hey, so those bumps or divider covers or whatever they are totally suck. I started riding fixed gear about a month and a half ago and definilty had a couple surprises trying to coast over them, but i got the hang of it now, but i have gotten in the habit of popping my front wheel over them, esp on the way down, i guess this is kinda random, but does anyone else do this? I'm riding an old converted road bike and feel like i shouldnt be sometimes. Also just curious if anyone else had heard if there was any progress in getting rid of them, I know it was an issue addressed to the city a while back. thanks yall.

check here for updates.

i ride that bridge at least twice a day, and i hate the bumps. but, i have become used to their horribleness, and the only time they catch me unawares is the exact time in the day when the shadows are cast perfectly across them. i imagine this to happen for about ten minutes, twice a day, but it's pretty freaky - i expect them, but can only see them at the last second. keeps me on my toes.

that said, they are a stupid, purposeless design, and the sooner they're removed, the better. anyone know why they haven't managed to open both the north and south paths at the same time (or at least for more than, like, a week)??

total hijack, but just have to vent:

MTA, the L train and Brooklyn bus drivers suck ass. Biznatches, all of them. And Pataki is a loser collaborator in their ineptitude/rudeness. I've just decided to become as bike-dependent as possible, as quickly as possible. I hate them.

...now, back to your regularly scheduled program...

Guys and Gals,

I haven't posted in a while (busy busy), but this one caught my eye.

For those of you that don't know me (or don't remember me), my name is David. I work for Transportation Alternatives. I personally have been working on having DOT remove the W'burg bridge metal expansion joint covers for just over a year (if you've been stopped on the bridge andd filled out a survey, then we've probably met). Anyway, I just want y'all to know that we're working dilligently and things are coming to a head. I've seen more progress in the past 2 months than I've seen in the previous 10. Keep the faith. We're going to do this. It's just a matter of time.

Peace,
DGS

SEE ALSO : https://www.bikeforums.net/singlespeed-fixed-gear/88853-manhattan-bridge.html
for lots of bridge talk...

hi david - i definitely filled out a survey - black fixie, top tube protector, right? thanks for the hard work, we appreciate it. i've watched the progress, and it's nice to see that action taken can have direct results.

and yes, the MTA is a joke. i've ridden the subway a handful of times this year, and every time i'm amazed at how much it completely sucks. i'd rather be cold and wet on my bike, than miserable, late, and frustrated on a train.

IIRC, NYC public transit, by percentage, gets the least amount of federal funding of any large city in the US. that's insane. we need it, and use it, more than anyone!

federal funding? does muni get federal funding too? in sf, muni operates as a money losing entity every year. i think it's like $60 mil in the hole right now.

public transit systems are inherently money losing ventures. there's no way to get that many people around for such little money and make a profit. that's why most are govt. funded, and not solely private.

that being said, the mta is particularly hard hit and albany's perpetual "f u ck you" attitude to the city never helps.

Yep, that's me with the black fixie with the top tube protector.

Interestingly, Chris X (perpetual NYC mayoral candidate) claims that it owuld be more cost-effecient to just make mass transit free, i.e. the moeny collected from riders is less than the amount necessary to supply metro cards, metro card vending machines, turnstiles, turnstile upkeep, etc. I haven't seen the numbers, but it's definitely an interesting idea I'd like to explore further.

Incidentally, any undecided NYC cyclists should check out Chris' website for his platform. I love his platfrom and I'm going to vote for him. He's very bicycle-friendly.

https://mayorbrodeur.org/

I'm bicycle friendly too!!



It seems like its a money hole, now matter how much goes in it will just need more and more and more and more and more...kinda like that critter in "Spirited Away".

sure, understood. public trasportation is not a money making venture. BUT, it is paid for by us, the public, and seeing as public transportation benefits everyone (even if you don't use it - more efficient use of fossil fuels, lightening of traffic loads, enviromental benefits, etc.), it should be a higher priority than it currently is.

if the MTA needs more money, then it should be allocated... the subways and buses should not be allowed to rot in disrepair - that will only urge people to buy more cars, and start a move away from a public transit system which actually has a pretty decent infrastructure.

overall, i just think it's nuts that NYC gets screwed more than any other big city. no city in this country is as dependent on public transportation.

btw, today was the first day i've ever experienced that i had to dismount my bike due to wind. the vicious wind, bringing with it stinging sleet, nearly knocked me over so many times on the bridge that i walked the downhill half. it didn't help that there was a half-inch of sleet/slush piling up, and that i'm riding armadillos...

crazy weather out there today.

Yo, that hail coming down was like pins and needles on your face.

same here. rode into the city from bklyn this morning. the manhattan bridge bike path was covered in its entirety in an inch-thick layer of slush and wet snow. took me some 20 minutes to get over the bridge. such slow going.

at the manhattan base of the bridge, two guys with shovels were just starting to clear the path. long way to go.

but word to the armadillos. every wet manhole cover is an adventure.

i'm beginning to think about some replacements for my faithful armadillos.

when the conditions are this bad and the wind is over 20mph i refuse to get on my bike. my 100-lb self just isn't enough to cut thru the slush or deny the wind from blowing me clear sideways. ride safe out there, fellas...

Anyone know WHY those bumps are one the bridge? Are they merely for 'safety,' i.e. to slow traffic down? Or do they serve a structural purpose? And why isn't the south side path open?

technically they are known as "expansion joint (cover)s" -- again, read more on the TA site :
https://www.transalt.org/press/releas...liamsburg.html

i quite honestly don't see what the problem is with the bumps. i commuted brakeless over the Williamsburg bridge for almost a year, and never even came close to any kind of incident. granted they're a nuisance, but that's about it IMHO.

just another thought - if the bumps were removed, i could see how one could easily be flying at 45 mph entering Delancy Street. which probably is not good.

the only 'trauma' i've personally experienced from the joints/bumps on the bridge is losing some blinkies - they've jarred loose after jumping some of the stupid things. yeah, not a whole lot to cry over, for me at least. though i do feel like one day, sooner or later, my front wheel isn't gonna land the way i intend...

the bigger issues are that less skilled and older cyclists have trouble with them, and the bumps truly discourage riders who are less committed than you and i are. the DOT and the city should be encouraging cyclists, not scaring them. they cause a lot of accidents, and there have been problems with pedestrians and the disabled. all this for an unnecessary design.

and i don't recommed 45 mph anywhere on delancey...

edit - this from TA:

Over the summer and fall of 2004, T.A. surveyed 254 people walking and biking over the Williamsburg Bridge. The survey reveals that the two-inch high bumps caused:

* 23% of bridge users to crash their bicycles or trip and fall
* 64% of bridge users to lose control of their bicycles or trip
* 74% of bridge users to suffer damages to their bikes and other property
* 32% of bridge users to avoid crossing the Williamsburg Bridge

point is this: they suck. the joints on the manhattan suck too, the lack of a divided bike path on the BB also sucks. If the city is going to pay, what, x *MILLION* dollars to build a path why is it acceptable to have these kinds of things on the roadway? There are not 'expansion joint covers' on the car lanes of the bridge. It is lack of oversight on the City's part. They are spending our money poorly and there should be more accountability and better results.

this thread seems to be wavering in focus a bit, but here's my two cents. . .there are a million reasons to hate the MTA. . .they are an unbelievably top-heavy organization that IMHO is very poorly run. i read somewhere (if someone knows the source of this info, holla) that MTA has a full-time staff of 20+ lawyers yet still ran up 6 figures in "outside legal consultation" last year. how many lawyers does it take to prop up the MTA? yow.

The "bumps" as they are colloquially known are, in fact, metal covers for expansion joints. Next time you go over the bridge, take a moment to peek over the side and take a look under a bump. You'll see a wide gap between adjacent sections of the bridge (the sections are technically termed "spans"). When working with material of excessive length that is exposed to temperature extremes (for example, bridge spans), one must make allowances for heat expansion and cold contraction. Otherwise, the bridge would buckle in the summer and separate in the winter. To get around this engineering necessity, bridge builders employ expansion joints, which usually are some form of collapsible material. In the case of the Williamsburg Bridge, the builders merely left gaps between the spans and placed metal covers over them.

So, these metal expansion joint covers, while structurally neccessary, are not the only possible solution. Indeed, a metal cover that sat flush with the bridge path or had a gently sloping profile would be much better. In fact, the reason you often don't notice the expansion joints on other bridges around the city is because they sit flush or are gently sloping. The covers on the W'burg bridge just happen to be poorly designed for their intended use. They're extrermely dangerous and, worse yet, illegal due to noncompliance with the ADA. There have been numerous injuries and (to my knowledge) 5 pending lawsuits as a direct result of these bumps. Recently, thanks to a raccous Community Board meeting, the DOT has consented to conduct a study (lame, but an important first step) on the safety of the bumps and feasinble alternatives. So progress, while slow, is existant.

Now, we often hear about supposed benefits of the bumps, usually that they prevent excessive speed. While that may be true, there are many other ways of controlling the speed of bridge path cyclists that don't physically injure close to 1 in 4 of ALL users. Signage, bollards, legitimate speed humps, etc could all be successfully employed without extracting such a terrifying penalty. Also, if you consider the other bridge paths around town that don't have dangerous obstacles on them, you quickly realize that the cyclists on those paths don't go screaming at 45 mph downhill, despite the lack of dubious speed controls.

Hope that helps

DGS

thanx for all the info, dave.

noumena9 posed a good question: why was this acceptable only for the bike and ped lanes? what do they use in the car lanes?

i've often thought that for such a wonderful city to bike in, NYC sure treats bikers like dirt. that's why TA is so amazing (though i have a few issues with them) by actually getting results.

on another note, the manhattan bridge rules! the bridge workers have done a wonderful job of keeping the path clear of snow and debris. and everyone on it is so friendly (maybe because they aren't getting their saddles jammed up their butts by bumps). our bridge is better than your bridge [in child's singsong voice].

having ridden over a number of bridges in the car lanes (thanks critical mass!) i've been able to check out the expansion joints used there. left uncovered, they're impossible to ride over.

they're like a set of interlocking fingers, much like this picture, except in the case of some bridges (the manhattan bridge, i remember), the gaps are so wide, your wheel would just fall right into them if you tried to ride over.



you'd think that a much longer, lower type of rolling speedbump could be used and maybe paved over.

They have those on the QB (Queens Bridge aka 59th street bridge) also.

S/F<
CEYA!