Lawyers must prove the city was not acting “arbitrarily, capriciously, and illegally” in ordering the hasty removal.
In a victory for Brooklyn bike advocates, a judge ordered New York City to stop its planned removal of a protected bike lane on Bedford Avenue. Although the judge has yet to issue a final ruling, “For now, street safety advocates crowed that they had, at least for now, halted the city's plans to put cyclists back in harm's way on a notoriously dangerous street.”
According to the suit, “Despite the completion of the upgraded lane’s installation in October 2024; and, despite data showing both that the old [painted lane] was not safe or effective and safety of all road users has improved since the upgraded design was installed, the city improperly, irrationally, without proper legal notice and in an abuse of discretion announced on Friday, June 13, 2025 that it would remove the upgraded bicycle lane.”
As Gersh Kuntzman explains in Streetsblog NYC, “Leaders of the Hasidic community — who have long complained that bike lanes bring outsiders to their enclave — claimed that it is unsafe after several minor crashes involving children running into the bike lane from illegally parked cars or buses.”
According to Kuntzman, “The city made several design tweaks, but illegal parkers consistently thwart the city's effort to provide daylighting so cyclists and kids can see each other.”
The judge ordered the parties back to the courtroom on August 6.
Read the full story: BREAKING: Judge Halts Mayor’s Plan to Tear Out Bedford Av. Bike Lane
Study: Protected bike lanes increase Citi Bike rides by nearly 400 rides a month
An analysis of millions of NYC bike share rides reveals that only protected bike lanes have a 'statistically significant' increase in ridership.
Judge Orders Removal of Queens Bike Lane on One of NYC’s Most Dangerous Corridors
A group of local businesses and a school sued the city, arguing that NYCDOT didn’t follow appropriate procedures and failed to address safety concerns before going ahead with the project.
NYC Launches Citywide Secure Bike Parking Network
The new parking hubs will span 500 locations and offer an alternative to taking bikes on crowded transit or up multi-story apartment stairs.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
LA may place emergency ban on karaoke room permits
If Councilwoman Heather Hutt’s proposal passes, the moratorium would last between 45 days and one year.
City officials are dumping billions of gallons of sewage into the Chicago River
This year, the Racine Avenue sewage pumping station has poured over 10 billion gallons of sewage into the Chicago River.
Move over, LA: St. Louis gears up for Olympics, invests millions in downtown redevelopment
The Missouri city will host the 2028 Olympic soccer group stage and knockout matches.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
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Montrose County
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