The city banned street vendors from hawking trinkets and hats to tourists on the Brooklyn Bridge starting today.
According to CBS News, the New York City Department of Transportation enforced the rule compelling vendors to vacate the pedestrian walkways and bike lanes on city bridges and areas approaching the bridges, including the iconic Brooklyn Bridge.
Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said the new rule will make it safer for pedestrians to enjoy the Brooklyn Bridge and the view of New York Harbor.
Jessica Walker, president of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, acknowledged the need to designate safe vending spaces outside the city's bridges.
"We absolutely need designated spaces in our city where street vendors can lawfully operate, but it makes no sense to place them on our narrow, crowded bridges," Walker said. "The top priority across our bridge spans is to ensure that pedestrians, cyclists and motorists alike can move safely, quickly and freely to their destination."
NYC Mayor Eric Adams said the new rule will ensure that locals and visitors enjoy the Brooklyn Bridge without "being packed together like sardines."
Adams added that the new rules would end the "disorder" plaguing the Brooklyn Bridge.
