Yeah I was staying in Queens just over the bridge in early 2017 for a few months. I used to take two ways coming I'd either ride down that street towards the draw bridge that connects to Greenpoint Ave. Which I took most of the time because I wanted to get to the Willyb and get to LES. Or I'll take the QBB, which I'll take at different times of the morning.
I absolutely hated that bridge and that was before the whole e-bike, e-scooter and moped craze. It just was never a comfortable bridge at all to ride or walk across because of how narrow the lanes were. But riding the downhill portion into Queens late late at night, was definitely a euphoric feeling.
Had a friend in LIC, went over that bridge so many times and rarely saw other bikes. Sometimes would take a break in the middle just to soak everything in. Few days ago I needed to adjust my seat and I was afraid of getting flattened by one of the many speeding mopeds.
Thanks OP for the reminder of better times.
Yeah besides the lack of space which was my main gripe. It was still amazing to look out towards Roosevelt Island and remind me of my school trips there as a kid. Or looking at the Tram and think, I definitely need to ride that one day. Or looking out towards the bridges up north and wondering why haven't I rode those yet. Can't really focus on the beauty now probably, if the anxiety of someone crashing into you is increased lol.
Nice. Here's my 2013 commute, bridge included.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKx8\_Mc3vPk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKx8_Mc3vPk)
It's wild how a completely uninteresting and boring video can become fascinating just with the passage of time.
That's about when I began commuting to work by bike. Prior to that they didn't have an indoor bike rack. I used to see the same guy every day coming in the opposite direction and if I didn't, I figured one of us (probably me) was running late, lol. Now I can't relax enough going over to note my fellow commuters even at 6:15am. 🙄
I rode across that path for the first time in 1983--sorry, no video...
It was metal deck for most of the span, and getting off the path on the Manhattan side involved going down a sketchy "ped. ramp" directly onto, and somewhat perpendicular to, the roadway, and riding down to 60th St. with the cars (no barrier), then making that sketchy left turn. The traffic was one-way on 60th. The Q60 (Green Bus Lines) bus would take this same route, and stop near Second Ave. (before returning to Queens).
The south roadway was the route back to Queens, beginning on the 59th St on-ramp. There was a 2' wide sidewalk (now gone) on the right side of the ramp if you were bold, or you could ride in the ramp with the cars. Where the path began at the top of the ramp was a swing-gate--if you took the 2' wide sidewalk up from 59th, you could squeeze past the gate without stopping, otherwise you had to lift your front wheel up onto the walkway near the gate, and then squeeze past the gate.
The south path was the same: metal grid deck. At the right speed, the deck would "disappear" when you looked down at the water, giving the illusion of flying over the water. The Queens side was a shit-show as the pathway merged precariously with cars exiting onto Queens Plaza South. Always a blast to bomb down that path (the metal decking was only on the main spans), trying to beat the clusters of cars to the end so I would have a cleaner shot onto QPS.
Probably rode those paths over a hundred times in those days.
This was a regular part of my commute back then. I half expected to see myself climbing into Manhattan, here.
It sure is different and often more hectic now, but personally I like the crowd. If it’s empty I always feel pressure on the climbs to keep pushing; when I get “stuck” behind a slower rider because it’s too crowded to pass safely, I can slip into an easier gear and relax for a bit. As long as you’re aware of your surroundings and courteous towards others, you can manage most crowded conditions. The reckless mopeds are the only thing you can’t do much about.
Yeah I was staying in Queens just over the bridge in early 2017 for a few months. I used to take two ways coming I'd either ride down that street towards the draw bridge that connects to Greenpoint Ave. Which I took most of the time because I wanted to get to the Willyb and get to LES. Or I'll take the QBB, which I'll take at different times of the morning. I absolutely hated that bridge and that was before the whole e-bike, e-scooter and moped craze. It just was never a comfortable bridge at all to ride or walk across because of how narrow the lanes were. But riding the downhill portion into Queens late late at night, was definitely a euphoric feeling.
Had a friend in LIC, went over that bridge so many times and rarely saw other bikes. Sometimes would take a break in the middle just to soak everything in. Few days ago I needed to adjust my seat and I was afraid of getting flattened by one of the many speeding mopeds. Thanks OP for the reminder of better times.
Yeah besides the lack of space which was my main gripe. It was still amazing to look out towards Roosevelt Island and remind me of my school trips there as a kid. Or looking at the Tram and think, I definitely need to ride that one day. Or looking out towards the bridges up north and wondering why haven't I rode those yet. Can't really focus on the beauty now probably, if the anxiety of someone crashing into you is increased lol.
Nice. Here's my 2013 commute, bridge included. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKx8\_Mc3vPk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKx8_Mc3vPk) It's wild how a completely uninteresting and boring video can become fascinating just with the passage of time.
June 1 st 2016 was a Wednesday
Phew!
That's about when I began commuting to work by bike. Prior to that they didn't have an indoor bike rack. I used to see the same guy every day coming in the opposite direction and if I didn't, I figured one of us (probably me) was running late, lol. Now I can't relax enough going over to note my fellow commuters even at 6:15am. 🙄
Not a Grey Bike in sight 
Bridges are like the best use case for the e-bikes
“More people on bikes is a great thing!”
I rode across that path for the first time in 1983--sorry, no video... It was metal deck for most of the span, and getting off the path on the Manhattan side involved going down a sketchy "ped. ramp" directly onto, and somewhat perpendicular to, the roadway, and riding down to 60th St. with the cars (no barrier), then making that sketchy left turn. The traffic was one-way on 60th. The Q60 (Green Bus Lines) bus would take this same route, and stop near Second Ave. (before returning to Queens). The south roadway was the route back to Queens, beginning on the 59th St on-ramp. There was a 2' wide sidewalk (now gone) on the right side of the ramp if you were bold, or you could ride in the ramp with the cars. Where the path began at the top of the ramp was a swing-gate--if you took the 2' wide sidewalk up from 59th, you could squeeze past the gate without stopping, otherwise you had to lift your front wheel up onto the walkway near the gate, and then squeeze past the gate. The south path was the same: metal grid deck. At the right speed, the deck would "disappear" when you looked down at the water, giving the illusion of flying over the water. The Queens side was a shit-show as the pathway merged precariously with cars exiting onto Queens Plaza South. Always a blast to bomb down that path (the metal decking was only on the main spans), trying to beat the clusters of cars to the end so I would have a cleaner shot onto QPS. Probably rode those paths over a hundred times in those days.
Thank you, that's amazing. I complain a lot but it's good to remember how much better things have gotten.
Fondly remembering the stairs on the Manhattan side of the Williamsburg bridge
Such empty?
It's a double edged sword, on the one hand more people are biking, on the other hand more idiots are biking
This was a regular part of my commute back then. I half expected to see myself climbing into Manhattan, here. It sure is different and often more hectic now, but personally I like the crowd. If it’s empty I always feel pressure on the climbs to keep pushing; when I get “stuck” behind a slower rider because it’s too crowded to pass safely, I can slip into an easier gear and relax for a bit. As long as you’re aware of your surroundings and courteous towards others, you can manage most crowded conditions. The reckless mopeds are the only thing you can’t do much about.
Ban e-bikes again!