On March 8, as America began to contemplate the looming specter of the coronavirus in earnest, New York City mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted:
New Yorkers laughed off the bit about the subway鈥攗ntil social distancing became a way of life, there was no such thing as a New York City subway train that wasn鈥檛 packed during rush hour鈥攂ut they took his bike-to-work advice more seriously. Days later, the New York City Department of Transportation in cycling over the East River bridges compared to the same time last year. in ridership. Certainly,听the warm weather and the extra hour of daylight from changing the clocks that weekend contributed to the bumper crop of cyclists, but plenty of people also cited coronavirus听as the reason they chose to ride. One rider told the : 鈥淚 feel better taking the bike… There are fewer hands touching these handlebars than the subway poles.鈥
This is by no means the first time people in major cities have turned to the bicycle in a crisis. When Hurricane Sandy knocked out the subway in 2012 and caused听, people . When the plunged New York City and huge swaths of the northeast into darkness, halting trains and causing mass gridlock, commuters . The bicycle has been a clutch player during transit strikes in , , , and . And on a personal note, during the chaos, confusion, and horror of 9/11, the bicycle got me where I needed to go. When the shit hits the fan, the bicycle is a powerful contingency plan.
But like a fire extinguisher or a first aid kit or anything else that can be useful in an emergency, lots of people take bicycles for granted, consigning them to some out-of-the-way spot in their homes听and forgetting about them鈥攊f they even have them at all. When things are running smoothly there鈥檚 also the common misconception that the bicycle is not a practical mode of transportation: we鈥檙e told over and over again by the anti-bike-lane set that they鈥檙e no good in bad weather, or they鈥檙e only for the young and fit, or that they鈥檙e useless for carrying stuff which is why we all need to drive SUVs. Sure, all of this is demonstrably untrue鈥攚inter weather doesn鈥檛 stop , age doesn鈥檛 stop , and you can easily carry your groceries with a 鈥攂ut instead,听pundits and blowhards reflexively dismiss the idea of riding a bike for anything other than recreation or fitness, and continue to characterize dedicated bicycle infrastructure as an indulgence and not a necessity.
Then there鈥檚 the most ironic criticism of bike lanes and other safety-oriented road designs: that they hinder emergency response. This is a myth that has been debunked and . It鈥檚 personal cars that are the real liability in this regard; in New York City,听the sight and sound of is听so commonplace that people simply tune it out鈥攖here are of it happening that it鈥檚 practically its own film genre. I鈥檝e never seen a fire engine stopped by a bicyclist, but I have seen one stuck behind a Fresh Direct truck.
In a crisis we see how backward this sort of reasoning is, because the fact is that, short of walking, there鈥檚 no more dependable mode of transportation than the bicycle. Sure, if it rains while you鈥檙e on your bike you鈥檒l get wet, and pedaling through a blizzard might be a tall order, but you don鈥檛 know smugness until you鈥檝e 听or to hurricane victims by cargo bike. It鈥檚听situations like these that expose听the vulnerability of public transportation to disruption,听and the sheer bovine unwieldiness of cars.听And that鈥檚 not even addressing how indispensable a bicycle will be for the .
None of this is to say the bicycle is ever going to supplant public transit in a major city on a day-to-day basis, nor is it to imply that, should some calamity befall me, I鈥檇 prefer to be picked up in a Dutch cargo bike听than an ambulance. However, the bicycle is a vital component in the fabric of any robust transportation system under any circumstances, and when another component of that system is strained or fails, the bicycle greatly enhances that system鈥檚 resiliency. Alas, now it seems other countries are going : Madrid is suspending its bike share system, and Spain and Italy are banning leisure cycling in response to concerns about the virus (though as of now they鈥檙e still permitting cycling for essential transportation).
Amid this virus-related听cycling boom, advocates in New York have been on the city to make additional provisions for people on bikes. Meanwhile, the city has limited bars and restaurants to take-out and delivery only. This will place even more pressure on New York City鈥檚 food delivery people who, as advocate , have already been suffering under de Blasio鈥檚 war on e-bikes听and will now be sustaining many of New York City鈥檚 small businesses. In recognition of this, the mayor has to suspend e-bike enforcement.
As this pandemic compels us to consider the shortcomings of our healthcare system, the fragility of the economy, and our need for affordable healthcare, we should also give the bicycle its due. Even when you neglect it, it鈥檚 always there for you鈥攁ll it ever needs is a little air in the tires.