Hundreds of cyclists took over parts of Greenpoint on Tuesday protesting the redesign of McGuinness Boulevard.

The city said it’s moving forward with the changes despite criticism.

“I’m never going to ride my bike on McGuinness because it’s not safe, and it’s not ideal in any way,” Greenpoint resident Jordana Jacobs said.

What You Need To Know

  • The city said it’s moving forward with the redesign of McGuinness Boulevard despite criticism of the project

  • Protesters from the group Keep McGuinness Safe said more than 10,000 people have signed petitions to stop the renderings from coming to fruition

  • The advocacy group Transportation Alternatives tallies at least 150 people who have been injured on the stretch of road since July 2019

Protesters like Jacobs said McGuinness Boulevard is not safe for pedestrians or cyclists. Jacobs said she and her son were almost hit recently by a truck speeding down the road.

“My son was shaken,” Jacobs said.

At the protest, she and her son joined more than two hundred cyclists in solidarity against the redesign, with work set to start in September, who say the redesign does little to make things safer.

“It’s not about a bike lane. It’s about making a slower local road. We’re not going to stop fight for that,” Bronwyn Breitner, organizer of Make McGuinness Safe, said.

Breitner said she and more than 10,000 people have signed petitions to stop the renderings from coming to fruition.

The design incorporates the four lanes of traffic already there. During the hours of 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., the far lanes turn into parking.

Bikes lanes are added, but are only protected by jersey barriers near the intersection.

“Both sides are unhappy, but there’s lots to be happy about,” Deputy Mayor of Operations Meera Joshi said.

Earlier in the day, the city defended its course of action.

“The bike lane and having the floating parking are going to have the effect of slowing down traffic,” Joshi said.

The advocacy group Transportation Alternatives tallies at least 150 people who have been injured on the stretch of road since July 2019. While some say too little is being done, others say too much is being done.

In a statement, organizers for Keep McGuinness Moving said, “We urge the Department of Transportation to broaden their approach and move the bike lanes to the safer residential streets, re-institute parking and focus on redesigning intersections where the majority of the dangers between pedestrians, cyclists and drivers exist.”

Despite seemingly no one being happy, Breitner said this was not the end of the battle.

“If it can’t happen in this mayoral administration, well, hopefully it will happen in the next one, and hopefully that will be pretty soon,” Breitner said.

The group plans several more protests in the coming weeks.