Being for the Benefit of New York’s Bikes

It might come as a surprise to some that I was once a pretty vocal opponent of bike lanes. I commute to school from Brooklyn just about every day in just about every kind of weather, and before I started at Columbia, I was a bike messenger.

Bike lanes can be as much of a burden as they are a blessing in New York traffic. Of course, when I first began riding my bike in the city, they were a blessing. They were a respite from the barrage of traffic around me. But the longer I rode my bike, the more close calls I had with abruptly turning cars who gave no heed to the bike lane and its occupants next to them. The lanes are also frequently full of pedestrians, double parked cars, and delivery trucks forcing you to weave in and out of the adjacent lane. Doors opening suddenly from parked cars also pose a serious threat to bikers in the lane. Between cars turning recklessly from the right, doors flying open on the left, and pedestrians strolling down the center, riding in the bike lane can be nerve-wracking business. Furthering my distrust of bike lanes was the fact that the only person I have ever personally known to be involved in a fatal bike accident was Eric Ng, who was killed by a drunk driver on the West Side Bike Path—which is physically separated from the road!

Eventually I learned to avoid these dangers by “splitting lanes”—that is, riding between two lanes of traffic. At speed, it is the safest place to ride. This comes with its own set of frustrations though. Even though riding through our congested streets at the speed of traffic or faster is easy, drivers will still berate you. “You have your own lane! Get over!” Never mind that the lane is full of double parked cars, even if you wanted to ride in it.

Even in their absence bike lanes proved a source of frustration. Back in sleepy Brooklyn I often get yelled at by drivers on streets without bike lanes. “What do you think you’re doing? Ain’t no bike lane here!” In New York City a bike has the same rights and responsibilities as any other vehicle. It’s illegal (and dangerous) to ride on the sidewalk and you certainly don’t need a bike lane to ride on any street you want.

Things changed for me this summer when I worked as a marshal for the Summer Streets program. For three Saturdays in a row, Park Avenue was closed to car traffic from 72nd Street to the Brooklyn Bridge. It was my job to bike up and down this loop while making sure fellow cyclists were heeding the lights at open cross sections and not endangering pedestrians or slower riders. Despite cyclists’ daredevil reputation in New York, it went over surprisingly well. Responses from those in attendance were overwhelmingly positive. There were no serious incidents, despite the high turnout, and I only had to chase down a few very aggressive riders who I guess were working out their personal problems. I noticed something important too. Without car traffic, I could travel much faster on my bike without even trying. Delivering a package by bike from 72nd Street to the Brooklyn Bridge is a haul and a half on a weekday. But even going at a very easy pace on my route, I’d arrive at my destination before I knew it. Also striking was how pleasant an otherwise stressful activity had become.

This little taste of how pleasant biking through New York City can be changed the way I feel about bike lanes. Bike lanes are a great first step for a bike-friendly city, but they are not nearly enough. Our city needs to seriously invest in more bike-friendly infrastructure. We need radical change, and I think the Department of Transportation’s implementations under Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan are a step in the right direction. Sadik-Khan, along with advocacy groups like Transportation Alternatives, are behind the recent push for sustainable infrastructure in New York City. We have them to thank for the increase of bike lanes, including the separated bike lanes in Chelsea, creation of public spaces in Madison Square and Times Square, and programs that re-imagine streets as public space like Summer Streets.

They’ve unquestionably gotten a lot of flak for these changes. It’s true that the sacrifice of streets for public space and bike infrastructure can initially create a lot of car congestion, but in the long term, they encourage public transit and cycling. Bike lanes aren’t perfect, but they do encourage cycling, as evidenced by the rise in New York City cyclists by 35 percent this year. As more people take to cycling and public transit, congestion will go down in this city. An increase in cycling infrastructure also creates new opportunities in the absence (or at least the reduced presence) of cars. More space for cyclists means more space for sustainable new businesses, like cargo bike delivery and pedicabs—not to mention a much more pleasant Manhattan. Also, with an increase in ridership, cars and pedestrians have to take note of those cyclists in bike lanes. Maybe once we get past these growing pains, the traffic, pedestrians, and doors will pay us some heed. An increase in cycling over car traffic is an investment in a sustainable future and a higher standard of living for all of us in New York City.

The author is a student in the School of General Studies.