Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bicycling

Bikes as Transit: New Study Envisions Possibilities for NYC

bike_share.jpg

The Department of City Planning released a study this weekend about the possibilities for bike-share in New York City, and if you can spare the time to look it over, it's a rewarding read. The best news: The city is thinking about bike-share on a scale that would successfully integrate cycling into the public transit system. The report recommends a phased implementation, starting with a 10,000-bike system and expanding to 49,000 bikes at stations in four boroughs.

The DCP study follows DOT's release last summer of a Request for Expressions of Interest to gauge the potential of a public bike system. City officials characterized the new report as a research document akin to a feasibility study, not an indication that bike-share implementation is imminent.

With New York's streets crammed to capacity at peak hours and subways and buses handling historically high levels of ridership, now is an opportune moment for bike-share, which can be implemented quickly and at modest expense. A network of public bike stations as dense as Paris's Vélib would make existing transit options more attractive and relieve crowding on packed trains and buses. Consider these examples from DCP's report:

Over 14,000 northwest Brooklynresidents (Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Fort Greene, etc) work in northwest Queens (Long IslandCity, Astoria, Sunnyside). While the distance between these areas is short, insufficient transitmeans that 42% of these commuters drive to work each day. In addition, for some households,the introduction of a bike-share program may help them avoid or postpone the purchase of a car,as trips to transit or other short trips could then be made by public bicycle.

A subway commuter living on theUpper East Side and working in lower Manhattan or Midtown currently walks to the LexingtonAvenue subway (4/5/6), one of the most congested subway lines in the city. With a bike-shareprogram in place, that commuter might bicycle to an express stop or choose to bypass the 4/5/6all together and bicycle to 63rd or 59th Streets where transfers are available for the F and N/R/Wtrains. Similarly a bike-share system would allow a Morrisania or Mott Haven resident workingat Columbia-Presbyterian, City College or Columbia University, to bicycle to the D train instead oftaking a bus or the crowded 2, 5 or 6 train into Manhattan and turning around to go back uptowninto work.

The report proposes a phased roll-out, starting where demand would be most intense and expanding to cover all of Manhattan and significant portions of the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn. The map comes after the jump.

proposed_phasing.jpg

As many as half a million New Yorkers would use the fully built-out network, the report estimates. I highly recommend browsing the whole document: It's full of stats, case studies of existing bike-share systems, and scenarios for implementation here in New York. With cities like London, Montreal, and Minneapolis slated to launch bike-share systems this year or next, it makes a convincing case for New York to join their ranks.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

NYPD’s Push To Criminalize Cycling Spells Trouble For Immigrant Workers

Safety for the community? Great. But aren't delivery workers part of the community, too?

May 9, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Habemus Knicksum Edition

It was a big day yesterday, but we're not on the sports or the religion desk, so let's get to our news.

May 9, 2025

Friday Video: Who Ruined Outdoor Dining?

We sent our own video team to find out.

May 9, 2025

Decision 2025: Mayoral Hopefuls Discuss E-Bikes … With Joy and Concern

E-bikes are a vital tool for delivery workers and for people seeking to reduce their use of private cars. What would you do to both expand e-bike use and make streets safer? And the answers are...

Live from Albany: Hochul’s ‘Safety’ Measures Stripped from Budget

Lawmakers dropped three initiatives that Gov. Hochul said would have made roadways safer (though, as we'll see, that's very much in question). Let's review them.

May 9, 2025
See all posts