NYC DOT Kicks off Bike Month With New Campaign to Promote Cycling Among Women, Girls, Transgender, and Gender-Expansive New Yorkers

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IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 1, 2024
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NYC DOT Kicks off Bike Month With New Campaign to Promote Cycling Among Women, Girls, Transgender, and Gender-Expansive New Yorkers

My Bike, My City features an advertising campaign and other resources including cycling tips, educational events, and suggested bike routes

Campaign ads for My Bike, My City, which are on display citywide on LinkNYC kiosks and MTA bus shelters

New York - New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez today announced My Bike, My City, a new public campaign for Bike Month geared toward promoting biking among women, girls, transgender, and gender-nonconforming New Yorkers. The campaign comes amidst record bike ridership and an all-time high number of protected bike lane miles built in New York City under the Adams administration. To promote cycling as a healthful, environmentally-friendly, and accessible form of transportation, NYC DOT will launch an advertising campaign and provide resources such as cycling tips, educational events, and suggested bike routes detailed on a new My Bike, My City webpage. The campaign includes digital advertisements on LinkNYC kiosks citywide as well as print advertisements on 100 bus shelters across the five boroughs. Each advertisement will include a QR code linking to NYC DOT's campaign website. The launch coincides with NYC DOT's publication of the 2024 New York City Bike Map, which features My Bike, My City campaign photos on the cover.

"Cycling has never been safer and more accessible in New York City, and the My Bike, My City campaign is about encouraging all New Yorkers to feel confident and inspired to enjoy New York City on a bicycle," said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. "We are thrilled to launch a campaign focused on expanding the cycling community. Inspiring more New Yorkers to bike promotes a healthful, environmentally friendly, and efficient travel option- not to mention that it's often the fastest way to get around our city."

"As the founder and executive director of Get Women Cycling, I am thrilled to see NYC DOT's commitment to promoting cycling among femme identifying and non-binary New Yorkers. This campaign sends a powerful message of inclusivity and accessibility, recognizing the diverse community of cyclists in our city," said Angela Azzolino, founder and executive director of Get Women Cycling. "By providing resources, educational events, and bike routes tailored to our needs, the city is making biking a safer and more inviting option for all. Together, we pedal towards a more equitable and vibrant cityscape, where every rider feels empowered to say, my bike, my city."

New York City has experienced a remarkable growth in cycling as NYC DOT has dramatically expanded the citywide bike lane network over the past decade. Last year alone, a record 32 miles of protected bike lane miles were built - more than every other major city in America combined. This has helped fuel the all-time high 610,000 daily cycling trips taken in the city. That ridership represents a 154 percent increase since 2009, when 240,000 daily cycling trips were recorded. While growth among female cyclists is outpacing growth among male cyclists, women still make up a minority of overall cycling trips.

My Bike, My City will run for the entire month of May and is part of Mayor Eric Adams' Women Forward NYC: An Action Plan for Gender Equity. The campaign is just one example of the efforts the agency is taking to increase cycling across the city. Studies have shown that women are more likely to cycle if there is safe, dedicated infrastructure. NYC DOT is committed to expanding the city's bike lane network with high-quality, protected bike lane designs-including utilizing sturdier barriers to better protect cyclists-that will likely inspire trips among women. Through a data-driven approach under Vision Zero, NYC DOT is also prioritizing equity to install new bike lanes in underserved and overlooked areas in need of safe cycling infrastructure.

CYCLING TIPS
Throughout the campaign, NYC DOT will release a series of educational materials that share important information about cycling in the city. Subjects include tips for safe riding; biking myths vs. facts; bike law education; and guidance to look out for others on the road.

EDUCATIONAL EVENTS
Bike the Block - Open-street events focused on bicycle programming and education in areas that have historically seen under-investment in transportation infrastructure. Bike the Block improves and expands community engagement in support of street improvement projects, empowers communities to reimagine their streets, and creates a platform for local cycling advocacy. These events include free learn-to-ride and bike handling skill classes with Bike New York.

Helmet Fittings and Gear Giveaways - NYC DOT has provided over 300,000 free bicycle helmets to New Yorkers since 2006. In partnership with organizations and councilmembers, NYC DOT will host over 40 free helmet fittings and bike light giveaway events across the city in 2024. This season, many of these events will offer 'Get Pumped' free bike maintenance and there will be special outreach events for delivery workers who can receive safety vests and helmets.

NYC DOT will also organize guided group rides throughout the season as well as during Summer Streets and Open Street events with local partners.

SAFE BIKING ROUTES
In addition to updating the NYC Bike Map every year, NYC DOT has developed a list of self-guided bike rides in various neighborhoods across the city, with varying distance and difficulty levels. New rides will be added throughout the campaign and posted on the campaign website, with May's Guided Ride to Shirley Chisholm State Park in Brooklyn honoring the park's namesake, the first Black woman to be elected to the United States Congress.

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