Public Perception of Cycling

For the most part, the city's media place bicyclists between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Sometimes bicyclists are stereotyped as “kamikaze” cyclists who endanger pedestrians and themselves; sometimes cyclists are ignored completely, an invisible part of the city's traffic mix despite their struggle to brave difficult conditions. The sporting aspects of cycling — touring, training and equipment — get far more coverage than cycling's value for transportation, ecology and economy.

Cycling in New York City is closely associated with danger. Each year some 15 to 20 New Yorkers are killed and several thousand injured, some seriously, riding bikes. Curiously, the vulnerability of cyclists seems to inspire as much scorn as sympathy, almost as if non-cyclists believe cyclists deserve to pay for the folly of venturing onto the streets in the first place.

The flip side of cycling danger is the hazard that pedestrians feel from cyclists. Although cyclists often pass too close for the pedestrian's comfort, the attention given to cyclist-pedestrian conflict is far out of proportion to the statistical risks. To put the risks in perspective: one pedestrian a year is killed in a collision with a cyclist in New York City, while one pedestrian a day is killed here by a motor vehicle. Moreover, accounts of bicycle-pedestrian accidents invariably blame the cyclist, ignoring the reality that both the cyclist and the pedestrian are victims of chaotic motor traffic.

The association of cycling with danger, though perhaps diminishing in recent years, still acts as a powerful impediment to the public's and government's taking cycling transportation seriously.