New York City's mayor has revealed "radical" plans to turn vehicle lanes into cycling paths on two bridges across the East River and build five bicycle streets across the city in response to the pandemic.
Improved cycle routes are part of the city's plans to help the city recover from coronavirus by investing in public health.
Historic bridges to have cycle paths
The scheme, called Bridges for the People, was unveiled on 29 January as part of Mayor Bill de Blasio's State of the City 2021 address.
"The Brooklyn Bridge (above) and the Queensboro Bridge are iconic and deeply intertwined in the daily lives of countless New Yorkers," said De Blasio.
"Now, it's time to bring them into the 21st century and embrace the future with a radical new plan."
Cars will be banned from the innermost lane of the Manhattan-bound side of the 152-year-old Brooklyn Bridge, which will be turned into a two-way cycle path.
This path will be protected from traffic, and the existing walkway will become pedestrian-only. Currently, foot and bike traffic has to share.
On the 112-year-old Queensboro Bridge, the outer road heading north will be turned into a two-way cycle lane and the southbound outer road will be given over to pedestrians. Construction to create the cycle lane and pedestrian-only lane will begin this year.
"Converting car lanes into bike lanes on two of our most important bridges is a giant leap forward for New York City," said campaign group Trans...