Officials finish a bike lane on the Grand Concourse
With one last dash of paint, New York became the self-proclaimed “bike capital of the nation” Wednesday.
City leaders gathered on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx to paint the final stretch of a 200-mile, three-year bike lane expansion that nearly doubled the number of bike-lane miles across the car-packed five boroughs.
The project’s completion brings the city’s total street bike lanes to 420 miles and its total bike lanes, including park space, to 620 miles.
City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan compared the project’s size to a one-way road between New York and Boston, with New York now having double the number of bike-lane miles as Chicago. Bike commuting has increased by 45% since the project began, she said.
Wednesday’s celebration emphasized the all-around benefits of biking, with Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe lauding how new bike paths attract people to city parks, and Dr. Thomas Farley, city health commissioner, applauding the benefits of physical activity and bike lane safety.
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. said this was one time the Bronx “did not mind being last,” getting to host the completion of the project. He encouraged New Yorkers to explore their neighborhoods by bike.
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