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

Streetfilms: Biking is the Way to Beat Coronavirus (If the Mayor Would Help)

It’s not the expansion of cycling that causes the epidemic of crashes. It’s the lack of cycling infrastructure, the persistence of bad driving, and the proliferation of assault cars that do. Photo: Clarence Eckerson Jr.

This is the new bike lane symbol.
This is the new bike lane symbol.
This is the new bike lane symbol.

Cyclists to mayor: Biking is the best way to get around town — so please do more to make it safe.

After Mayor de Blasio asked New Yorkers to bike to work this week to reduce the spread of coronavirus, Streetfilms auteur Clarence Eckerson hit the street to talk to riders, and the subtext was that they love cycling, but don't appreciate that the mayor told people to ride, but then did not add capacity during the crisis.

"The infrastructure is not accessible to all," one woman cyclist says on the film, as footage shows blocked bike lanes.

Another rider adds, "It's kind of infuriating for elected politicians, who get driven everywhere, to say, 'Yeah, take a bike!' Well, we have a lot of kids who can't do that and don't feel safe."

A third female cyclist, who had just entered Queens via the 59th Street Bridge bikepath, said the roadway was "crowded."

"There needs to be more space," she said, referring to extensive coverage of the boom in cycling that has made the existing infrastructure "very dangerous and only going to get worse."

The film was published hours after Transportation Alternatives called on the mayor to make immediate improvements to the bike network to handle the crisis — just as the city did to encourage cycling and reduce car traffic during last year's United Nations General Assembly. It also comes as cyclists are reporting huge increases in biking this week.

City Hall said it would not carry out TransAlt's demands, saying that the mayor's multi-year Green Wave plan is currently being implemented as promised.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Why No BRT For NYC? Two New Reports Tackle Why Your Bus Service Sucks

Years of bus priority projects barely made a dent in speeds because Big Apple leaders won't install real bus rapid transit, two recent reports argue.

July 11, 2025

Citi Bike Riders Are Pissed About Eric Adams’s 15 MPH Speed Limit

Citi Bike's new 15 mph max speed limit is a bad deal for riders and a potential threat to safety, riders said.

July 11, 2025

Friday Video: Cyclists, Check Out Your Next City

Streetfilms' Clarence Eckerson visited London earlier this summer to check in on the Big Smoke's cycling revolution.

July 11, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Just the News Edition

We've got one more workday before we can hit the beach. Plus the news.

July 11, 2025

Council To Close Instacart Loophole, Pass Delivery Industry Regulation Bills

The City Council will vote on Monday the "Instacart loophole" and force all app companies to pay workers a minimum wage.

July 10, 2025

‘Blood On His Hands’: Cyclists Slam Eric Adams After Judge Lets Him Remove Brooklyn Bike Lane

Mayor Adams will have “blood on his hands” for his decision to rip up three blocks of the popular protected bike lane.

July 10, 2025
See all posts