
The Steady Rise of Bike Ridership in New York - qzervaas
http://www.citylab.com/commute/2015/04/the-steady-rise-of-bike-ridership-in-new-york/390717/
======
cauterized
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.

~~~
pavel_lishin
Protected bike lanes would help; unprotected ones just turn into parking spots
for UPS, Fedex, police cars and other random vehicles.

~~~
hkmurakami
I'm a SF resident who was visiting NYC last week, and saw those protected bike
lanes for the first time (I lived in NJ a decade ago). Frankly, drivers'
attitudes towards bicyclists will be slow to change, and thus the only
reasonable course forward seems to be this kind of infrastructure improvement.

As infrastructure improves, more people will consider bicycles as a reasonable
transportation alternative, and hopefully increased numbers of cyclists may
help driver attitudes change as well.

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matt4077
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
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
Kreuzberg to Prenzlauer Berg, about 8km.

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lisa_henderson
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.

~~~
stronglikedan
> 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.

~~~
u801e
> Wear a helmet. They not only save you from dangerous environmental
> situations, but they save you from yourself.

Given the CPSC test procedure for bicycle helmets, I seriously doubt it:

[http://www.helmets.org/cpscstd.htm](http://www.helmets.org/cpscstd.htm)

>> 1203.15 Positional stability test

Test that the helmet doesn't roll off when a 8.8 lb weight in a guided free
fall from a distance of 2 feet strikes the helmet.

>> 1203.16 Dynamic strength of retention system test

Uses the same weight and guided free fall distance.

>> 1203.17 Impact attenuation test

>> (b)(3) A guided free fall of the helmet on a weighted headform from a
minimum height of 6.56 ft onto a flat anvil and a guided free fall of the
helmet on a weighted headform from a minumum height of 3.94 ft onto a
hemispherical and curbstone anvils

Regarding the last test procedure, that would be like testing the helmet on an
adult male of average height, where, while standing, suddenly suffered a
stroke and fell over. It certainly wouldn't protect you in a crash at speed or
with a motor vehicle.

If you want real head protection while riding a bicycle, then you need to wear
a motorcycle helmet (preferably one that meets the Snell standard).

~~~
hkmurakami
> _Regarding the last test procedure, that would be like testing the helmet on
> an adult male of average height, where, while standing, suddenly suffered a
> stroke and fell over_

With all due respect, do you ride a bike extensively? Because these exact sort
of accidents happen all the time. I've fallen sideways from a stationary
position several times over the last 5 years as an avid cyclist when I've had
lapses in judgment or focus when declipping from my pedals.

Further, I was struck by a car from behind 2 years ago and lost consciousness,
propelled forward several meters, broke several ribs, suffered large abrasions
on my back. My helmet suffered dents and scratches, but my head and face were
100% fine. If not for the helmet, I would have 100% suffered from cuts and
abrasions to my face (given that my back has permanent scars, this could have
easily happened to my face), even without taking into consideration impact
protection.

The fact that bicycle helmets don't protect you from every type of accident
situation is a ridiculous reason to not wear one.

~~~
u801e
> With all due respect, do you ride a bike extensively?

In the last 10 years, I've ridden about 10,000 miles give or take.

> Because these exact sort of accidents happen all the time. I've fallen
> sideways from a stationary position several times over the last 5 years as
> an avid cyclist when I've had lapses in judgment or focus when declipping
> from my pedals.

I've never used pedal clips. I do ride in traffic, but I doubt I average more
than 15 miles per hour.

> Further, I was struck by a car from behind 2 years ago and lost
> consciousness, propelled forward several meters, broke several ribs,
> suffered large abrasions on my back. My helmet suffered dents and scratches,
> but my head and face were 100% fine. If not for the helmet, I would have
> 100% suffered from cuts and abrasions to my face

That last sentence doesn't really make sense. Bicycle helmets do not cover
one's face. Also, getting hit from behind by a vehicle is the least common
type of crash from what I've read.

> The fact that bicycle helmets don't protect you from every type of accident
> situation is a ridiculous reason to not wear one.

If they were designed in a way that would protect me in most crashes, then I
certainly would wear one while riding, but given the standard I referenced, I
seriously doubt it.

If FMVSS 209 stated that seat belts in cars were only tested in frontal
collisions at speeds of 20 mph or less, then I wouldn't bother wearing them
because I know that they wouldn't protect me while I'm driving at highway
speeds. Fortunately, that's not the case and I always wear my seat belt while
riding in or driving a car.

In the end, the way one rides is far more effective in mitigating the risk of
getting involved in a crash (like following the rules of the road, having
appropriate equipment, etc.)

~~~
hkmurakami
Thanks for the detailed clarification.

> _That last sentence doesn 't really make sense. Bicycle helmets do not cover
> one's face._

When you're propelled off your bike, some part of your head is likely to make
contact with the ground (particularly if you're unconscious), along with your
torso. The line formed by the outermost part of the helmet and whatever part
of your torso that hits the ground is often outside of your face/head and thus
helps avoid cuts/abrasions when grating against the ground.

I personally support others' right to not wear a helmet. In fact, I didn't
wear one either when I lived and worked in Japan and bike commuted to the
train station. I also believe the evidence and studies that show the relative
ineffectiveness of current helmet designs. However, I also believe that the
decision of others in wearing the helmets available for a marginal improvement
in safety should be respected as well [1].

[1] The counterargument to this is if by not purchasing the current helmets
and protesting for better designs, we can help spur companies to develop more
robust products.

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aaronharnly
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.

~~~
akgerber
It also helps that it's awful to use a train to commute to Dumbo unless you
live along the F or A.

~~~
mgob
Or the 2/3\. Or you could, uh, transfer?

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bko
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.

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curveship
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
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
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
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.

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3pt14159
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
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
> _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.

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mtbcoder
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
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
You can get an ok single speed bike for the price of one month of parking in
NYC.

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kosei
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
At the very least, they'd have to quadruple both the bike lane mileage and the
Citibike coverage.

~~~
cmurf
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
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.

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imgabe
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.

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stox
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.

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jaredmcdonald
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
You need a Brompton folding bicycle.

~~~
panglott
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.

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harmonicon
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
>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.

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YorkianTones
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.

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

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KamiCrit
Bike Lanes

[https://youtu.be/bzE-IMaegzQ](https://youtu.be/bzE-IMaegzQ)

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

