Urban biking is booming around the world, but New York City is falling behind

• NYC is far behind on requirements to build bike and bus lanes, among other non-car infrastructure.
• This comes after Gov. Kathy Hochul suspended a new toll on vehicles in Manhattan below 60th Street.

As urban dwellers around the world turn to two wheels to get around their cities, some governments are handling the shift better than others. The number of bicycle trips in Paris doubled between 2022 and 2023, thanks to a massive expansion of the French capital's bike lane network. Tourists in town for the Olympics are encouraged to cycle to the Games.

New York City has also seen a surge in bicycling since the pandemic caused many to avoid mass transit and ride shares. The success of the Citibike bike share program is a huge part of that change. But anyone who hops on two wheels in New York is facing more dangerous and congested roads than in other leading global cities.

The city Department of Transportation — which controls the streets, but not trains and buses — is behind on its longer-term plan to boost pedestrian and bike infrastructure. The city's five-year NYC Streets Plan, which became law in 2019, requires the city to build 250 miles of protected bike lanes by 2026, among other safe streets priorities.

So far this year, the city has completed just 2.3 miles of protected lanes, according to the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives. Last year, it built 38.6 miles of 50 required miles of protected bike lanes and in 2022 it built 19.9 miles of the 30 miles it was required to build. At this time last year, it had built 9.7 miles of lanes.

The city DOT told Business Insider that most bike lane construction happens in the second half of the year because of weather issues, and it disputed the 2.3-mile figure. But the department didn't provide an estimated number of bike lane miles it expects to complete this year. DOT noted that it built more protected lanes last year "than every major American city combined."

Adams isn't just required by law to build bike lanes. He campaigned for mayor on a promise to build 300 miles of protected lanes in his first four-year term. And the funding for the Streets Plan — more than $900 million — has already been allocated to DOT. The Adams administration has also fallen behind on other priorities in the Streets Plan, including building dedicated bus lanes and upgrading bus stops. Advocates say the slow pace of progress comes down to politics.

"The money is there, the law is there, but the mayor doesn't seem to be there," said Elizabeth Adams, interim director of Transportation Alternatives. "And that's really what's holding this up."

The city has made progress in some areas. A DOT spokesperson noted to Business Insider that the city has built "over a million square feet of pedestrian space over two years, exceeding the target in the Streets Plan."

New York's plan to impose a new toll — known as congestion pricing — on vehicles that drive in Manhattan's central business district would have been a boon for more sustainable modes of transport. Fewer cars and trucks on the street means more space for bikers and pedestrians. Since London implemented congestion pricing 20 years ago, daily car trips have fallen while bicycling trips have quadrupled.

But since New York Gov. Kathy Hochul abruptly suspended the congestion pricing plan she had long celebrated, a less congested future — not to mention at least $15 billion for the city's subways and buses — is on hold.

In May, weeks before the city was set to implement congestion pricing, the DOT unveiled a plan to improve pedestrian and bike infrastructure to give New Yorkers better access to Manhattan below 60th street. The city insists it's moving forward with its plans despite the governor's about-face, and Adams said he supported Hochul's reversal on congestion pricing.

"We are continuing to develop these projects regardless of the pause. Many are either in construction, or will start construction soon," a spokesperson for DOT told Business Insider in a statement.

Advocates for mass transit and pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure say the safety and environmental impact of traffic is a crisis. New York was the most congested city in the world for the second year in a row, according to one major study. Congestion and crowding in the city "is very much at a breaking point," said Adams, of Transportation Alternatives.

"We should be doing everything we can to make it easier to get around outside of a car," she added.

Traffic deaths overtake gun deaths in NYC

These days, biking doesn't feel like a viable option for many New Yorkers worried about safety. The city streets were designed to maximize vehicle speed rather than to get as many New Yorkers around as efficiently and safely as possible. Bikers have to contend with larger cars, more speeding, a surge in delivery trucks, and a rash of speeding mopeds and e-bikes.

While New York City streets have generally gotten safer since the city adopted its 'Vision Zero' plan in 2014 to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries in 2014, progress hasn't been consistent. Pedestrian deaths are way up so far in 2024. This year, New Yorkers were more likely to be killed in a traffic crash than by gun violence. While pedestrian deaths fell last year, more bicyclists died on New York City's streets in 2023 than in any year since 1999, although a DOT spokesperson noted that cyclist deaths are "down nearly 37% so far this year."

Cities like Paris, London, Tokyo, and Bogotá have proven how essential — and beneficial — pedestrian and multi-modal infrastructure is to a healthy city. Better bike and pedestrian infrastructure doesn't just mean safer streets and cleaner air — they're also good for business. Advocates say New Yorkers should follow their lead.

"What New York City can learn is that when you commit to comprehensive bike infrastructure, it works," Elizabeth Adams said. "People are happier and it boosts the economy, and the streets are safer, and the air is cleaner, and people shift modes very quickly."

Note: Correction: August 14, 2024 — This article has been updated to clarify that pedestrian deaths are higher this year, rather than traffic deaths, and added additional context around the city's building of pedestrian infrastructure and recent cyclist death counts.