11 ms·

The Steady Rise of Bike Ridership in New York

91 points by qzervaas 12y ago

3pt14159 12y ago
I feel like this is happening in Toronto too. At least south of Bloor where most of my friends live. Once I read the study that cyclists actually live longer (even without a helmet) on average than motorists due to better heart function I was convinced to just make the switch. It actually gets you around faster too since you can go between the stopped cars at lights, although the street car tracks really suck.
- ymeng 12y ago
  I have cycled extensively in Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. I have had the worst experiences in Toronto. Yesterday, I attached a camera to my bicycle and had 0 incidents where I felt a driver was putting my life at risk. The camera is very visible.
  - kazinator 12y ago
    > Yesterday ... I like your comment and I'm keenly interested in seeing a picture of your camera setup (what do the driver's see). Please post it somewhere. However, keep in mind that you don't have enough data from a practice you just put into effect yesterday. This is probably confirmation bias kicking in.
  - ptaipale 12y ago
    That's a little bit too small sample. Drivers won't see whether you have a camera. Be happy if they see you.
- spditner 12y ago
  I've found commuting along the Danforth corridor to be surprisingly orderly in the evening. Coming off the bloor/danforth bridge at about 5:15, clusters of cyclists often take over one of the two east bound lanes, and it makes for a wonderful ride. I wish there were some way to synchronize my ride west in the morning with the critical number of cyclists to achieve the same result. I drive along the same route some days, and these clusters don't appear to have any negative impact on car flow. Stopped cars ignoring the no stopping signs on the other hand cause a great deal of congestion.
matt4077 12y ago
I've made the switch 4 years ago and never looked back. I thought it'd be struggle to take the bike when (good) public transport is available (Berlin, Germany) but I've found that it doesn't require any willpower: I prefer the independence and that I get to see the city, and not just the subway walls. Anything within a 10km radius is absolutely no problem. During the day I'm faster than a car, and at night it's just fun. Rain is a still problem, even though I noticed I don't actually mind getting wet that much. Once inside, you dry within half an hour.
- odiroot 12y ago
  How does your commute look like, if you don't mind asking? I commute north-south, alongside S1 train. I noticed it recently got a lot harder though. It seems like there's construction work everywhere (even on the riverbanks and channels). I need to to add extra kilometres just to cut through Mitte. Also my route is very "hilly", both ways (northern Mitte to Schöneberg). I guess going east-west may be a lot easier. I have to agree though, cycling is usually faster than U-Bahns and buses. Trams are not even worth discussing. I still found S-Bahns to be the fastest.
  - matt4077 12y ago
    Kreuzberg to Prenzlauer Berg, about 8km.
mtbcoder 12y ago
I'm not too surprised by this since car ownership is quite expensive over the life of the car. Combine that with the rapidly increasing costs of living, high rents, stagnate wages, etc and things start to give. Not to mention the overwhelming feelings of depression, rage and frustration that comes with sitting in traffic congestion common to East Coast cities for hours on end everyday. I just wish a good, reliable rail network between cities also existed in the US.
- kazinator 12y ago
  You can get a very good bike for less than the cost of yearly car insurance. Even very-discounted-for-years-of-good-driving car insurance.
  - driverdan 12y ago
    You can get an ok single speed bike for the price of one month of parking in NYC.
- cauterized 12y ago
  In NYC, bike ridership is probably increasing at the expense of subway and bus ridership rather than car commutes (which almost nobody who lives within biking distance of their job does around here unless their job requires an automobile).
- fulafel 12y ago
  You get to feel good about reducing your co2 footprint too. Top of the list for many people. (This goes even if you switch from public transit)
cauterized 12y ago
One thing the article mentions but the headline misses is the need for more and better bike lanes all over the city. De Blasio hasn't been emphasizing this nearly as strongly as Bloomberg did. But the numbers show that replacing one lane of traffic with a protected bike lane can actually ease congestion and increase average car speeds and total throughput (Lafayette St. in Soho is apparently an excellent example of this.) It's also worth noting that the counting is done only at the river crossings, one park, and one crosstown street in Midtown. A lot of bike trips within Manhattan are missed by the count, as are any trips taken within an outer borough. I don't know that that affects the growth rate numbers but it certainly underestimates the total percentage of trips in the city that are made via bicycle.
- krschultz 12y ago
  Agree 100% with that sentiment, but I think the problem is actually lower in the political food chain. The Department of Transportation is very pro-active about adding bike lanes (in contrast to previous generations at the DOT), but they are often blocked by old stodgy community boards in the city. The minority of people that own cars are heavily involved in that level of government, and bikers/pedestrians are not coming out and supporting bike lanes. If people focus on those meetings, the DOT will get more done.
  - akgerber 12y ago
    Community Boards are still problematic in some areas, but not all. And as bike folks are realizing how important they are, they are joining boards and lobbying them: http://www.transalt.org/calendar/6441 http://www.transalt.org/calendar/6441 Recent bike projects have mostly been backlogs from the Bloomberg era— today, the DOT hasn't been particularly bold in proposing new protected bike lanes. The proposed Spring Street lane is pretty meager: http://www.streetsblog.org/2015/04/07/let-down-by-bike-lane-cb-member-asks-dot-to-put-safety-before-parking/ http://www.streetsblog.org/2015/04/07/let-down-by-bike-lane-...
- pavel_lishin 12y ago
  Protected bike lanes would help; unprotected ones just turn into parking spots for UPS, Fedex, police cars and other random vehicles.
aaronharnly 12y ago
I work in Brooklyn, in a building that houses Etsy, Amplify Education (my company), Tough Mudder (until recently), and others. In the annual bike commuting challenge put on by Transportation Alternatives, our building is overflowing with bikes -- all of those companies achieved double-digit participation rates. Granted, these are tech and lifestyle companies that draw a young and idealistic workforce, but it's pretty cool to see.
- nine_k 12y ago
  WRT Brooklyn, I noticed that in the summer the area around 7th ave / Flatbush often has all its rather numerous bike parking spots overfilled. Not a frequent view in other places yet. (And I hope it will not be, because they'll just build more bike parking spots.)
- akgerber 12y ago
  It also helps that it's awful to use a train to commute to Dumbo unless you live along the F or A.
  - mgob 12y ago
    Or the 2/3. Or you could, uh, transfer?
curveship 12y ago
This is happening all over the nation. Here in small Durham, NC, we've seen biking more than double over the last 6 years. Most of the increase is young creative workers who've come for Durham's growing tech and advertising scene. It's also causing some growing pains -- we had three cyclists killed last year by cars.
- ams6110 12y ago
  I passed a car v. cyclist crash this morning on way to work. Cyclist had evidently been riding in the pedistrian crosswalk, against the flow of traffic. Couldn't tell if he had hit a car turning across the walkway, or the car had hit him. Looked like no injuries, though the bicycle was pretty mangled.
  - thirsteh 12y ago
    That's something that annoys me about bikes in the US vs. Europe: People in Europe are generally taught to obey the same laws as everybody else, whereas US bicyclists, in NYC in particular, just completely wing it. When I first moved here I didn't understand why everybody hated on bicyclists; now, after nearly being hit by a bicycle slamming through a crowded crosswalk at least 10 times, I do. Yes, red lights apply to you too, bicyclists.
    - michael_h 12y ago
      When I bought my first "nice" bike a few years ago, the guy wheeled it out to me and said, "This is a vehicle, so ride it like a vehicle. Yes, even at stop signs." Then he warned me about Escalades.
    - cmurf 12y ago
      Yes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idaho_stop http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idaho_stop In Denver, cars running red lights is a big problem, I see it multiple times per day, and it's terrible. Since becoming a bicyclist, I've completely reversed my position on photo red light (tickets). I still don't approve of photo radar, it's mainly a way for cities to make money. But running red lights needs to be stopped, no pun intended.
imgabe 12y ago
I live in DC and just moved into the city about a year and a half ago, changing my 60 min+ car commute to a 20-30 minute bike commute. It is absolutely the best decision I've ever made in my life.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
bko 12y ago
I commute using New York's bike share program Citi Bike. It's about a 20 minute ride each way. I can't over-state how much access to a bike share and a (relatively) safe bike path has improved my every day life. It's faster than most modes of transportation (including even cabs), allows for exercise and most importantly, is actually pretty fun and engaging. I'm glad that more people are picking up the habit, but I do know that as more people start biking regularly for the first time, there will be a period in which those new riders aren't acclimated to the proper etiquette and law. As a result, I have noticed more and more police at stops pulling over bikers that run red lights. I'm afraid good-will from non-cyclists is declining due to overly aggressive or careless bikers. Hopefully as responsible cyclists, we can help set a positive example and help those new to the road ride responsibly.
OneOneOneOne 12y ago
I wish this were an option in more places. My daily commute is too dangerous for a bike (narrow 55mph road with bridge crossings).
lisa_henderson 12y ago
I bike to work in New York, and I've biked around Berlin, and I would say New York still has a way to go before it catches up with Berlin. The problem that New York faces is that it is embedded in USA society, so it has to face some issues that are not about bikes, but effect bikes. An example would be the reasons people use bike helmets. No one uses bike helmets in Berlin, because Berlin is safe for bicycles, and that is partly due to the respect that cars and trucks show to bikers. In the USA, car culture is stronger, and car drivers are much more aggressive. I've gotten into the equivalent of tug-of-war situations with taxis, trying to exercise my right to turn, when they want to turn in the opposite direction: the taxi drivers are willing to use the vast bulk of their car in a threatening manner. You never see that in Berlin. In New York City, one is justified wearing a helment, and one would be justified wearing elbow and knee pads (but I never had). It's an aggressive environment. Also, in New York, the roads are often chaotic. In Berlin, I only saw chaos around construction sites, otherwise the roads were safe and orderly. Also, I could rent a bicycle in Berlin, very cheaply, and then keep it for days. There is nothing exactly so convenient in New York. All the same, I am pleased that the situation is getting better in New York.
- ptaipale 12y ago
  Around here, about 80 % of cases where helmet helps are incidents not involving a motor vehicle. I.e. bicyclist collides with another cyclist, a pedestrian, or a stationary object (Earth counts as stationary object here). Using helmet would be very wise also in Berlin (and many do use it, if you look around).
- stronglikedan 12y ago
  > No one uses bike helmets in Berlin, because Berlin is safe for bicycles That's not why people don't wear helmets there, and that's not a reason to not wear one. I would have been in a world of hurt if I didn't have a helmet on when I fell. No cars, people, or other moving object were anywhere near me. My tire hit a slippery patch as I was turning, and I went over sideways. I broke my shoulder and my hand, and my head hit the ground so hard that my glasses flattened out on the pavement. I considered myself lucky that I didn't have a head injury, aside from my bell being rung - hard. Wear a helmet. They not only save you from dangerous environmental situations, but they save you from yourself.
stox 12y ago
This is great news! I was one of the people who painted the first bike lane down 5th Avenue back in the late 1970's. I see that Transportation Alternatives is still alive and well.
YorkianTones 12y ago
Seattle's a beautiful place to bike but we still have a long way to go. We need to cut fatalities and accidents among bike commuters and get more bike lanes in. Luckily there are major bike paths connecting parts of the city but these themselves are too disconnected (e.g. in Bellevue). The safe route from Seattle into Redmond (and Microsoft) is 29 miles north along the lake; fortuitously, the new bridge across Lake Washington will include a bike lane and cut this in half.
kosei 12y ago
While it's great to see NYC bike ridership up to 21K per weekday, and touted as growing "faster than other modes of transportation", it's misleading when you compare that the MTA has a ridership of 8.6 million daily. Currently that Bike Ridership number is a paltry 0.2% of the overall ridership. So, kudos - and I hope they improve it dramatically, but it has a long way to go, and I'm skeptical of de Blasio's goal of getting it up to 6% in the near future. http://web.mta.info/mta/network.htm http://web.mta.info/mta/network.htm
- cauterized 12y ago
  At the very least, they'd have to quadruple both the bike lane mileage and the Citibike coverage.
  - cmurf 12y ago
    I don't see how NYC gets to 1% let alone 6% without pulling out car lanes and converting them into two lane bike lanes which are immutable: no parking, no blocking. Now, they get blocked the instant someone opens a car door or double parks. With higher biking density comes different speed cycling so single lane biking doesn't scale. Denver has this crazy idea also that catering to bikes is easy and cheap, the mentality is that it's mainly just a matter of paint and "share the road" signage. Meanwhile there's no driver or cyclist education program on exactly how to share the road, so it's still adversarial "hey asshole YOU aren't sharing the road!"
    - cauterized 12y ago
      That's one of the reasons protected lanes have been so successful. They also help car traffic move faster by making double parking less tenable.
- panglott 12y ago
  Transit and cycling are quite complementary. Transit and auto traffic are more at odds.
jaredmcdonald 12y ago
I'd love to ride my bike to work but don't really have a place to put it during they day; ideally, the building would have a large, relatively secure space with bike racks in the basement or something (which it doesn't; nor do most buildings, as far as I can tell). I doubt my bike would make it more than a couple of weeks with seat and wheels intact if I locked it on the street.
- markvdb 12y ago
  You need a Brompton folding bicycle.
  - panglott 12y ago
    Folders are great. I started commuting with a full-size Dahon that I put under the seat, but now I think it's better to have a small folder and a fixed full-size bike rather than making a trade-off.
- xsmasher 12y ago
  This is one of the things that makes a city bike-friendly, making it easy to start riding. San Francisco: My company has a bike parking room on our floor, and some train stations have five-cent-an-hour bike lockers. (All stations have bike racks, but that's gambling with your bike.)
- driverdan 12y ago
  You can buy locking skewers and other "locking" bike hardware that will prevent people from stealing parts. Combined with a high end U lock and a cable through the wheels it's unlikely anyone would steal it during the day in a populated area.
harmonicon 12y ago
Bike infrastructure is being built. Bike ridership is up, all great news. However, there remains a fundamental problem. As packed in as NYC is, it is still a huge city designed for automobiles. Many people lives 10, 20 miles away from their jobs. It is obvious from the picture in the article that many cyclists gear themselves up for a long arduous ride. Unless one is into biking or exercise most people is just not up to that kind of ride. I do not think a 20 mile ride is what the average cyclist in Amesterdam or Berlin imagine their commute to be.
- smeyer 12y ago
  >a huge city designed for automobiles. Many people live 10, 20 miles away from their jobs I think a majority of workers in New York commute using public transit. It might be a minority of people living 10 or 20 miles out, but if so, it's still pretty close.
KamiCrit 12y ago
Bike Lanes https://youtu.be/bzE-IMaegzQ https://youtu.be/bzE-IMaegzQ
dzlobin 12y ago
This is great to see, however it is frustrating to not see a graph relative to population growth in NYC.

91 points by qzervaas 12y ago

I feel like this is happening in Toronto too. At least south of Bloor where most of my friends live. Once I read the study that cyclists actually live longer (even without a helmet) on average than motorists due to better heart function I was convinced to just make the switch. It actually gets you around faster too since you can go between the stopped cars at lights, although the street car tracks really suck.

ymeng 12y ago
I have cycled extensively in Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. I have had the worst experiences in Toronto. Yesterday, I attached a camera to my bicycle and had 0 incidents where I felt a driver was putting my life at risk. The camera is very visible.
- kazinator 12y ago
  > Yesterday ... I like your comment and I'm keenly interested in seeing a picture of your camera setup (what do the driver's see). Please post it somewhere. However, keep in mind that you don't have enough data from a practice you just put into effect yesterday. This is probably confirmation bias kicking in.
- ptaipale 12y ago
  That's a little bit too small sample. Drivers won't see whether you have a camera. Be happy if they see you.
spditner 12y ago
I've found commuting along the Danforth corridor to be surprisingly orderly in the evening. Coming off the bloor/danforth bridge at about 5:15, clusters of cyclists often take over one of the two east bound lanes, and it makes for a wonderful ride. I wish there were some way to synchronize my ride west in the morning with the critical number of cyclists to achieve the same result. I drive along the same route some days, and these clusters don't appear to have any negative impact on car flow. Stopped cars ignoring the no stopping signs on the other hand cause a great deal of congestion.

matt4077 12y ago

I've made the switch 4 years ago and never looked back. I thought it'd be struggle to take the bike when (good) public transport is available (Berlin, Germany) but I've found that it doesn't require any willpower: I prefer the independence and that I get to see the city, and not just the subway walls. Anything within a 10km radius is absolutely no problem. During the day I'm faster than a car, and at night it's just fun. Rain is a still problem, even though I noticed I don't actually mind getting wet that much. Once inside, you dry within half an hour.

odiroot 12y ago
How does your commute look like, if you don't mind asking? I commute north-south, alongside S1 train. I noticed it recently got a lot harder though. It seems like there's construction work everywhere (even on the riverbanks and channels). I need to to add extra kilometres just to cut through Mitte. Also my route is very "hilly", both ways (northern Mitte to Schöneberg). I guess going east-west may be a lot easier. I have to agree though, cycling is usually faster than U-Bahns and buses. Trams are not even worth discussing. I still found S-Bahns to be the fastest.
- matt4077 12y ago
  Kreuzberg to Prenzlauer Berg, about 8km.

mtbcoder 12y ago

I'm not too surprised by this since car ownership is quite expensive over the life of the car. Combine that with the rapidly increasing costs of living, high rents, stagnate wages, etc and things start to give. Not to mention the overwhelming feelings of depression, rage and frustration that comes with sitting in traffic congestion common to East Coast cities for hours on end everyday. I just wish a good, reliable rail network between cities also existed in the US.

kazinator 12y ago
You can get a very good bike for less than the cost of yearly car insurance. Even very-discounted-for-years-of-good-driving car insurance.
- driverdan 12y ago
  You can get an ok single speed bike for the price of one month of parking in NYC.
cauterized 12y ago
In NYC, bike ridership is probably increasing at the expense of subway and bus ridership rather than car commutes (which almost nobody who lives within biking distance of their job does around here unless their job requires an automobile).
fulafel 12y ago
You get to feel good about reducing your co2 footprint too. Top of the list for many people. (This goes even if you switch from public transit)

cauterized 12y ago

One thing the article mentions but the headline misses is the need for more and better bike lanes all over the city. De Blasio hasn't been emphasizing this nearly as strongly as Bloomberg did. But the numbers show that replacing one lane of traffic with a protected bike lane can actually ease congestion and increase average car speeds and total throughput (Lafayette St. in Soho is apparently an excellent example of this.) It's also worth noting that the counting is done only at the river crossings, one park, and one crosstown street in Midtown. A lot of bike trips within Manhattan are missed by the count, as are any trips taken within an outer borough. I don't know that that affects the growth rate numbers but it certainly underestimates the total percentage of trips in the city that are made via bicycle.

krschultz 12y ago
Agree 100% with that sentiment, but I think the problem is actually lower in the political food chain. The Department of Transportation is very pro-active about adding bike lanes (in contrast to previous generations at the DOT), but they are often blocked by old stodgy community boards in the city. The minority of people that own cars are heavily involved in that level of government, and bikers/pedestrians are not coming out and supporting bike lanes. If people focus on those meetings, the DOT will get more done.
- akgerber 12y ago
  Community Boards are still problematic in some areas, but not all. And as bike folks are realizing how important they are, they are joining boards and lobbying them: http://www.transalt.org/calendar/6441 http://www.transalt.org/calendar/6441 Recent bike projects have mostly been backlogs from the Bloomberg era— today, the DOT hasn't been particularly bold in proposing new protected bike lanes. The proposed Spring Street lane is pretty meager: http://www.streetsblog.org/2015/04/07/let-down-by-bike-lane-cb-member-asks-dot-to-put-safety-before-parking/ http://www.streetsblog.org/2015/04/07/let-down-by-bike-lane-...
pavel_lishin 12y ago
Protected bike lanes would help; unprotected ones just turn into parking spots for UPS, Fedex, police cars and other random vehicles.

aaronharnly 12y ago

I work in Brooklyn, in a building that houses Etsy, Amplify Education (my company), Tough Mudder (until recently), and others. In the annual bike commuting challenge put on by Transportation Alternatives, our building is overflowing with bikes -- all of those companies achieved double-digit participation rates. Granted, these are tech and lifestyle companies that draw a young and idealistic workforce, but it's pretty cool to see.

nine_k 12y ago
WRT Brooklyn, I noticed that in the summer the area around 7th ave / Flatbush often has all its rather numerous bike parking spots overfilled. Not a frequent view in other places yet. (And I hope it will not be, because they'll just build more bike parking spots.)
akgerber 12y ago
It also helps that it's awful to use a train to commute to Dumbo unless you live along the F or A.
- mgob 12y ago
  Or the 2/3. Or you could, uh, transfer?

curveship 12y ago

This is happening all over the nation. Here in small Durham, NC, we've seen biking more than double over the last 6 years. Most of the increase is young creative workers who've come for Durham's growing tech and advertising scene. It's also causing some growing pains -- we had three cyclists killed last year by cars.

ams6110 12y ago
I passed a car v. cyclist crash this morning on way to work. Cyclist had evidently been riding in the pedistrian crosswalk, against the flow of traffic. Couldn't tell if he had hit a car turning across the walkway, or the car had hit him. Looked like no injuries, though the bicycle was pretty mangled.
- thirsteh 12y ago
  That's something that annoys me about bikes in the US vs. Europe: People in Europe are generally taught to obey the same laws as everybody else, whereas US bicyclists, in NYC in particular, just completely wing it. When I first moved here I didn't understand why everybody hated on bicyclists; now, after nearly being hit by a bicycle slamming through a crowded crosswalk at least 10 times, I do. Yes, red lights apply to you too, bicyclists.
  - michael_h 12y ago
    When I bought my first "nice" bike a few years ago, the guy wheeled it out to me and said, "This is a vehicle, so ride it like a vehicle. Yes, even at stop signs." Then he warned me about Escalades.
  - cmurf 12y ago
    Yes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idaho_stop http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idaho_stop In Denver, cars running red lights is a big problem, I see it multiple times per day, and it's terrible. Since becoming a bicyclist, I've completely reversed my position on photo red light (tickets). I still don't approve of photo radar, it's mainly a way for cities to make money. But running red lights needs to be stopped, no pun intended.

imgabe 12y ago

I live in DC and just moved into the city about a year and a half ago, changing my 60 min+ car commute to a 20-30 minute bike commute. It is absolutely the best decision I've ever made in my life.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

bko 12y ago

I commute using New York's bike share program Citi Bike. It's about a 20 minute ride each way. I can't over-state how much access to a bike share and a (relatively) safe bike path has improved my every day life. It's faster than most modes of transportation (including even cabs), allows for exercise and most importantly, is actually pretty fun and engaging. I'm glad that more people are picking up the habit, but I do know that as more people start biking regularly for the first time, there will be a period in which those new riders aren't acclimated to the proper etiquette and law. As a result, I have noticed more and more police at stops pulling over bikers that run red lights. I'm afraid good-will from non-cyclists is declining due to overly aggressive or careless bikers. Hopefully as responsible cyclists, we can help set a positive example and help those new to the road ride responsibly.

OneOneOneOne 12y ago

I wish this were an option in more places. My daily commute is too dangerous for a bike (narrow 55mph road with bridge crossings).

lisa_henderson 12y ago

I bike to work in New York, and I've biked around Berlin, and I would say New York still has a way to go before it catches up with Berlin. The problem that New York faces is that it is embedded in USA society, so it has to face some issues that are not about bikes, but effect bikes. An example would be the reasons people use bike helmets. No one uses bike helmets in Berlin, because Berlin is safe for bicycles, and that is partly due to the respect that cars and trucks show to bikers. In the USA, car culture is stronger, and car drivers are much more aggressive. I've gotten into the equivalent of tug-of-war situations with taxis, trying to exercise my right to turn, when they want to turn in the opposite direction: the taxi drivers are willing to use the vast bulk of their car in a threatening manner. You never see that in Berlin. In New York City, one is justified wearing a helment, and one would be justified wearing elbow and knee pads (but I never had). It's an aggressive environment. Also, in New York, the roads are often chaotic. In Berlin, I only saw chaos around construction sites, otherwise the roads were safe and orderly. Also, I could rent a bicycle in Berlin, very cheaply, and then keep it for days. There is nothing exactly so convenient in New York. All the same, I am pleased that the situation is getting better in New York.

ptaipale 12y ago
Around here, about 80 % of cases where helmet helps are incidents not involving a motor vehicle. I.e. bicyclist collides with another cyclist, a pedestrian, or a stationary object (Earth counts as stationary object here). Using helmet would be very wise also in Berlin (and many do use it, if you look around).
stronglikedan 12y ago
> No one uses bike helmets in Berlin, because Berlin is safe for bicycles That's not why people don't wear helmets there, and that's not a reason to not wear one. I would have been in a world of hurt if I didn't have a helmet on when I fell. No cars, people, or other moving object were anywhere near me. My tire hit a slippery patch as I was turning, and I went over sideways. I broke my shoulder and my hand, and my head hit the ground so hard that my glasses flattened out on the pavement. I considered myself lucky that I didn't have a head injury, aside from my bell being rung - hard. Wear a helmet. They not only save you from dangerous environmental situations, but they save you from yourself.

stox 12y ago

This is great news! I was one of the people who painted the first bike lane down 5th Avenue back in the late 1970's. I see that Transportation Alternatives is still alive and well.

YorkianTones 12y ago

Seattle's a beautiful place to bike but we still have a long way to go. We need to cut fatalities and accidents among bike commuters and get more bike lanes in. Luckily there are major bike paths connecting parts of the city but these themselves are too disconnected (e.g. in Bellevue). The safe route from Seattle into Redmond (and Microsoft) is 29 miles north along the lake; fortuitously, the new bridge across Lake Washington will include a bike lane and cut this in half.

kosei 12y ago

While it's great to see NYC bike ridership up to 21K per weekday, and touted as growing "faster than other modes of transportation", it's misleading when you compare that the MTA has a ridership of 8.6 million daily. Currently that Bike Ridership number is a paltry 0.2% of the overall ridership. So, kudos - and I hope they improve it dramatically, but it has a long way to go, and I'm skeptical of de Blasio's goal of getting it up to 6% in the near future. http://web.mta.info/mta/network.htm http://web.mta.info/mta/network.htm

cauterized 12y ago
At the very least, they'd have to quadruple both the bike lane mileage and the Citibike coverage.
- cmurf 12y ago
  I don't see how NYC gets to 1% let alone 6% without pulling out car lanes and converting them into two lane bike lanes which are immutable: no parking, no blocking. Now, they get blocked the instant someone opens a car door or double parks. With higher biking density comes different speed cycling so single lane biking doesn't scale. Denver has this crazy idea also that catering to bikes is easy and cheap, the mentality is that it's mainly just a matter of paint and "share the road" signage. Meanwhile there's no driver or cyclist education program on exactly how to share the road, so it's still adversarial "hey asshole YOU aren't sharing the road!"
  - cauterized 12y ago
    That's one of the reasons protected lanes have been so successful. They also help car traffic move faster by making double parking less tenable.
panglott 12y ago
Transit and cycling are quite complementary. Transit and auto traffic are more at odds.

jaredmcdonald 12y ago

I'd love to ride my bike to work but don't really have a place to put it during they day; ideally, the building would have a large, relatively secure space with bike racks in the basement or something (which it doesn't; nor do most buildings, as far as I can tell). I doubt my bike would make it more than a couple of weeks with seat and wheels intact if I locked it on the street.

markvdb 12y ago
You need a Brompton folding bicycle.
- panglott 12y ago
  Folders are great. I started commuting with a full-size Dahon that I put under the seat, but now I think it's better to have a small folder and a fixed full-size bike rather than making a trade-off.
xsmasher 12y ago
This is one of the things that makes a city bike-friendly, making it easy to start riding. San Francisco: My company has a bike parking room on our floor, and some train stations have five-cent-an-hour bike lockers. (All stations have bike racks, but that's gambling with your bike.)
driverdan 12y ago
You can buy locking skewers and other "locking" bike hardware that will prevent people from stealing parts. Combined with a high end U lock and a cable through the wheels it's unlikely anyone would steal it during the day in a populated area.

harmonicon 12y ago

Bike infrastructure is being built. Bike ridership is up, all great news. However, there remains a fundamental problem. As packed in as NYC is, it is still a huge city designed for automobiles. Many people lives 10, 20 miles away from their jobs. It is obvious from the picture in the article that many cyclists gear themselves up for a long arduous ride. Unless one is into biking or exercise most people is just not up to that kind of ride. I do not think a 20 mile ride is what the average cyclist in Amesterdam or Berlin imagine their commute to be.

smeyer 12y ago
>a huge city designed for automobiles. Many people live 10, 20 miles away from their jobs I think a majority of workers in New York commute using public transit. It might be a minority of people living 10 or 20 miles out, but if so, it's still pretty close.

KamiCrit 12y ago

Bike Lanes https://youtu.be/bzE-IMaegzQ https://youtu.be/bzE-IMaegzQ

dzlobin 12y ago

This is great to see, however it is frustrating to not see a graph relative to population growth in NYC.