May marks the start of Bike Month, and to celebrate, NYC Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez today announced month-long programming and community events designed to encourage cycling, promote safety, and celebrate the city’s growing bike culture. Throughout May, NYC DOT will host dozens of events across all five boroughs, including free helmet fittings, bike light giveaways, educational outreach for delivery workers, and a variety of bicycle-focused programming. The celebration comes amidst record bike ridership and investments in cyclist safety in New York City. There are an estimated 226 million cycling trips each year across the city, and NYC DOT built a record 87.5 miles of new protected bike lanes and upgraded an additional 20 miles under the Adams Administration throughout the past three years alone.
“New York City is experiencing a bike boom—and we’re building infrastructure and providing education to meet the moment,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “With record ridership and a historic expansion of our protected bike lane network, we’re making it safer and easier than ever for New Yorkers to choose cycling—whether they’re commuting, making deliveries, or just riding for fun.”
Citywide Events & Programs This May
Educational & Community Programming:
Free Helmet Giveaways Events
Brooklyn:
5/4/2025 – CM Inna Vernikov: Kelly Park Playground, Avenue S between East 14th & East 15th
5/31/2025 – CM Susan Zhuang: Seth Low Park: Avenue P, Bay Parkway & West 12th St, Stillwell Ave
Bronx:
5/23/2025 – CM Eric Dinowitz: Spuyten Duyvil Playground, 660 West 235th Street
Manhattan:
5/3/2025 – CM Shaun Abreu: St. John Devine Church: Amsterdam Ave, bet. 112th & 113th
Queens:
5/10/2025 – CM Vickie Paladino: Crocheron Park: 214-41 34th Ave, Queens
5/17/2025 – CM Robert Holden: Juniper Park: Juniper Blvd South & 75th Street
Free Bike Light Giveaways
Brooklyn:
5/5/2025 – 9100 Bay Parkway, Brooklyn, NY (with Pineapple Ride)
5/19/2025 – Prospect Park: Flatbush Avenue & Grand Army Plaza
Bronx:
5/12/2025 – Van Cortland Park Greenway (Golf Course)
5/14/2025 – Starlight Park: 1490 Sheridan Blvd, Bronx, NY 10459
Manhattan:
5/7/2025 – 29th Street Greenway
5/21/2025 – Delancey Street & Allen Street (middle island part of the road)
Queens:
5/27/2025 – Alley Pond Park - 77th Avenue & 220th Street (Long Island Motor Pkwy)
5/30/2025 – 34th Avenue between 93rd Street and Junction Boulevard
Staten Island:
5/1/2025 – Midland Beach: 880 Father Capodanno Blvd, SI, NY 10305
Delivery Worker Outreach
Bronx:
5/13/2025 – Bay Plaza: Bartow Ave & Co-op City Blvd
5/15/2025 – West 238th St & Broadway (by McDonald's & Wendy's)
Brooklyn:
5/20/2025 – Myrtle Avenue & Broadway (Bushwick)
Manhattan:
5/6/2025 – Broadway: between West 170th & 171st
5/8/2025 – East 30th Street & 2nd Avenue
Queens:
5/28/2025 – Roosevelt Avenue: between Union Street & College Point Blvd
Staten Island:
5/29/2025 – Victory Blvd: between St Marks Pl & Fremont St (110 Victory Blvd)
Record Safety Improvements
In 2024, the agency added 29.3 miles of protected bike lanes, the third-highest annual total in city history. The Adams administration has averaged 29.1 miles per year, a 10% increase over the previous administration’s final three-year average.
Protected bike lanes don't just benefit cyclists—they make streets safer for everyone. According to NYC DOT data, protected bike lanes reduce total fatalities and serious injuries by 18.1%, and pedestrian deaths and serious injuries by 29.1%. The safety impact is even more significant for older New Yorkers, with a 39% reduction in senior pedestrian injuries and fatalities.
NYC DOT is also making improvements to the bike network to improve safety for cyclists and support the continued growth of biking across the city. These improvements are made possible through smart street design. Bike lanes help deliver these broad safety benefits by shortening pedestrian crossing distances, discouraging speeding, and naturally slowing down turning vehicles through intersection designs that promote safer turning angles.
New Tools for a Growing Cycling Community
In April, NYC DOT introduced new cyclist-friendly traffic signals on Manhattan’s Third Avenue. These smaller signals, placed at cyclist eye level, are designed to improve visibility and compliance, and have proven effective in increasing safety.
Earlier this year, the agency implemented ‘Green Wave’ signal timing along the corridor, with traffic signals now coordinated so that vehicles traveling at 15 MPH will encounter consecutive green lights. While the speed limit remains 25 MPH, average daytime travel speeds are generally lower on the busy corridor. The ‘Green Wave’ treatment is intended to improve safety for cyclists and for pedestrians by discouraging speeding and reducing red-light running. Prior to these improvements, this stretch of Third Avenue was designated as a Vision Zero Priority Corridor with 31 severe traffic injuries and five fatalities (four pedestrians and one cyclist) between 2020 and 2024.
NYC DOT also unveiled a new bike counter and visualization tool, bringing together cycling data from across the city into a single, interactive platform. This tool allows New Yorkers to explore ridership trends and better understand how cycling is transforming the city’s streets.
“More and more New Yorkers are getting around by bike each year. Bike Month is a great way to both celebrate that progress and encourage more people to give biking a try! Every New Yorker deserves a high-quality network of protected bike lanes so that even more people feel comfortable hopping on a bike to get around,” said Ben Furnas, executive director of Transportation Alternatives.
“Bike Month is all about encouraging more New Yorkers to experience the joy and health benefits of cycling — and to do so safely,” said Ken Podziba, CEO of Bike New York. “The events taking place throughout May, from free helmet fittings to educational outreach, are essential to making biking a safe, accessible, and empowering part of everyday life. We’re proud to partner with the Department of Transportation during Bike Month and all year long to promote bike safety, expand access across all communities, and give New Yorkers the tools they need to ride with confidence.”
“Brooklyn Greenway Initiative and the NYC Greenways Coalition celebrate the beginning of National Bike Month, and DOT's programs, giveaways, and improvements to cycling in NYC. Cycling on NYC's growing greenway system and bike lanes are the cleanest, greenest, healthiest and most fun ways to get around the city, and we applaud all efforts DOT makes to expand that opportunity in more communities and to more New Yorkers,” said Hunter Armstrong, executive director, Brooklyn Greenway Initiative, and co-chair, NYC Greenways Coalition.
