I ride the Queensboro Bridge path from Astoria to Midtown four or five days a week, usually crossing Manhattan-bound around 8:15. Over the last two weeks the DOT shifted the temporary concrete barriers on the Queens approach just before the ramp where the old painted merge used to be. I can’t tell if the new alignment is actually safer or just differently bad.

Specifics: Coming off Crescent St, the space necks down before the metal joints. With the new barrier line, a faster e-bike or throttle scooter trying to pass now has almost no bail-out room if a pedestrian steps off the curb or someone slows for the grates. I had a delivery e-bike pass me on the right at the exact point where the sidewalk lip is broken, and he clipped one of the orange drums. Yesterday a tourist on a classic Citi Bike stopped dead where the path widens, and a few of us stacked up behind him. This never used to feel as tight.

I don’t think the answer is just “ride slower.” The westbound climb has a weird mix: people out of the saddle on acoustic bikes, e-bikes at 20+, pedestrians with headphones, and the occasional runner who uses the bike side because the walk side is covered in gravel. The new barrier arrangement seems to push the two-way issue into a narrower chute for about a hundred yards.

Has anyone else ridden it at rush hour since the change? Which line are you taking: hugging the left barrier, staying middle, or swinging wide right before the merge? I’m also curious whether Citibike riders notice it more because next-gen e-bikes hold speed on the ramp differently than a pedal bike.

I ride it every morning around 7:30 and honestly the barrier shift is an upgrade. The old flex posts were flattened by cars and the merge was a free-for-all. The concrete is ugly but at least it stops the northbound traffic from nosing into the path. Delivery e-bikes are still gonna deliver e-bike, no barrier fixes that. If I see one coming up fast on the right I just hold the middle line until the path widens past the first lamppost. Not polite, but safer than giving them the gap.

For astoria_arch: try crossing 10 min earlier. The 8:15 crowd is exactly when the worst mix happens. 7:25 is mostly commuters and MTA workers.

Hi, this is maybe dumb but I just started riding Citibike to work in LIC and I tried the bridge path last Thursday around 9. It was my first time over the bridge and I was so scared by the grates I walked my bike for a stretch on the uphill. Someone in a full road kit yelled “on your left” and passed super close. Are you allowed to walk a bike on the bridge path? Also, is the path split for bikes and pedestrians? I saw blue signs but then the construction signs said something different. Sorry if this is obvious.

big_city_beth: Not dumb at all—the split is easy to miss when the construction signs are covering the normal stencils. The path is technically two-way and shared, but the outer side is meant for bikes and the inner side for pedestrians. In the construction zone that line disappears completely. You are allowed to walk a bike, but if you do, treat it like a pedestrian and keep to the pedestrian half, not the wheel channel. Stopping in the bike channel is the most common trigger for close passes. The road-kit guy was still out of line.

If you’re heading to LIC at 9, the best adjustment is to not stop on the metal expansion joints. If you need to stop, wait until you’re past the first or second seam where the path is slightly wider. Also avoid the right edge near the orange drums because that’s where glass and crushed plastic collect.

EastHarlem_E: I’m going to test the 7:25 crossing next week. I think you’re right that the crowd is a bigger variable than the barrier itself. The concrete may be preventing a worse car conflict, but the fast e-bike pass on the right is exactly the spot I’m worried about.

Hi all, I’m new here and also new to crossing the bridge on a folding scooter. I tried going from Vernon Blvd to 60th St on Tuesday. The construction path is rough with those small wheels, so I ended up walking the scooter on the left side? Is that wrong? Also, are scooters allowed on the bridge path or are you supposed to ride in the road? I saw someone on a gas moped/sit-down scooter and cars honked, so I stayed on the path. Any tips for next time?

firstwinter: If you’re on a stand-up folding scooter, the bridge path is the right call—nobody should be on the road there unless they’re trying to collect a hospital bracelet. The left side is usually the slower/walking side on that side of the bridge, but the construction has the lines all crossed up. General rule: ride where bikes are riding, walk where pedestrians are walking. If you’re off the scooter, keep it tight and walk the pedestrian line.

Don’t try to glide on the metal grates with small wheels; those gaps are evil. I watched a kid on a kick scooter catch one last fall and nearly go over the bars. If you can swing it, crossing before 7:30 or after 10 is way less nerve-racking.