Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bicycle Infrastructure

City Asks Cyclists Where To Put Protected Bike Lanes; Cyclists Respond, ‘Um, Everywhere!’

Cyclists want more protected bike lanes — and it’s not protected if someone can park on it. Photo: Paco Abraham

City planners are asking New York cyclists what neighborhoods would be best for protected bike lanes — and cyclists are already responding defiantly: "All of them."

Last week, the Department of City Planning quietly started circulating a questionnaire — through the Department of Transportation's NYCycles newsletter — to "increase knowledge and understanding of bicycle use in New York City."

A sample question.
A sample question and a sample answer.
A sample question.

"We hope to help you enjoy better cycling in this community," the agency told cyclists. "By filling out this survey, you can help us do so."

Early response suggests that cyclists are responding aggressively to the survey's signature question: "Are there any neighborhoods where you believe increased bike infrastructure — including bike share, etc. — could increase cycling."

The question asks for five specific neighborhoods or ZIP codes, but judging from Twitter, many cyclists have taken the opportunity to go beyond small zones (see examples below):

Other questions seek to understand "why" people ride. The survey lets cyclists pick such reasons as "enjoyment" or because it's just the best way to get around town (though it's unlikely cyclists will say they ride because, "There is good bike infrastructure").

Another question asks "What factors would get you to ride a bike more?" Choices include: "More protected bike lanes" and "safer traffic conditions."

Though the survey will seem ludicrous to many daily cyclists, there is some good news: Its very existence suggests that the de Blasio administration does want to increase cycling, which has stalled due in part to the blood tide crashing over New York's streets this year. And the survey doesn't offer cyclists a real chance to express their opinions about the real problems on the streets of New York, including poor enforcement of basic safety rules by the NYPD and tens of thousands of illegally parked, placard-protected city employees.

Still, the Planning department said it's a crucial first step.

"The purpose ... is to better understand why cyclists choose to ride bikes rather than use automobiles and to find ways to make biking a more convenient and viable alternative to automobiles, increasing sustainable mobility choices," Department of City Planning spokesman Joe Marvilli told Streetsblog. "This will help the city focus improvements for cyclists across New York City."

The agency said it would share the survey more widely than the DOT's obscure newsletter, including more outreach via social media and distribution of physical copies at "heavily used bike parking locations in all five boroughs" (what bike parking locations?)

Marvilli said the agency will share the results when it is finished compiling them.

Fill out the survey by clicking here.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

And the Winner Is…: Streetsblog’s New Video Team Honored with Deadline Club Award

Streetsblog's social media team, led by Engagement Editor Emily Lipstein, received the Deadline Club's award for digital video reporting on Thursday night.

Friday Video: The ‘Clear’ Benefits of Daylighting

The doyen of daylighting is back with a new video.

May 16, 2025

How One Anti-Gov’t Republican Signed onto a Street Safety Bill to Rein in Reckless Drivers

State Sen. Anthony Palumbo went from "government overreach" to reaching across the aisle in a single day.

May 16, 2025

‘All in the Family’: NYPD Commissioner and Power-Broker Mom Are Both Crusading Against E-Bikes

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch has justified her criminal crackdown on cycling by saying that complaints about cyclists are the most frequent concerns she hears. Such complaints could be coming from inside the house.

May 16, 2025

Puddles Plague Hudson River Greenway As Rain Batters NYC

Greenway cyclists face dangerous conditions when it rains — as Streetsblog observed this week in Manhattan.

May 16, 2025
See all posts