NYC Bike Path Experience by Loriann Joseph

On Saturday, September 13, 2014, I went bicycling on the NYC bike path that runs parallel to the Westside highway. I entered the bike path uptown near 95th Street and exited downtown at the Freedom Tower / World Financial Center area. My round trip was approximately 15 miles, which took me about two and half hours to complete. The weather was overcast and in the low 70's which made it ideal for bicycling. I will breakdown my experience into 2 categories, “Uptown Experience” (above 59th Street) and “Downtown Experience” (at or below 59th Street).

Uptown Experience

There are trees separating the actual bike path from the Westside Highway. As a result, bike trail users’ exposure to harmful emissions from the vehicles travelling on the highway, is significantly reduced.

In addition, certain sections of the bike path in this area have segregated “pedestrian only” paths which foster a leisure-oriented environment.

Downtown Experience

I experienced a change in the air quality once I got below 59th Street. The bike path in the downtown area comes in very close contact with vehicular traffic, which negatively impacts the air quality.

Traffic light features were added to the bike path in this area due to its close proximity to passing vehicles on the roadway. However, users tend not to obey the light features and rely on their own perception of danger.

The usage of the bike facility in lower Manhattan is mixed. Similar to upper Manhattan, I spotted pedestrians and joggers. For the first time, I could see mostly tourists commuting on Citi bikes between midtown and uptown. There were also bicyclists using the facilities for business related purposes. For example, I saw messengers from a company named Lacoste utilizing the bike path.

My overall experience on the bike path was pleasant. Despite the multi-usage of the path, the flow was good. With lack of access to the Citi-bike App, bike path users are at a loss as to the location of nearby docking stations. Therefore, coupled with the App, I would also like to see more signage along the path indicating where the nearest Citi bike dock stations are located, since only one docking station at Chambers Street is located on the path.

In an effort to make the bike system more cohesive with other modes, integration with other forms of transportation should be considered. Citi-bike docking facilities could be strategically set up near designated bus/train stations. This would encourage more usage if people perceived the facilities as being more accessible and user-friendly.