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

Universal Daylighting Has Majority Support on the City Council — Will Speaker Adams Give It a Vote?

Adrienne Adams is sitting on a landmark daylighting bill that could make every intersection safer for pedestrians.

July 9, 2025

‘Anti-Car Crusade’: Dinowitzes Slam Bronx Harlem River Greenway Bike Lane Touted by Mayor

The father-son duo are throwing a tantrum over the first leg of Mayor Adams's Harlem River Greenway.

July 8, 2025

Eyes on the Street: DOT’s ‘Broadway Vision’ Starts to Clear Up

The Department of Transportation has transformed Broadway into a new corridor for pedestrians and cyclists.

July 8, 2025

Amsterdam Leads the Way on E-Bike Regulation — Should New York Follow Suit?

The city's biking- and walking-friendly streets expose the hypocrisy harsh e-bike enforcement without better street design.

July 8, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines: Rethinking Avenue B Edition

DOT is taking feedback on the future of Avenue B. Plus more news.

July 8, 2025
See all posts