This Bike Month, Transportation Alternatives Launches Brand-New ‘Bicycle Blueprint’ Plan to Make NYC a World-Class Bicycle City with One Million Daily Bike Rides by 2030
Every mile of protected bike lane that the City of New York adds to streets creates ~1,100 daily bike trips, and 15% to 20% of these added bike trips replace vehicle trips.
Between 2007 and 2024, the number of people who commute by bike in New York City tripled.
For 44% of New Yorkers who are open to biking but don't, feeling unsafe is a primary reason for not riding. Lack of secure bike storage is the second most common reason.
NEW YORK — Today, on Bike Anywhere Day, a part of Bike Month, Transportation Alternatives is launching the New Bicycle Blueprint: A Plan to Make New York a World-Class Bicycling City, a new report and plan to make New York City a place where people from all walks of life can get around effortlessly by bike and reach one million daily bike trips by 2030. 2025’s Bicycle Blueprint is inspired by TA’s 1993 Bicycle Blueprint: A Plan to Bring Bicycling Into the Mainstream in New York City – a report that made the case for much of the biking infrastructure throughout the five boroughs today.
2025’s Bicycle Blueprint analyzes the current status of bicycling in New York City, and calls on the City’s leaders to create reliable access to a high-quality, connected, all-ages-and-abilities bike lane network, a bike share system, and safe storage space for bicycles. While bike ownership is skyrocketing – New York City households collectively own around 2.6 million bikes – infrastructure is still lagging behind. Only 2% of streets have a protected bike lane, and more than 40% of New Yorkers who wish to ride a bike but do not do so say they avoid cycling because of the lack of bike lanes.
“New York City can become a world-class bicycling city where people from all walks of life feel comfortable hopping on a bike to get around – but only with vision, drive, and will from our city’s leaders,” said Ben Furnas, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. “When more New Yorkers choose to bike, we’ll all benefit with cleaner air, less traffic, safer streets, and even a stronger local economy. We hope this blueprint can be a call to action and a roadmap to finally bring biking in New York City to the 21st Century.”
The Bicycle Blueprint makes the case that increasing bike ridership and safe storage options will pay dividends across the five boroughs for New Yorkers in every neighborhood and from all walks of life.
To achieve this, our report calls for New York City leaders to:
(1) build a connected network of protected bike lanes,
(2) advance generational infrastructure projects that support and accommodate cycling growth,
(3) maintain the bike network as a high-quality resource over time,
(4) facilitate reliable access to a bicycle for everyone who wants or needs one, and
(5) implement policies that encourage people to ride bikes.
Read the New Bicycle Blueprint: A Plan to Make New York a World-Class Bicycling City.
“Biking is foundational to the future of New York City,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “Biking offers a healthy, sustainable alternative to the vehicle use that we all too often see clogging our streets, polluting our air, and endangering New Yorkers. How our City responds to and plans for the rise in bike ridership is critical; the expansion of protected bike lanes, storage, education, and affordable bike share options are all essential pieces of the puzzle. I am grateful to Transportation Alternatives for pursuing biking in New York City through a comprehensive and ambitious lens and look forward to working together to encourage safer, healthier, and more sustainable transportation opportunities for New Yorkers.”
"At the end of the day, our fight to improve bike infrastructure has always been about one thing: giving New Yorkers more safe, affordable and reliable ways to get around," said State Senator Andrew Gounardes. "As I make my own way around New York City, I see the incredible progress we've made: hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers now ride bikes to work, school, the doctor's office and everywhere else. That's a win for our communities, our economy, our health and our climate. But there's still more to do to create a truly world-class biking city. The recommendations in this report are just what we need to get there."
Senator Hoylman-Sigal said: “As someone who frequently bikes to get around New York City, I understand just how valuable a thriving system of bicycle infrastructure can be. Today, on Bike Anywhere Day, I join Transportation Alternatives in their call to make riding a bike safer, easier, and more accessible in New York City. By building new protected bike lanes, better maintaining our existing bike infrastructure, and passing legislation to ensure that both cyclists and pedestrians are able to safely share our streets with other modes of transportation, we can make New York a world-class bicycling city.”
Assemblymember Emily Gallagher said, "As an avid biker, I know firsthand how important it is to have safe, protected, accessible bike lanes to get around the city. I first started riding my bike as my primary means of transportation when I was barely making enough to afford my rent. For so many New Yorkers, a bike is their ticket to accessing the city. By investing in our bike lanes, we invest in our communities, the environment, and all New Yorkers. When we make it safer and easier for people to bike around NYC, we make the City healthier and more livable for everyone."
“New York City has made some progress in expanding access to cycling, but there’s still a long road ahead if we want to become a truly world-class biking city,” said Council Member Shahana Hanif. “As biking continues to grow in popularity, cycling infrastructure lags behind to keep up with the demand, resulting in severe consequences. This Bike Anywhere Day, we recommit ourselves to making biking a safe, reliable transportation option for New Yorkers through infrastructure investments. That means bold investments in infrastructure, including a fully connected, protected bike lane network that reaches every corner of all five boroughs.”
“New York has made real progress in becoming a more bike-friendly city, but we still have a long way to go to ensure everyone can ride safely, confidently, and conveniently. On the West Side and across Manhattan, biking is a vital way for residents to get around, but we need more protected lanes, safer intersections, and reliable bike access for all. I support Transportation Alternatives’ vision for a world-class bicycling city—one where connected and protected bike infrastructure is the norm,” said Council Member Gale Brewer.
“We have made big improvements to our biking infrastructure, but there’s still more to do,” said Council Member Keith Powers. “Protected bike lanes allow bikers to move through the city safely, while keeping bikes off the roads and sidewalks. While the popularity of cycling continues to rise, the time is now to make investments in New York City’s future as a safe biking destination.”
“Biking is one of the most efficient, healthy, and sustainable ways to get around New York City,” said Council Member Erik Bottcher. “As the warm weather returns and more New Yorkers take to our streets on two wheels, we’re reminded of the urgent need to support and expand our cycling infrastructure. A truly bike-friendly city is one where everyone—from kids heading to school to seniors running errands—can ride safely and confidently. I’m grateful to Transportation Alternatives for their tireless advocacy and for charting a bold path toward making New York a world-class bicycling city.”
“To build the climate-friendly, transit-accessible city we’d like to see, NYC needs to majorly increase access to safe bike lanes and infrastructure," said Council Member Alexa Avilés. "Your ability to travel quickly and safely via bikes should not vary based on neighborhood. Everyone deserves access to the city we live in—that starts with the crucial infrastructure we need to get there. I’m proud to join Transportation Alternatives in their Bike Anywhere Day to encourage a more connected, bike-able city!”
“As more people in Queens choose biking, a connected bike lane network will encourage safe, reliable, and greener alternatives to car travel. Throughout my time in office, I have fought for critical street safety measures, including the 11th Street Protected Bike Lane, universal daylighting, and the opening of the Queensboro Bridge south outer roadway. But there is still so much work to do. Thank you to Transportation Alternatives for leading this effort. I will continue to support infrastructure and policy that make biking safer for everyone,” said Council Member Julie Won.
"Biking is my favorite way to get around. We're pushing for a network of truly protected bike lanes to make it as safe as possible to cycle in New York City, and I'm grateful to Transportation Alternatives for helping achieve this future,” said Council Member Lincoln Restler.
“As daily biking rates continue to increase throughout the city, it is clear that New Yorkers want a safer, more sustainable way to get around. From passing laws that expand our greenways and bring transparency to the state of bike infrastructure, to pushing for local street redesigns that enhance safety, I remain deeply committed to making New York a world-class city for cycling. We need bold leadership and sustained investments to meet this moment, and I’m proud to stand with advocates calling for streets that protect everyone who uses them,” said Council Member Carlina Rivera (D-02).
"Lyft Urban Solutions stands behind TransAlt's vision for one million daily bike trips by 2030,” said Miller Nuttle, Policy Director at Lyft Urban Solutions, which runs Citi Bike. “Citi Bike has seen record-breaking growth thanks to investments the City has already made in cycling infrastructure - it's time to supercharge that growth with an interconnected network of safe bicycling facilities. As we continue expanding our service and electrifying our fleet, we're proud to partner in creating a transportation system that makes cycling better for all New Yorkers."
"New York City has made tremendous progress in cycling infrastructure and safety in the past decades, and now is the time to shift into a higher gear and keep up the momentum. Cycling is the cleanest, healthiest, and most fun way to get around NYC, and the NYC Greenways Coalition fully supports the goal to reach 1,000,000 daily bicycle trips by 2030. An extensive, five borough greenway system and fully built out, connected bike lane network are critical to getting more people of all ages and abilities enjoying the benefits of cycling in NYC,” said Hunter Armstrong, co-chair of NYC Greenways Coalition and executive director of Brooklyn Greenway Initiative.
“WE Bike NYC strongly supports Transportation Alternatives' New Bicycle Blueprint, particularly the focus on building a network for all ages and abilities. Although women are still underrepresented as bike commuters in NYC, we know that bike ridership among women and nonbinary people goes up in areas with networks of protected bike infrastructure. This blueprint provides a clear framework and actionable steps to make NYC a world class bike city where all demographics of people feel comfortable getting around by bike,” said Becky Hahn at WE Bike NYC.
“Transportation Alternatives 21st Century Blueprint is a timely and welcomed plan for making New York City a leader in green, bicycle friendly transportation. As more people than ever use bicycles as their primary mode of transportation, we can, and must do better. We need to increase the number of protected bike lanes in communities typically underrepresented. With the many well documented ways that bicycling leads to better mental and physical health, we need to introduce safe bike riding into our schools to encourage more youth to ride. We need to make bicycling a safer and more attractive option for women,” said Joe Matunis, Director, El Puente Cycling Club.
"As a local advocacy group demanding better bicycle infrastructure in NYC, Ridgewood Rides is elated to see the Transportation Alternatives’ 21st Century Bike Blueprint. This is essential research and visioning to steer our city towards continuing to build, improve, and connect our bicycle network for cyclists of all ages and abilities. We have witnessed social cycling communities in NYC grow over the last few years and we deserve infrastructure that meets and exceeds that growth,” said Bree Mobley of Ridgewood Rides.
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