Security is tight around the criminal courthouse in Lower Manhattan as former President Donald Trump’s trial moves through its second week — but the heightened police presence isn’t making everyone feel safe.
The bike lane on Centre Street, a typically busy connection off the Brooklyn Bridge, is completely blocked off by NYPD barriers, while the adjacent car lane remains open to drivers. Cyclists rolling through the area have since last week been forced to merge with vehicles on the street.
“It’s very, very, very, dangerous,” Timothy Ramirez, 35, a bike messenger of 13 years, said Monday morning. “You’re forced into traffic, where’s [there’s] like no respect from the drivers for the bikers.”
Traffic disruptions during high profile trials at Manhattan’s courthouses are nothing new. But Trump’s trial — which is expected to drag on for at least another six weeks — has brought unprecedented changes to the nearby streetscape.
An oversized NYPD truck sat in front of the criminal courthouse on Monday, which the NYPD said was meant to prevent drivers from jumping the curb and killing people. Across the street at Collect Pond Park, where a man lit himself on fire last week and later died of his injuries, now has all its entrances locked by zip ties except one, which is monitored by police officers.
All that, along with the blocked bike lane, has made cycling a nightmare for the hundreds of commuters and delivery workers who pass by every day.
Jon Orcutt, a former city Department of Transportation official who now heads up the cycling advocacy group Bike New York, believes the city is choosing to ignore cyclists’ concerns.
He pointed out the bike lane on Lafayette Street, which is situated on the other side of Collect Pond Park from the courthouses, is now blocked every day by satellite trucks used by television networks.
“It’s not that hard to put out a press notice…and say, you’re not going to park in these bike lanes,” Orcutt said. “But you know, there’s a TV truck in the bike lane right outside of City Hall everyday, so it’s not like anyone is setting the tone.”
DOT representatives declined to say whether the city put together a plan to manage traffic during the trial, and referred all inquiries on the topic to the NYPD.
“We try not to block traffic,” explained NYPD spokesperson Al Ahasajee. “But the bicycle lane has a lot of pedestrians that go there, so we’re trying to eliminate a lot of pedestrians…especially in front of the court.”
Some regular users of the Centre bike lane like Richard Story said they’ve already adjusted to the barricades.
“You just get used to it,” said Story, 61, who lives in Boerum Hill and commutes by bike to Midtown. “This bit is always clogged up at the best of times, so it’s okay, you kind of know it’s a zoo.”
Even though it’s a hassle and dangerous at times, Story said he’ll continue biking by the courthouses throughout Trump’s trial.
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