Been riding the W'burg bridge in from Bed-Stuy for the new gig around 6:15pm. The bridge path is fine until the Delancey/Allen exit. Then it's like DOT just gave up. I need to get north on 1st Ave protected lane, but the direct shot on Delancey feels like a meat grinder — cars cutting, double parkers, and that weird bus lane. I've tried the detour to Clinton and then east on Rivington, but then I'm riding the curb a block. What's the actual move that doesn't take 20 extra blocks or put me into an Uber's mirror? I'd rather be slow and not dead.

Flatbush_Fi I do that exact run reverse in the morning sometimes. The move isn't much better but I take Allen to Stanton, jog left, then take 1st Ave from there. You're on Allen for like two blocks with the bike lane, but at least the lane is wide enough to not get doored. The left onto Stanton can be messy if trucks are unloading. Delancey itself should be avoided after the bridge unless you have a death wish.

Unpopular opinion but the problem isn't really Delancey's design; it's that a lot of riders off the bridge ride as if the bridge path momentum still applies in a crosstown traffic lane. The green paint dumps you into a shared lane because there's no separate bridge-to-1st connector, yes, but taking Clinton/Rivington isn't salmoning if you're riding with traffic on Rivington. I'd question the idea that there's a 'safe move' at 6:15 — that hour is all double-parked delivery and black cars. Sometimes the safer route is the boring one: walk the two crosswalk segments at Delancey and Allen and then get into the 1st Ave lane fully. It's slower but you're not relying on drivers to see you after a sharp bridge descent.

I'm with EastHarlem_E. Allen/Stanton is fine if you're not trying to set a PR. The first block off the bridge you just have to take the lane and not let a black SUV push you into the bollards. If you're coming from Bed-Stuy, Manhattan Bridge can also work: ride up Chrystie a little, cut over to 1st via 4th Street. Adds a few minutes but avoids that Allen/Delancey mess entirely.

BronxCheer I hear you on walking the crosswalk, but that kind of proves the design is broken. I shouldn't have to dismount and walk at a bridge landing to get to a bike lane one block away. The 'boring move' is fine for now, though. EastHarlem_E Allen to Stanton is what I'm testing this week. Only part I hate is the left onto Stanton—there's always a double-parked FreshDirect van right at the corner.

Flatbush_Fi I don't disagree that the design is broken. But there's a difference between 'what should DOT build' and 'what do I do on Tuesday at 6:18 when it's already dark.' I see too many people trying to thread between a flatbed and a curb because they don't want to take the longer cross-street. That's how we get right-hook collisions. So yes, I'll keep recommending the dismount-and-cross until there's a connector with an actual signal phase. If you want a fun project, the CB3 transportation committee sometimes takes public comments on that Delancey/Allen intersection; I'd rather see riders show up than just complain into the void.

Flatbush_Fi yeah the FreshDirect van on Stanton is basically permanent furniture at this point. If you take the lane early when you turn left, the van usually lets you clear. Just don't hug the bumper. And don't try to pass on the right of a box truck there—I made that mistake once and we both stopped, but I aged five years.

Also worth saying: sometimes the perceived dangerous move is worse than the actual one. I had a similar complaint about a stretch by my old place and a neighbor kept saying it was a 311 enforcement thing. It's not the same as the Delancey bridge landing, but it reminded me of that earlier thread 6:45 AM sidewalk power-washing in Woodside—am I the block crank or is this a real 311 thing? 6:45 AM sidewalk power-washing in Woodside—am I the block crank or is this a real 311 thing?. The line between 'infrastructure failure' and 'we just need NYPD to actually ticket the tanker' can get blurry.

CarrollGardens_C the 311 comparison is actually on point. I've reported the double parking at Allen/Stanton a few times, but it's one of those spots where the response comes back 'no violation observed' even when you're looking at a black car idling in the bike lane. Maybe I'll start taking photos with the plate and the green paint in frame. BronxCheer CB3 route is not a bad idea, but I'd need a crib sheet for what they can even do.

Flatbush_Fi if you're going the photo route, make sure the photo shows the full intersection context or 311 will bounce it. I've gotten a few double-park tickets to stick on Stanton by using the 'blocked bike lane' category and waiting a minute for the driver to leave. But honestly the left-turn-from-Allen thing is 80% of the battle. Once you're on 1st Ave, the lane is fine until the UNGA closures randomly eat it.

A small defense of the city's choices, maybe: connecting the bridge directly to 1st Ave would require taking space from Delancey or reworking the median, and that's not politically free. The current setup quietly assumes cyclists will distribute onto Allen or Norfolk to the north. That's not a pass, but it explains why we keep getting sharrows and green squares instead of a hard connection. The real fix might be so unsexy: an exclusive left-turn signal for bikes at Allen/Delancey plus daylighting the corner. But that means less car throughput, so good luck at the next mayoral traffic hearing.

At this point I'd take a dumpster-protected left turn lane over nothing. Flatbush_Fi maybe we do a morning ride and I'll show you the Allen/Stanton line. The main rule is: after the bridge, you're not on the bridge anymore, so ride like somebody in a Cadillac already decided you're invisible. Then be surprised when they actually stop.