January 10, 2019
Bike New York’s 2018 Impact By the Numbers
Here’s what you helped make possible in 2018:
Bike New Yorkers pedaled a total of 1,488,200 miles on our rides in 2018! We’re thrilled so many of you joined us for Discover Hudson Valley‘s pristine hills, coastal cruising on the Twin Lights Ride, and the TD Five Boro Bike Tour‘s car-free urban bliss. And since proceeds from each of these rides directly support our free education programs, you helped us share the joy and freedom of cycling with kids and adults around the five boroughs.
Want to help us go the extra mile in 2019? Sign up for the 2019 TD Five Boro Bike Tour, then start counting the days until May 5!
In 2018, Recycle-A-Bicycle collected, demanufactured, repaired, and redistributed 1,390 bikes – that’s a whopping 18.75 tons of bicycles and bike parts given a second chance! 569 of these bikes were given away at Bike Bonanzas, through the Earn-A-Bike program, and in collaboration with our community partners around NYC.
One way you can show your support for Recycle-A-Bicycle in 2019 is to spread the word about the Youth Bike Summit. RAB will be hosting the annual 3-day conference made for youth cyclists from February 15 – 17 in Queens. Know someone age 24 or younger with a passion for bikes and a voice that needs to be heard? Get them involved!
This year, a lot of you took your love of cycling to the next level: Bike New York’s Membership program gained 3,590 new recruits! If you didn’t become a card-carrying Bike New Yorker in 2018, make it a resolution for the New Year – then get ready to enjoy special rides and events, discounts on our regional rides and merch, Tour-related perks like exclusive access to registration ahead of the general public and a Members-only beer garden at the end of your ride, and so much more.
Bike New York went a long way to help keep our city’s cyclists riding safely this year – in fact, we went across all five boroughs! We handed out 500 pairs of free red and white bike lights at our 2018 giveaways, lighting the way for hundreds of evening commutes and late-night journeys.
Free bike light giveaways are just one of the many ways our Outreach department keeps us connected with the communities we serve: this year, they participated in 75 community events and meetings around NYC.
Are you organizing a community event, health fair, or meeting in 2019? We want to be there! Click here to learn more about how you can invite Bike New York to provide bike-themed giveaways, tabling, and speakers straight to your event.
In 2018, over 28,000 New Yorkers benefited from our free classes and programs, gaining the skills and confidence they need to ride. We held over 900 free class sessions at our community bike education centers and partner sites, covering everything from Learn to Ride classes for kids to LCI certification for 11 new bike teachers.
In addition to Bike New York’s collaboration with the NYC Department of Education for the launch of our Bicycling Field Trip program, we announced the expansion of our bike education pilot program to all middle schools in Staten Island and 20 community schools in Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Manhattan – a promising development in our efforts to promote universal bike education in NYC.