Biking in Manhattan

If you live, work or play in Manhattan, how do you get around?  Cars, buses and taxis can take forever. For many New Yorkers, walking is a good alternative.  What about biking?

Some recent developments in the last several years are changing the way we travel around the city. City Bike, a bike sharing system provides inexpensive access to bicycles without having to deal with the three biggest hassles of owning a bicycle in an urban environment – storage, maintenance and theft.

Photo Courtesy: bikenewyorkcity.com

Additionally, New York now has an extensive system of bike paths, bike lanes and greenways.  This development has helped to make Manhattan and the surrounding boroughs considerably easier to navigate on a bicycle.

However, urban biking is not without it’s hazards. Here are some things to consider. In an eight-year study of fatal bike accidents conducted by NYC.gov, 97% of the bicyclists were not wearing a helmet. In 74% of these deaths the victim suffered head trauma. Less than 1% of these fatalities occurred in a bike lane.

•     Wear a helmet, always
•     Use bike lanes
•     Yield to pedestrians
•     Observe traffic laws
•     Avoid being doored.  Keep a safe margin between you and parked cars.
•     Consider attending a bike safety course from Bike New York.