Northeast - Good news at the Queensboro Bridge

Work is moving at a decent pace.
The Manhattan side construction at the ramp is now finished for the Tram which makes the lane so much easier to use. Of course people who were cutting through the opening at 58th St will be in for a surprise as the gate in closed.

The Queens side is busy with paving and some new lane work for cars which I can only hope means that there will be some permanent bike lane to get on and off the bike paths.
At the pace they are moving I think the bike entrance area may be done within 30 days. The other areas, who knows? Looks like underground work is also happening at the same time.

that is really good news.
i commute by car over that bridge, and every day i curse Queens to hell for the horror that i have to drive through. can't wait to see the paving done and the work finished.

One odd thing I noticed the last couple of times I used the Queensboro is that there's no visible traffic light when coming off the bridge into Bridge Plaza North at Crescent Street. Well in fact there is a traffic light, but it only has lights pointed in, maybe, two other directions. Was it always like that? I hope adding a light visible to cyclists and others who use the pedestrian path is part of the planned improvements.

coming off the queens side confuses me because it only seems to lead you into salmoning on all the surrounding streets. I also hope it will come clearer. Since I began biking I find myself going to astoria quite a bit to get away from the mundane boredom that is known as the UES!

I kept meaning to take photos of this but did anyone notice that the temporary wooden barricades on the Manhattan side kept moving closer and closer to the bridge, making the path smaller and smaller over the weeks/months that they were in place? Every few weeks there would be a respite, with the barriers moving out into the street again. It was quite odd to me, as if angry drivers banded together in the middle of the night on some dates and pushed all of the barricades inward. On a side note, I almost rode into the wall on the Manhattan side the other day (Monday?), when the permanent path was put back into use.

I am certain that there will be a bike path on the Queens side. The sidewalk they are creating is paved rather than... sidewalk, and it is very wide.

I did notice it's become a real hairpin turn on the Manhattan side. It's bad enough when you encounter another cyclist trying to make the turn, add a pedestrian to the mix and it becomes an accident waiting to happen.

I almost always make a u-turn coming off the bridge and then take Bridge Plaza North over to 24th Street. That doesn't involve any salmoning but you need to watch for traffic.

The most annoying aspect of the Manhattan side is people riding straight ahead to get over the fence/temporary barricades while you are trying to get onto the bridge. I'm sure there have been a number of accidents resulting from that behavior, especially when the barricades were open and people would just zoom down and right into the street. Having to watch for people going straight saps whatever speed I might have getting onto that ramp--especially fun on my loaded down commuter!

One odd thing I noticed the last couple of times I used the Queensboro is that there's no visible traffic light when coming off the bridge into Bridge Plaza North at Crescent Street. Well in fact there is a traffic light, but it only has lights pointed in, maybe, two other directions. Was it always like that? I hope adding a light visible to cyclists and others who use the pedestrian path is part of the planned improvements.
Stacy, The tight U turn is sadly the finished pedestrian pathway designed and built I believ about a year or 2 ago. Of course many cyclists make a right on First avenue (AGAINST TRAFFIC) and and then another right onto 59th
St.
The design really sucks, but perhaps this will also be fixed (insert laughter here)

coming off the queens side confuses me because it only seems to lead you into salmoning on all the surrounding streets. I also hope it will come clearer. Since I began biking I find myself going to astoria quite a bit to get away from the mundane boredom that is known as the UES!
If you take a quick LEFT once you exit into Queens you will reach Astoria Blvd where the Bike lane is running North-South.
There are other bike lanes That start in the area , NYC Bike Map will help.

Both ends of the bridge are chaotic and waiting for accidents to occur.

On the Manhattan side, you ride downhill on the bridge which becomes narrower and narrower with other cyclists and pedestrians, while the path curves into a turn, then come to an abrupt stop at the exit.

On the Queens side, I haven't ridden to the Astoria side but the side that leads to Skillman/43rd ave. Getting off the bridge you indeed must "salmon" to the middle of the area in order to cross the plaza to the other side (where buses stop), then ride along a chaotic part of the street with buses immediately following you, cars right hooking you (there is a crossroad exactly for right hooking).

I honestly find the Queensborough Bridge and its surroundings the most unpleasant riding experience. Unfortunately it is unavoidable for bike trips between Manhattan and Queens.

By the way, what happened to the southern side of the bridge? It used to be that pedestrians and bikes can go on both sides (northern and southern) of the bridge. Now only the northern side is available.

The Southern side has been an automobile lane for I believe almost 10 years.

By the way, what happened to the southern side of the bridge? It used to be that pedestrians and bikes can go on both sides (northern and southern) of the bridge. Now only the northern side is available.It was always either one side or the other. It even switched sides during the day during the early years, south side during the AM rush hour and north side during the PM rush hour. It had been on the south side, before the lower outer roadways were rebuilt. It was moved to the north side, after these lanes were rebuilt.

The only time both sides were open simultaneously was during the 1980 subway strike. The south side was dedicated to bikes and the north side was dedicated to pedestrians.

Thanks for the information about the south side of the bridge. I remember walking with many other people on the south side one evening 5-6 years ago watching a big fire burning in Brooklyn (I think).