NYC is not bike friendly

June 28, 2006

Since I've started biking around the city this spring, I've been struck by the abject inadequacy of NYC's bike lanes. There are two main problems:

1. Bike lanes are not physically separated from the street. Generally, the bike lanes are between parked cars and moving traffic and are frequently obstructed by cars or trucks double-parked across the bike lane. Cars are free to wander into the bike lane. Additionally, car doors may be opening into the bike lane with little or no warning.

There is a better way. Streets Blog has some photos of how some more cyclist-friendly cities offer bike lanes: This is What a Bike-Friendly City Looks Like. Bicycle lanes should be physically separated from the street by standard height curbs.

2. There is no network of bike lanes. Even though there are a few separated bicycle paths (Greenways), such as the overcrowded path along the Hudson River in Manhattan and on the Manhattan Bridge, these greenways and bike lanes are not connected with each other. Coming into Manhattan, the Manhattan Bridge just dumps cyclists out on Canal St. (The Brooklyn side does have better access to/from bike lanes.) It is not uncommon for cyclists to just end up cycling with traffic after a bike lane ends.