These bridges are 2 miles from each other.
The pedestrian path on the South Outer Roadway that has been promised for years now and delayed at least 6 times, could and should be opened, with the fence to come later. If this were for cars it would have obviously been done decades ago. Drivers would never be treated the way micromobility and pedestrians are on these bridges.
Anyone that has the nerve to suggest bikes and pedestrians have priority on NYC streets should be forced to ride over the Triboro with their kids. They will never say anything so stupid again in their life.
Between the two, the bridges have a combined 23 lanes for motor vehicles, and 2 for pedestrians and micromobility. (1 on each bridge that is shared between both modes going both directions.) On the Triboro, this means occasionally passing people with inches of wiggle room to avoid death.
This is when you’re not carrying your bike up stairs…
… or using the runnels to awkwardly slide it up…
… hoping nobody is coming around the blind corners…
… or trying to remember not to fly off the surprise staircases…
We could open the South Outer Roadway on the Queensboro Bridge tomorrow. We could have also done it 4 years ago.
"We can't open the Queensboro pedestrian path without a safety fence." Meanwhile on the Triboro...