Manhattan dispatch: It’s wild here (and I like it)

Flatiron District (I think!). (Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

Riding a bike in Manhattan is like everything else in this city; you never know what to expect, there’s something new around every corner, and the bike people watching is world-class. Portland is weird, Manhattan is wild.

I’ve spent just two days rolling and walking around the east side of lower Manhattan from about West 25th down to the Brooklyn Bridge and City Hall. I realize there’s a lot more to see, but the experience has already made quite an impression.

The first thing I noticed was the bike traffic. A great sign! An obvious presence of bicycle riders is the first sign that you’re in a cycling city. When there are ample people on bikes, the infrastructure is almost secondary, because the humans themselves force — and reinforce — the idea that bikes belong.

In Manhattan, it feels like the majority of people on bikes are deliveristas — professional food delivery riders who zoom around on throttled electric bikes. I reported on them on my previous trip in 2012 and their numbers have swelled since then. So too has their speed. 11 years of electric battery technology and a boom in ordering-in apps has made these fast food bikes ubiquitous here.

I’m glad deliveristas have gained a more organized advocacy voice since my last trip. Given the challenging — and too often deadly — conditions they work under, tensions around illegal mopeds and e-bikes using bike lanes, and attention by New York City Mayor Eric Adams on e-bikes in general, they are going to need it.

Another big change since I was last here is the presence of Citi Bike, NYC’s bike share system. And that’s an understatement. Citi Bikes are everywhere. And now the fleet includes zippy e-bikes with futuristic front lights. I’ve used these for two days. They work great, although it’s odd and a bit of a bummer that they have only one gear (I prefer to pedal a higher cadence and would love to start on an easier gear).

The presence of deliveristas and two types of Citi Bikes (electric and not) alone would be enough to create a bit of chaos on the bike lanes. Add into that mix tourists on hotel bikes, folks on commuter bikes, mopeds, e-scooters, and so on and so forth.

The mix of vehicle types — and the mix of people riding them — in Manhattan is more diverse than anywhere in North America. That’s a guess, since I haven’t been everywhere, but if there’s another place with such a vast diversity of humans and modes of conveyance in bike lanes, I’d love hear about it. 

All the bike and assorted micromobility traffic puts a tremendous pressure on the infrastructure network. And to the DOT’s credit, the cycling system here holds up relatively well. I say “relatively” because it’s nothing like the European cycling capitols, but for the US of A, it’s not bad at all.

Like I said, you never know what to expect. One block you’ll have a wide, physically-protected space, the next block you’ll be sharing space with drivers (all of whom are on their phones) or squeezing between a curb and a delivery truck. It’s probably because I don’t know the routes (which shouldn’t be a requirement in a good network) and because I’m new here, but there have only been a few blocks where I felt I could relax and enjoy the ride.

New York City has had an impressive run at building out a quality bikeway network for the past 15 years or so (since former NYC DOT Chief Janette Sadik-Khan burst onto the scene in 2007), but if a calm, “8-80” experience is the goal, there’s a lot of work to do.

And the bumps! My goodness the streets here are rough. There aren’t potholes, but with sewer grates and uneven surfaces all over the place, the ride is quite jarring (the very high tire pressure on most of the Citi Bikes doesn’t help).

Bumps are relatively minor quibble. Given the legacy of car-centric street planning here, and the crush of human and vehicle traffic everywhere, I give a lot of credit to advocates and the DOT for squeezing in a useful bikeway network and taking road space wherever they can.

Given the chaotic feeling of Manhattan streets, it’s a testament to human nature that — at least in my experiences so far — folks on both sides of the windshield seem to be pretty good at sharing space. Unlike in Portland, people here expect chaos, so they go with it. They adjust. 

I’ll test this claim out a lot more today, as I ride across town over to Brooklyn to see Portland’s very own Sam Balto and Hood River resident Megan Ramey lead a ride that shares lessons from their creation of bike buses.

I’ve got a lot more cool stuff to share. Stay tuned!

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Founder of BikePortland (in 2005). Father of three. North Portlander. Basketball lover. Car driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, contact me via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a paying subscriber.

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dw
dw
11 months ago

I went to NYC late last year and was also surprised at the chaos playing out on the streets. It’s pretty astonishing how much street space is dedicated to cars but there’s STILL miles-long traffic backups even in the off hours. It’s a great case study on why cars don’t scale as a transportation solution.

Looking forward to reading more of your work during and after your trip! Stay safe out there.

Daniel Reimer
11 months ago

Best part about cities is all the diverse characters you get to see and your photos do a great job showcasing it!

Phil
Phil
11 months ago

I’m really impressed by how much weight those Citi Bike racks seem able to hold!

SeaTacgoride
SeaTacgoride
11 months ago

I’m curious, how many tents blocking sidewalks have you seen in NYC? Or tents in general?

PTB
PTB
11 months ago
Reply to  SeaTacgoride

Was just there. Can confirm there were 0 tents.

VB
VB
11 months ago

Love the insights. Would be great to see more reports from other cities on Bike Portland going forward

Doug Klotz
Doug Klotz
11 months ago

An earlier version of this photo set had a picture of a “Scoobic Bio” “cargo bike”, as it said on the side. Looking at their site, the bike apparently has some sort to rudimentary pedals (maybe they fold away?) It looks like saying it’s a bike is a ruse to be able to use bike lanes, an advantage they tout in their brochure.

pierre delecto
pierre delecto
11 months ago
Reply to  Doug Klotz

It’s about the same size as B-line trikes so I don’t see what the problem is.

Guillermo
Guillermo
11 months ago

Very accurate description on the state of bike lanes in NYC. Learning to ride in Brooklyn 50 years ago there was no no bike lanes and no SUVs. Manhattan bike lanes are crowded at food delivery rush hours, and the bike lanes near the curb are uneven. As an experienced cyclist I take the lane it’s safer for going faster.