Skip to content

Bloomberg Says Bikes Don’t Belong on the Subway

How green is our mayor? Fielding a question on his weekly radio show about using the city's underground tunnels to move freight, Michael Bloomberg this morning went off on cyclists who bring their bikes on board the subway. City Room has the quote:
mayor_subway_533.jpgPhoto: AP via New York Times

How green is our mayor? Fielding a question on his weekly radio show about using the city’s underground tunnels to move freight, Michael Bloomberg this morning went off on cyclists who bring their bikes on board the subway. City Room has the quote:

There are messengers who do it. Some of them take their bikes, which drives me crazy, cause I’ve just never agreed with the M.T.A. I know bicyclists will now ring the phones off the hook, but they are just too big, particularly at rush hours — I just don’t think they should allow it. But I’m not running the M.T.A. …

While the mayor, who rides the 4/5/6 line to work, is not in charge of the MTA, he does control the city’s streets. Could it be that many East Side cyclists are driven underground by a lack of adequate biking facilities?

It’s disappointing that Bloomberg, who seems to understand the value in providing dedicated spaces to ride, doesn’t see a connection here. If he wants fewer cyclists on his train, protected bike lanes for the East Side would be a good place to start.

Photo of Brad Aaron
Brad Aaron began writing for Streetsblog in 2007, after years as a reporter, editor, and publisher in the alternative weekly business. Brad adopted New York'’s dysfunctional traffic justice system as his primary beat for Streetsblog. He lives in Manhattan.

Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.

More from Streetsblog New York City

ANALYSIS: MTA Example Case For Hochul’s Insurance Plan Does Not Hold Up To Scrutiny

April 14, 2026

Tuesday’s Headlines: Old Man Yells At Hochul Edition

April 14, 2026

Janno Lieber Op-Ed: Hochul’s Insurance Plan Is a Pro-Transit Plan

April 14, 2026

Mamdani Embraces 20-Year-Old Plan to Create A Car-Free Link Between Prospect Park And Grand Army Plaza

April 13, 2026

Rampant Placard Abuse is Mucking Up This Bike Lane in Downtown Brooklyn

April 13, 2026
See all posts