Cyclist “threads the needle” between cars and pedestrians near Herald Square. Photo: David Perry.

Making the Streets Safer

The biggest reason more people don't ride bikes in New York City is fear of motor vehicles. The sheer volume of cars and trucks, and the speed and assertiveness with which they are driven, creates a constant climate of danger for bicycle riders. Exacerbating this danger is the tendency of motorists to assume a greater claim to that space and set the pace for its use.

To reduce this danger and increase ridership, the city can take both short- and long-term steps:

• Enforcement: The Police should widen and shift their traffic enforcement priorities. Although NYPD traffic division officers periodically launch ticketing “blitzes” against cyclists, they do not ticket motorists who violate cyclists' rights by cutting them off, turning abruptly, bullying and otherwise infringing on the rider's right of way. Simply enforcing the 30 mph speed limit on city streets would go a long way toward improving the cycling environment.
• Speed Limits: Lowering speed limits and re-timing traffic lights accordingly would induce motorists to slow down, reducing their speed differential over cyclists and leading to safer interaction. These steps would be most effective at off-peak times, when motorist speeds often reach 40 miles per hour or faster — 10 or more miles above the legal limit for city streets.
• Auto Reduction: The City should implement a comprehensive program to increase roadway user fees, reduce the costs and unattractiveness of public transit, and otherwise discourage car and truck use (see Chapter 10, Reducing Motor Traffic).
• Traffic Calming: The DoT should being to redesign city streets along lines now widely used in Europe to slow motor vehicle traffic and put other road users on a more equal footing with motorists (see Chapter 4, Street Design, especially section on Traffic Calming).