Bridges are for people, not cars.
We need more space for pedestrians and cyclists to cross safely.

#Bridges4People Citywide Summer Ride

#Bridges4People toured the various applications of bike lanes on city bridges and connecting street networks at the first annual Citywide Summer Ride! Participants met activists from all five boroughs and gained a better understanding of bike infrastructure across the city. Council Members Brad Lander and Stephen Levin spoke at the rally before the ride.

Great to see the riders off this am for @TransAlt's #Bridges4People Citywide Ride to demand bike lanes on bridges & connecting street networks.

Unbeknownst to Robert Moses, the bike lanes on the Verrazano have been there all along — they just need to be liberated from the cars! pic.twitter.com/VLRwlA1YW5

— Brad Lander (@bradlander) August 15, 2021

The ride consisted of three legs totalling 28.4 miles, and the route created by Bronx Activist Lucia Deng can be found here.

The Citywide Summer Ride was a collaboration with Transportation Alternatives committees from all five boroughs, including activists working on The Harbor Ring and the #WashingtonBridge4People campaign.

Great ride today with @bridges4people and @TransAltBX advocating for more space on MTA owned Bridges, specifically the Verrazano, Triborough and Washington Bridges! From BK, to QNS and the Bronx we all agree we need more space for Cyclist and Pedestrians on Bridges!#bikenyc pic.twitter.com/3zDCl7qjqv

— ChainringQueen (@goaliegirl44) August 15, 2021

Brooklyn Activist Juan Serra made an incredible video of the third leg of the ride:

City Council Candidate Rally and Ride

City Council candidates from District 1 and 33 joined #Bridges4People for a ride from the west side of Lower Manhattan to and across the Brooklyn Bridge and then back over the Manhattan Bridge. Even though the Hudson River Greenway is the busiest bike path in the United States, it still isn't well connected to the East River bridges.

If you missed the event, you can watch a recording of the rally before the ride:

#Bridges4People Teach-In

#Bridges4People hosted a virtual teach-in with activists and special guest speakers on why New Yorkers need more space on bridges and how to get organized! TA Executive Director Danny Harris, Brooklyn Council Member Stephen Levin, NYC People's Bike Mayor Courtney Williams, and Van Alen's Associate Director of Research Andrew Brown discussed how better transportation infrastructure improves equity, health, prosperity, and safety in our communities.

If you missed the event, you can watch the recording on YouTube:

#Bridges2Love self-paced ride

To show our love for riding over the East River Bridges, on Valentine's Day we created a heart-shaped self-paced ride for our supporters:

Our first big win: a car lane on the Brooklyn Bridge will be converted into bike lanes!

Mayor Bill de Blasio announces that a car lane would be converted into bike lanes on the Brooklyn Bridge (and the Queensboro Bridge, too)!

While #Bridges4People is still holding out for two car lanes to be converted on the Brooklyn Bridge and for better bike lanes on the other two bridges that connect Brooklyn and Manhattan, this is a step in the right direction.