Biking in Brooklyn by the numbers

October 15, 2015 By Scott Enman Special to the Brooklyn Eagle

A Citi Bike station in DUMBO. Eagle photo by Samantha Samel

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Biking in New York has become increasingly more popular, and with more bikers comes a greater need for bike safety. Bike safety has therefore become a topic of conversation and a top priority for the city’s politicians and citizens.

Paul White, executive director of the nonprofit Transportation Alternatives (TA), which seeks to “advocate for bicycling, walking and public transit” in New York, is one of the staunchest supporters for biking in the city.

“We’ve been swept up in this cultural wave that has taken over the nation and symbolized a new way of urban life, and bicycling is at the forefront; and that has to do with the fact that the bike network came of age in the borough of Brooklyn,” said White.

The increasing popularity of biking in Brooklyn and across the city as a whole is in part the result of the implementation of Citi Bike, according to White.

“Citi Bike has been a total game changer for New York,” he said. “Its most exciting contribution is how it has normalized cycling. It has become so convenient to use and you have so many new people giving it a go.”

One of TA’s successful contributions has been to push Citi Bike stations into Bedford-Stuyvesant. Other projects include making Atlantic Avenue safer for bikers, and the organization is currently pushing to get a bike-pedestrian path on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

Some interesting statistics on Citi Bike usage in Brooklyn:

50,000: The number of Citi Bike users on a single day throughout the city, representing the highest usage day the company has seen.

9,865: The number of pedestrians and bikers injured in Brooklyn this year as of Sept. 27.

667: How many less pedestrians and bikers were injured this year compared to last year as of Sept. 27.

43: The number of pedestrians and bikers killed this year as of Sept. 27.

10: How many less pedestrians and bikers were killed this year compared to last year as of Sept. 27

7: The average number of times each Citi Bike is used on any given day. This statistic is the most out of any bike-sharing program in North America.

Since the expansion of Citi Bike began in early August, the most-used Citi Bike stations in Brooklyn are:

South Fifth Place at South Fourth Street
Old Fulton Street
Kent Avenue at North Seventh Street
Wythe Avenue at Metropolitan Avenue
York Street at Jay Street
Metropolitan Avenue at Bedford Avenue
Front Street at Washington Street
Clark Street at Henry Street
State Street at Smith Street

10. North Eighth Street at Driggs Avenue

The most popular times for people to use these stations are 9 a.m. and from 6 to 9 p.m., which suggests that the majority of riders are using Citi Bike to commute to and from work.

Looking to find the nearest Citi Bike station?

Looking to get your own bike? You can find a comprehensive list of all bike stores and map on page 2 of the official NYC 2015 bike map.