Bedford Avenue Temporary Restraining Order Remains in Place; Judge Continues to Bar Adams Administration from Ripping Out Safety Improvements
On the northernmost four blocks of the Bedford Avenue safety improvements, injuries have nearly halved.
On the entire stretch of the new protected bike lane, pedestrian injuries have fallen 38% and all injuries have fallen 12%.
Two pedestrians were killed by drivers on Bedford Avenue in 2024, but no one has died on the corridor in 2025 since the safety improvements.
NEW YORK — Today, Transportation Alternatives as well as Brooklyn parents and families, represented by Peter Beadle, J.D., appeared in court in their lawsuit against the Adams administration over its illegal plans to suddenly remove the Bedford Avenue safety improvements and protected bike lane. This afternoon, the judge extended the temporary restraining order (TRO), preventing the Adams administration from ripping out the safety upgrades. The TRO — previously due to expire today — will now remain in place until the judge’s decision.
DOT’s presentation, filed with the court, states that, “Between DeKalb and Flushing overall injuries are down 47%.” This is far above the average benefit typically seen from such designs (17%), and highlights just how dangerous Bedford Avenue was before the recent redesign. DOT acknowledges that “Removing the protected bike lane (PBL) won’t remove cyclists—it will only make the street less safe.” DOT’s presentation also warns that, should the Adams administration succeed in ripping out the safety improvements, “The City risks legal liability for knowingly reducing safety on a Vision Zero priority corridor.”
According to the lawsuit, the Adams administration announced plans to remove portions of the Bedford Avenue bike lane “improperly, irrationally, without proper legal notice and in an abuse of discretion.”
Statement from Ben Furnas, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives:
“We are a safety-first and data-first organization, and the data is overwhelmingly clear that the Bedford Avenue safety project has made the street significantly safer, reducing injuries by nearly half. We can’t in good conscience stand by and allow a street safety project to be removed on a Vision Zero priority corridor, when all the data shows it is reducing injuries and saving lives. The concerns raised are addressable, but rather than explore real solutions, the Mayor has decided to rip out progress and put Brooklyn families in harm’s way.”
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