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Bicyclists
Bicycle Counts

Basics
  • Counts at all bicycle entries to central Manhattan (East River Bridges, Staten Island Ferry, and crossings at 50th Street)
  • Began in 1980 and conducted annually since 1984
  • Historically performed during July or August; count moved to September in 2006;
  • Triennial counts began in 2007
  • Midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday)
  • 12-hour counts: 7 am - 7 pm
  • 18-hour (6 am - 12 midnight) counts began in 2007
  • Bicycle data incorporated into NYMTC's annual Hub-Bound Travel Report
  • Trends in cycling levels are estimated using the Commuter Cycling Indicator which consists of the 12-hour counts at the four East River Bridges, the Hudson River Greenway, and the Staten Island Ferry.
Screenline History
Year
Number of Cyclists Counted Rounded to Nearest Hundreds
  12-hour 18-hour
1980 6,600 N/A
1990 10,900 N/A
2000 12,800 N/A
2005 16,300 N/A
2007* 19,900 27,000
2008* 22,700 30,100

*Counts taken in the spring, summer and fall, this is the average.
Detailed screenline results with data since 2000 is available here pdf.

2008 Highlights
  • Commuter cycling grew 35% between 2008 and 2007.
  • Cycling levels doubled in the last six years.
  • The Williamsburg Bridge carries approximately 4,000 cyclists on a typical day, quadruple the volume in 2000.
  • The 2008 18-hour (6am-12am) screenline count of 31,162 cyclists includes 8,478 (27% of the total) cyclists riding outside the previous 12 hour screenline window (7am-7pm).
12-hour & 18-hour Bicycle Screenline Count Results*
Facility
12-hour
18-hour
18-Hour as % of Grand Total
First Ave 334 520 2%
Second Ave 657 992 3%
Third Ave 903 1,137 4%
Lexington Ave 655 873 3%
Park Ave 944 1,399 4%
Madison Ave 686 910 3%
Fifth Ave 1,146 1,391 4%
Sixth Ave 959 1,335 4%
Seventh Ave 586 916 3%
Broadway 557 738 2%
Eighth Ave 780 1,079 3%
Ninth Ave 1,018 1,592 5%
Tenth Ave 484 750 2%
Eleventh Ave 316 424 1%
Twelfth Ave 74 96 0%
Hudson River Greenway 3,521 4,780 15%
Subtotal
13,621
18,933
61%
Brooklyn Bridge 1,800 2,484 8%
Queensboro Bridge 1,738 2,173 7%
Williamsburg Bridge 3,001 3,979 13%
Manhattan Bridge 2,232 3,230 10%
Staten Island Ferry 291 364 1%
Subtotal
9,063
12,229
39%
Grand Total 22,684 31,162 100.0%

* Average of May, August, and September counts (see screenline tables for further details)

NYMTC also collects data on cycling in the five boroughs and suburbs through the NYMTC Bicycle Data Collection Program.

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