[CydeWeys]

I live in Manhattan and I find a bicycle to be a better choice for the majority of my trips than public transit (it's faster, too). I only use public transit for long trips or when I'm traveling with suitcases.

Bikes are simply better at point-to-point transportation (the same advantage that cars have), except that they don't take up a lot of space so it's actually a scalable solution to have everyone using them to get around even in a dense city; see Amsterdam as an example.

[yupper32]

Excuse my language but I think it's worth it here: Dear fucking lord, if biking in Manhatten is your idea of bikes shining, then you are way out in left field.

In my week in Manhatten last month I saw several crashes (including a near miss with a sit-down scooter riding in the bike lane who had to bail and slide before nearly crashing into a crowd of pedestrians), pedestrians jumping out of the way of bikes who don't stop at red lights, and bikes swerving around car traffic barely getting by without taking out car mirrors or getting run over.

Biking in Manhatten is not for the faint of heart and not for anyone who isn't decently athletic.

You could have lauded the subway system, but you chose bikes?

[asoneth]

Echoing the above, I had a bike commute in midtown Manhattan as well and found it more convenient than the subway and safer than biking in the suburbs.

Compared to the NYC subway it was faster, more consistent, and less prone to delays.

Compared to biking in the suburbs the car traffic typically moved more slowly, I didn't have as many close passes, and drivers seemed more aware of their surroundings. In the suburbs the majority of the people I see biking are middle-aged men in lycra, whereas in the city it seemed more like a demographic cross section.

I also saw other cyclists cross on red lights, knock into pedestrians, and swerve erratically in traffic, though I also saw drivers, moped riders, and pedestrians do the same at roughly the same rate so I always assumed it was a crazy New Yorker thing and not a crazy biker thing.

[CydeWeys]

Sounds like you had an exceptional experience, having seen more crashes in one week than I see in years of living here. And I promise you, I spend a lot more time on foot and on bike in the city than you do.

[yupper32]

Then either you're used to the mayhem and aren't seeing it, or you mostly stay away from where I was (between Houston and 42nd St mostly).

Regardless, are you really saying that "bikes are simply better at point-to-point transportation" for most people in Manhatten? Because that's absurd.

[CydeWeys]

That's exactly where I live and work. I dunno what to say, you had an exceptional experience. That's not my lived daily experience at all.

And yes, I would say it's best for most people in Manhattan. It would be even better if we build more bike lanes and get more cars off the road.