Skip to content

Eyes on the Street: An Argument for Protected Bike Lanes in One Photograph

Elevated from today's headline stack: Photographer Dmitry Gudkov snapped this picture on Friday afternoon of a commercial van -- the phone number goes to Glass & Windows, Inc., of Long Island City -- straddling the concrete barrier that separates a two-way bike lane, and the sidewalk beyond, from the busy intersection where Flushing Avenue crosses beneath the Brooklyn Queens Expressway.

Elevated from today’s headline stack: Photographer Dmitry Gudkov snapped this picture on Friday afternoon of a commercial van — the phone number goes to Glass & Windows, Inc., of Long Island City — straddling the concrete barrier that separates a two-way bike lane, and the sidewalk beyond, from the busy intersection where Flushing Avenue crosses beneath the Brooklyn Queens Expressway.

It’s not hard to understand why many New Yorkers feel unsafe biking and walking on streets where deadly speeding goes unchecked. And while we have the studies to prove that protected bike lanes have an impact not just on perceived safety, but on actual safety as well, every now and then something comes along to cut through the dry data and illustrate why these safety improvements matter.

Photo of 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.

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

Eyes on the Street: Mamdani’s Broadway Bus Lane is a Hit Among LaGuardia Commuters

July 16, 2026

House Dems Push For High-Speed Rail Investment Amid GOP Highway Feeding Frenzy

July 16, 2026

Thursday’s Headlines: Boogie Down Busway Edition

July 16, 2026

Fewer Cars On Queensboro Bridge Means It’s Time To Take A Lane For Increasing Cyclists

July 15, 2026

Pedestrian Fatalities Drop Again, But More Needs To Be Done, Says Governors Group

July 15, 2026
See all posts