Fewer New Yorkers Riding Bikes

A recent report presents evidence that fewer New Yorkers are choosing bikes as an alternative form of transportation.

1 minute read

September 23, 2019, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Protected bike lane New York

Jim.henderson / Wikimedia Commons

"The number of New Yorkers who regularly ride a bicycle dropped 5 percent in the last two years," reports David Meyer, sharing the latest figures from an city Department of Health survey and presented in Mayor Bill de Blasio's annual "Mayor’s Management Report."

"Approximately 787,000 adult city residents rode at last once a month in fiscal year 2019 — down from 828,000 two years earlier," explains Meyer. The numbers "match up with other recent measurements of cycling in the city that have shown an increase in bike trips within Manhattan but a decrease on trips over the East River bridges, which have historically tracked with citywide cycling overall."

The report also confirms a growing number of cyclist and pedestrian fatalities on the city's streets, a reality that has prompted renewed commitment to traffic safety planning in recent months.

In a bit of comparatively good news for bike ridership, the number of riders on the Citibike bikeshare system continues to increase.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019 in New York Post

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