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City hopes to make the Willy B safer for bikers

Biking over the Williamsburg Bridge should soon be a lot easier, thanks to a makeover of the ramps on the most heavily cycled bridge in the city.

Department of Transportation workers will begin installing a smooth, resurfaced path separating bikers from pedestrians, the city revealed this week.

According to Brooklyn Borough Commissioner Joseph Palmieri, the new configuration will reduce conflicts between pedestrians and speedy cyclists by creating clearly marked pathways at the Manhattan end of the bridge and separating them entirely into two lanes on the Williamsburg side.

There will also be new signage at the entrances to the cycle paths, to help riders find their way onto the Williamsburg Bridge from the bustling eight-lane entrance on the Manhattan side and the concrete expressway ramps by Havemeyer and S. Fourth streets.

“We believe this configuration will simplify and clarify the path operation for cyclists and pedestrians,” said Palmieri.

Transportation Alternatives spokesperson Wiley Norvell said it “makes sense” to improve the entrances and exits.

“There are a lot of cars on the approach to the Williamsburg Bridge that go into highway mode and there is an incredible amount of speeding,” said Norvell. “You don’t want to be sharing a lane with a vehicle going 45 miles an hour.”

The bridge carries 4,000 cyclists a day at its midsummer peak, city stats show.