Every day in New York City about 2 million people use the subway. That means there are 640 million people in the city's 6,400 subway cars. The city is home to about 14,000 taxis and just over 4,300 buses. Additionally 2 million cars are on the roads in the city. People know that the city is busy, that there is traffic, noise and pollution. What people don't realize is that nearly 800,000 people also ride bikes here. Bikes are an important mode of transportation. And bikes offer benefits to urban areas and to the people who use them. Here are the top five.

Top 5 benefits of bike riding in NYC

New York City is a great place to ride a bike. Here's why:

1. When you ride a bike you are a part of the community, you see, smell and interact with the people and places directly. You experience an area rather than just driving through it or under it.
2. Biking is good for your body and mind. Regular exercise is crucial for good health and is shown to burn calories, prevent heart disease and obesity and improves your mental health.
3. Biking from one place to another costs nothing. It can save you hundreds of dollars in saved cab, bus and subway fare.
4. Biking puts no pollution into the air. We all breathe better when there is less vehicle exhaust.
5. Biking reduces traffic and noise. This makes for a better neighborhood living experience.

In times where being in enclosed spaces such as a car, taxi, bus or subway car can mean sharing the air with others, biking is also a safe way to get from point A to point B. There are many pathways and trails that are readily accessible.

A city committed to biking

The Department of Transportation (DOT) recognized that biking is a significant part of what makes an urban area livable. The department also saw that there could be improvements that would make biking safer.  In 2020, the DOT installed nearly 30 miles of protected bike lanes and just over 10 miles of dedicated cycling space in Priority Bicycle Districts. Priority Bicycle Districts are areas that have higher numbers of serious and fatal bicycle crashes and few biking facilities. Safe urban biking is something that benefits us all.