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

The 8th Most Influential Streetfilm of All Time

With the 10-year benefit for Streetsblog and Streetfilms coming up on November 14 (get your tickets here!), we are counting down the 12 most influential Streetfilms of all time, as determined by Clarence Eckerson Jr.

Complete Streets: It’s About More than Bike Lanes

Number of plays: 53,500

Publish date: May 9, 2011

Why is it here? Five years ago, protected bike lanes were still a relatively new thing in New York City. The press really did not know what to make of them -- for most part, local reporters stuck to a sensationalist narrative pitting cyclists against everyone else. This film was an attempt to show how protected bike lanes include design features that make streets safer for everybody (even drivers), and that they fit into a new approach toward streets that prioritizes walking, biking, and transit.

Fun fact: Essentially this film exists because NYC DOT and Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan were getting a tremendous amount of tabloid heat for street redesigns that were saving lives. It was absurd, and called for some countermeasures. The idea for this Streetfilm was to show how the new designs were making life better by speaking to people on the street.

The Streetfilms Countdown so far:

#12: Lakewood, Ohio: The Suburb Where Everyone Can Walk to School

#11: Mark Gorton Interviews Enrique Peñalosa

#10: Zurich: Where People Are Welcome and Cars Are Not

#9: Sneckdowns

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

E-Bike Fans and Foes Agree: Adams’s 15 MPH Speed Limit Won’t Make Streets Safer

A public hearing about the mayor's proposed speed limit devolved into a debate about e-bike licensing, naturally.

July 15, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines: Wet Wet Wet Edition

New York City experienced its second rainiest hour in history. Plus more news.

July 15, 2025

Civic Panel Dings Adams For Cutting Bike and Bus Lanes Out of Fifth Av. Redesign

Mayor Adams's scaled down redesign of Fifth Avenue isn't a "real solution" to safety issues on the packed retail corridor, Manhattan Community Board 5 said.

July 14, 2025

Monday’s Headlines: E-Bike Regulations Edition

Monday is a big day for the future of e-bikes in the Big Apple. Plus more news.

July 14, 2025

‘Preventable’: Hit-and-Run Driver Kills Two on Third Av. Corridor Eric Adams Refuses to Make Safer

A motorist struck and killed two men on a strip where Mayor Adams recently shelved a safety redesign amid a backlash from local business interests.

July 11, 2025
See all posts