Bike and pedestrian path opens on the Tappan Zee

A bike and pedestrian path makes its long-awaited debut on the Tappan Zee Bridge on Monday — nearly three years after the new Hudson River crossing opened to cars.

Hudson Valley cyclists have waited eagerly for the path; the previous Tappan Zee Bridge — demolished after the new span was completed

— offered no exclusive access for cyclists or pedestrians.

The crossing runs over one of the widest areas of the Hudson River, between Tarrytown in Westchester County and Nyack in Rockland County — giving cyclists and walkers the chance to travel between them for the first time ever. And it’ll save cash for the commuters among them.

“Right now I kind of wish I lived in Nyack,” said Dan Convissor, director of the cycling advocacy group Bike Tarrytown. “These folks are going to be able to bike over the bridge, get a beautiful view, get exercise and fresh air, and get to the [MetroNorth] train station for free.”

Still, Convissor and other Hudson Valley advocates say the 3.6-mile path’s design may pose problems. It’ll be open only from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day, and a posted 15 mph speed limit and helmet requirements for cyclists could lead to unnecessary run-ins with law enforcement, Convissor said. Convissor also said the state Thruway Authority plans to force cyclists to stop six times along the crossing — a requirement he thinks few cyclists will follow. In addition, walkers and cyclists will have to share the path, a condition that could cause an east-end bottleneck with throngs of pedestrians expected to stroll from Tarrytown to the bridge’s first overlook point.