Bike Lanes

Detailed Times Poll Numbers Show Broad Bike Lane, Bike-Share Support

More complete numbers are available from the New York Times poll on bicycle lanes and bike-share, and despite what Times reporters might have you believe, they show that bicycling is very much in New York City's mainstream. (In an earlier version of the online article, reporters Michael Grynbaum and Marjorie Connolly said that "cycling remains far from mainstream in New York." The phrase has been removed from the updated version.)

By Stephen Miller

12:10 PM EDT on August 22, 2012

More complete numbers are available from the New York Times poll on bicycle lanes and bike-share, and despite what Times reporters might have you believe, they show that bicycling is very much in New York City’s mainstream. (In an earlier version of the online article, reporters Michael Grynbaum and Marjorie Connolly said that “cycling remains far from mainstream in New York.” The phrase has been removed from the updated version.)

Before it’s even opened, 59 percent of adult New Yorkers have heard of Citi Bike, and one in three New Yorkers are somewhat or very likely to use the service, which will cover parts of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Long Island City. The household bike ownership rate stands at 54 percent, higher than the 46 percent of households that own cars. Among individuals whose households do not own bicycles, 62 percent support the city’s bike lanes, with majorities supporting bike lanes in all five boroughs.

UPDATE: DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan welcomed the poll’s results. Citing “five years of careful planning, community consultation and implementation,” Sadik-Khan said that “New Yorkers have spoken, and they like their bike lanes. New York today has the biggest and best bike network in the United States. It’s satisfying to see the support and demand for a bike-friendly New York that has allowed us to get here.”

Stephen Miller

In spring 2017, Stephen wrote for Streetsblog USA, covering the livable streets movement and transportation policy developments around the nation. From August 2012 to October 2015, he was a reporter for Streetsblog NYC, covering livable streets and transportation issues in the city and the region. After joining Streetsblog, he covered the tail end of the Bloomberg administration and the launch of Citi Bike. Since then, he covered mayoral elections, the de Blasio administration's ongoing Vision Zero campaign, and New York City's ever-evolving street safety and livable streets movements.

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