By Ilana Siyance
In 2019, an alarming 15 cyclists have already died in NYC, being struck by cars or trucks. This number already exceeds the total of 10 cyclists killed throughout the entire year of 2018. Last Tuesday night, hundreds of cyclists gathered for a “die-in” at Washington Square Park, as a call for action. There were heartfelt speeches lecturing about the necessity of better protecting cyclists in what is becoming known in the biking community as “the crisis.”
NYC has put effort into adding bike lanes onto roads, but cyclist fatalities are up. Council Speaker Corey Johnson supported the gathering. “It is heartbreaking that New Yorkers feel so unsafe walking and biking in our city right now that pedestrians, cyclists, and transit advocates feel they must stage a die-in in order for something to change,” Johnson said in a statement. “We must not stop fighting until every New Yorker can move around our city safely and efficiently. I hope you’ll fight with me.” In May, Johnson presented a bill that would oblige the city’s Department of Transportation to add 50 more miles of protected bike lanes each year till 2024.
For the protesters, the crisis refers to not only the dangerous reality of cyclist fatalities, but also to the unyielding values that still resists prioritizing road design and infrastructure that is truly biker friendly. As per the NY Times, under Mayor de Blasio, 337 miles of bike lanes have been added to the Big Apple for a total of 1,240 miles of bike lanes. This expansion was in line with the exciting announcement two years ago, issued by the NYC’s DOT to say that NYC is now safer and easier to navigate by bike than it has been for the last 20 years.
While cycling may have increased, proponents maintain that it is not safer. While the added bike lanes encourage cyclists to bike their way into freeways and to their destinations, the lanes don’t always follow through for cyclists. The side of the street reserved for cyclists, frequently faces obstructions in the form of double parked vehicles, construction, a premature end to the bike lane, and foot traffic, creating a sudden dead end for bikers.
Bike lanes face plenty of resistance. Communities have fought back against bike lanes on the grounds that they will take away parking spaces, compound already unbearable traffic conditions, and create a less safe environment for all. Also, opponents say cyclists sometimes are their own worst enemy, who disregard traffic rules and speed. Further, they maintain that cyclists suffer no penalties for their hazardous driving and are exempt from the requirement for any training, licensing, or insurance.
One of the speakers at the protest was Hindy Schachter, whose husband died in 2014 as a pedestrian hit by a cyclist in Central Park. “It’s not the cyclist that’s at fault,” she said. “It’s the city that has not designed safe pedestrian and cycling the whole way.”
One thing that both sides agree on is that we have a long way to go to make NYC a safe place for cyclists.
