Judge pumps brakes on Adams’ plan to remove Bedford protected bike

This fight is getting wheelie intense.

A judge pumped the brakes Wednesday on Mayor Adams’ plan to rip out a problem-plagued protected bike lane along Brooklyn’s Bedford Avenue — a move Hizzoner made after an e-biker on the path slammed into a toddler.

Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Carolyn Walker-Diallo ruled that City Hall officials had “abused their discretion” by ordering the 1.5-mile stretch of the major thoroughfare be returned to its pre-protected state.

The bike lane will remain in place until a court hearing in August.

“We’re ecstatic that a judge is currently blocking the city from ripping up street safety improvements,” Ben Furnas, the Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives, said in a statement.

“We know that City Hall’s plans aren’t just wrongheaded, they’re illegal — and we will keep fighting for safe streets every step of the way. We won’t let anyone make our streets more dangerous. Mayor Adams, we’ll see you in court.” 

The ruling comes just one day after a cycling activist group, Transportation Alternatives, filed a lawsuit asking a judge to block the sudden removal plans — a move the group argued would make the roadway “more dangerous.”

Walker-Diallo ruled that the Adams administration had violated city code and “acted arbitrarily, capriciously, and illegally, and they abused their discretion” by not consulting local elected officials or the community before making the announcement last week.

City Hall, however, contended they took into account feedback from Williamsburg locals when deciding to redesign the path.

“After several dangerous incidents — many of which involved children getting seriously hurt — the Adams administration listened to the community’s concerns and decided to reconfigure the bike lane to its original model while still maintaining safety measures,” City Hall told The Post in a statement.

“It’s unfortunate that elected leaders are intentionally disregarding the needs and safety of the very community who elected them to be their representative. We will address this matter in court where we are confident we will prevail.”

Adams revealed in an X post last Friday that the protected bike lane, which sits between the curb and parked cars between Willoughby and Flushing avenues, would be removed following “several incidents — including some involving children.”

It also comes on the heels of his plan to introduce a 15 mph speed limit for e-bikers, who are notorious for speeding and weaving through city traffic.

Activists claim the city was planning to begin construction as early as Wednesday.

Adams is seeking to restore the bike lane back to its original location in the street, alongside moving traffic without protective bollards or barriers.

The decision was seemingly inspired by the shocking May 28 crash that sent a 3-year-old girl flying across the pavement after an e-biker using the bike lane slammed into her — an incident that exploded into a political firefight between mayor and Williamsburg City Councilmember Lincoln Restler, who signed a letter of support for the lawsuit.

Video of the accident showed the small girl rushing out from the parked car and directly into the biker’s path, leaving him little room to hit the brakes.

Fortunately, the girl was merely sideswiped and was left with minor injuries to her lower stomach.

Just two weeks earlier, however, another child was hospitalized after being struck by a cyclist while exiting a school bus at the intersection of Bedford Avenue and Myrtle Avenue.

More than 53 injuries related to bicycles, e-bikes, and scooters have been reported on Bedford Avenue since 2024, public records show.