by Ben Listman
Since COVID has pushed many commuters away from public transportation, New York City, along with many other cities, has seen an increase in bike ridership. Streets have even been closed off in many areas to create more space for riders and pedestrians. As someone who appreciates the joys of riding a bike, it has delighted me to witness this increase in riders firsthand. I hear more and more of my friends and family talking about wanting to buy bikes or taking their bikes out of storage. In particular, I am excited by the renewed calls for expanded and improved bike infrastructure in New York City due to this increase in ridership. My experience riding bikes, however, is very much my own, and I recently came across a point of view that has helped me to more critically frame this exciting rise in ridership.
Image: NYC Department of Transportation Tweet: March 11, 2020
Recently, I came across a video titled “I am Not a Cyclist” on the Youtube channel Not Just Bikes. The narrator speaks about how he feels he is not a train or car or bike person, but rather a “whatever gets me there quickly and efficiently” person. Depending on what city he has lived in that has sometimes been a bicycle. He talks about how often in car-centric cities he would be labeled as a “cyclist.” He feels he would be expected to speak on behalf of all cyclists when ranted at about “this cyclist I saw one time,” and points out that drivers are not held to that same standard.
The narrator’s most important point comes when he discusses the challenges that face those who simply want to get from point A to point B via bicycle when they are grouped in with all “cyclists.” Many of those riding bikes in car-centric cities do feel the need to group together as “cyclists” in order to stand against car-centric design in the name of their own safety. This creates a problem for what I might call “A to B riders” when bike shops, advocacy groups, and the bike lanes themselves are often dominated by people who are very into bicycles and might have strong opinions on what it means to be a cyclist. I worry when I hear the conversation take on an overly adversarial tone against motorists. This “Us vs Them” mentality that can often dominate and polarize a conversation that instead requires nuance. This mentality can push away “A to B riders” who do not necessarily want to become a part of a group, especially if they feel they are walking into some sort of spat between a group of privileged snobs on two wheels and privileged snobs on four wheels. I found this particularly meaningful because of where New York City is now in terms of ridership during COVID and because it has helped expand my own perspective on the matter.
Image: 2019 Map of NYC Bike Routes With Highlighted Priority Bike Districts
I am a cyclist. I very much identify with the term. I love using my bike to get around the city. I love going on long rides outside the city, riding on trails with mountain bikes, and that my bike can take me places where cars cannot go. Bikes give me a sense of adventure and help me feel connected to the places that I ride through.. I worked at a bike shop in the city for some time and so I have spent a lot of time around people who are just as obsessed with bikes as I am.. I understand what the video’s narrator says when he talks about those people who are really into bikes. I certainly understand the concern for safety with those who commute by bike, and I understand why there is a need to group together to advocate for our safety. There is too much bike infrastructure that still leaves riders vulnerable.
I do believe that there are times where it is appropriate to be up in arms in the cycling community. The summer of 2019 was one of those times when there were 18 cycling deaths – more than any year since 2000. New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio committed to do more to make bike lanes safer and more available in areas that needed them – mainly Brooklyn and Queens. Cyclists certainly do need to take a stand when it comes to safety and equity on the roads. However, the video on Not Just Bikes made me think about the bike friendly city that many of us hope to see in the future and how COVID has potentially catalyzed the process to get to that point.
Image: Planned 2030 Bike Lane Network
Image: Protected Bike Lanes to be Installed by End of 2021
In that future New York, we hope for more people to use sustainable forms of transportation within the city, including bikes. I get excited thinking about a city full of bikes, and making cycling in general as accessible as possible to those riders is important. This means thinking about biking as not only helping you get to your destination quickly and efficiently, but also safely. The need for greater bike infrastructure in the city has already helped to spur even greater interest, and will allow more people to see riding as a viable and safe option for getting around the city. Growth in ridership will, at the same time, help to break down the negative image of the “cyclist” opposite the car. I have realized that I look forward not just to a city where more people can enjoy riding bikes. I also look forward to a city where cycling is just routine, and unexciting, and even taken for granted, because that would mean the city has become a place where riding bikes is safe, easy, and accessible to anyone.
Cover Image Source: The New York Times (March 14, 2020)
Insightful!