I am currently on holiday in New York. The weather is very good, but, it’s always an effort to cycle in New York city. To be fair it is a lot better than a couple of years ago. But, there are still many obstacles to cycling in New York.
- Drivers are not used to Cyclists and are very impatient. Even riding close to the sidewalk can lead to the big SUVs aggressively using their horn to get you out of the way.
- Potholes. Good old America can put a man on the moon but when it comes to filling in pot holes, they might as well be a third world country.
- Cars are all built like tanks. America seems to love big cars and the bigger the better. SUVs are the norm (probably because the road surfaces are so bad). But, as a cyclist you feel even more vulnerable.
- Attitude to driving. Maybe because Americans drive around in ‘armoured’ SUVs they feel invulnerable to crashes. They certainly drive with a lack of consideration for other road users.
- New York city council have tried adding cycle lanes and adverts. But, unfortunately the number of cyclists is still very low, meaning the prevailing attitude is that cyclists are seen as a nuisance. I expect the majority of New Yorkers have only very rarely cycled.
