NYC Cycling reaches tipping (boiling) point
am New York
By Paul Steely White, Transportation Alternatives
Special to amNewYork

[ Return to T.A. Quotes in the Media ]

Even before Friday’s Critical Mass bike ride attracted 5,000 riders (and led to more than 250 arrests), summer 2004 was well on its way to going down as the season that New York City bicycling hit the big time.

In May, thousands of twowheelers flocked to over 200 NYC Department of Transportation sanctioned Bike Month events. In July, new bike greenways and bridge paths saw record numbers of users. And today, more riders than ever are signed up for Transportation Alternatives’ NYC Century Bike Tour on Sept. 12.

The bike boom of 2004 shows that New Yorkers will cycle in droves if they are afforded safe and attractive opportunities to ride. And for good reason: Bicycling is a quick, fun, cheap and healthy way to reach your destination.

So it’s no surprise that New York’s monthly “Critical Mass” rides are seeing increasingly large turnouts. In 1992, New Yorker George Bliss first used the term “Critical Mass” to describe the point where cyclists attain ample numbers to tip the balance of power away from cars. To many bicyclists, Critical Mass rides are an empowering way to assert their right to the road.

Other bicyclists, however, see Critical Mass as counterproductive — saying it backs the view that bicyclists are a motley crew of scofflaws who do not deserve a legitimate role in the transportation system. Though no one claims ownership of Critical Mass, there are a few groups who publicize it (www.times-up.org).

July’s Critical Mass ride attracted a record 1,500 bicyclists, enough for the NYPD to consider a shift in their longstanding policy of tolerance, particularly with the Republican National Convention on the horizon.

Indeed, as the RNC drew near, the NYPD warned, “those who wish to continue to ride with ‘Critical Mass’ [must] obey all traffic, administrative and penal laws . . . if laws are broken, violators will be summonsed or arrested.” The stage was set for confrontation.

Friday’s ride was unique in that riders were as intent upon demonstrating their right to the road as their right to free speech and displeasure with President Bush. And to be sure, the NYPD was under pressure to keep order on midtown streets already buckling from intense security and gridlock.

As NYC returns to post-RNC normalcy, Critical Massers are wondering: Was Friday’s crackdown a sign of things to come, or will next month’s ride see a return to the days when police tolerated and even facilitated Critical Mass by providing escorts and traffic management?

What is clear is that bicycling, whether for commuting, recreation or protest, is growing. It’s also clear that the city has more to gain by facilitating bicycling — cleaner air, healthier citizens and a more balanced transportation system — than by stifling it.

[ Return to T.A. Quotes in the Media ]