Q&A
Discussion on the growing popularity of cycling in New York City
1:10:48
·
121 sec
Council Member Brooks-Powers and DOT officials discuss the significant increase in cycling in New York City since 1980, exploring reasons for its growing popularity and the impact on various communities.
- Cycling trips increased from 98 million in 2009 to 200 million in 2023
- Factors contributing to cycling's popularity include environmental concerns, health benefits, and economic advantages
- DOT is working to promote cycling in working-class communities to increase accessibility and equity
Selvena N. Brooks-Powers
1:10:48
I want to talk a little bit about cycling.
1:10:53
Cycling has increased significantly in the city since 1980 when we started collecting this data.
1:10:59
Overall, what do you attribute to the growing popularity of cycling in New York City?
Ydanis Rodriguez
1:11:07
We have the group of delivery workers, which is around we can share again.
1:11:13
I said before the exact number
Will Carry
1:11:15
75,000?
Ydanis Rodriguez
1:11:16
We have 75,000 razor delivery workers that they use in ebike.
1:11:22
But in 2009, New York City only had 98,000,000 bike trips.
1:11:31
Today, in 2023 data, we had 200,000,000 bike trips.
1:11:37
I think that people learn from Sandy Maria, Katrina, Aida, that everyone had to do their part on sustainability.
1:11:44
And people realize that if they use a e bike or a regular bike, it's good for the health, it's good for the environment, and it's good for the economy.
1:11:54
One of the thing that I've been pushing ourselves, the agency, is even to promote more biking in the working class community.
1:12:02
Because if you look at biking for the perspective of social class, it's more individual with high level of education, more middle and upper class, the one who are using the bike in New York City.
1:12:14
And as someone that in 1965, my father had a bike, I'm trying to go back in my community and encourage more working class New Yorkers to also use bike to move around.
1:12:27
If you had a bike, you don't have to pay any fee.
1:12:30
If you had a bike, it's not it's like you're going to a gym to do exercise.
1:12:34
If you had a bike, you don't have to be in those traffic.
1:12:38
So we believe that the reason why more New Yorkers been getting into biking is because they learn that it's good for the environment, it's good for the economy, and it's good for the health.
