concrete barriers. The Greenway has a tendency to get very crowded with cyclists, joggers and pedestrians and the security installed by the State DOT and the NYPD funnel people uncomfortably close together.
In a recent press conference, The State DOT said that the barriers were temporary and that they were working on a permanent solution although no timeline was provided. Street safety advocates believe the permanent installation of steel bollards would be an optimal solution for the Hudson River Greenway.
The installation of steel bollards at street and driveway crossings have been requested by street safety advocates for more than 10 years. In fact, it’s not the first time that a vehicle drove on the busy bike path along the west side highway. In 2006, a man was fatally struck by a drunk driver who sped down the Greenway at 60 mph before hitting him. At the time, Transportation Alternatives released a statement asking for various improvements that included the closing of unnecessary driveways, the installation of steel bollards and several other safety measures to prevent cars from driving on the bike path.
Unfortunately none of these safety measures were implemented. If they would have, the recent attack may have been prevented.