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Why protected bike lanes are more valuable than parking spaces

Vox | January 27, 2026



America’s first parking-protected bike lane came to New York City in 2007. Here’s what happened next.

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When Janette Sadik-Khan was hired as chief transportation official for New York City in 2007, she took a page out of Denmark’s playbook and created America’s first parking-protected bike lane, right in the middle of downtown Manhattan.

A parking protected bike lane created a buffer between the traffic of cars, trucks and buses and cyclists. But it also eliminated parking spots.

The protected lanes didn’t just make the streets safer for those on bikes; they also improved traffic flow for vehicles and spurred increased retail sales for businesses nearby.

You can read more about the 9th avenue protected bike lane pilot program here:
https://nacto.org/case-study/ninth-avenue-complete-street-new-york-city/

And you read a full study on all of the data used in this video here:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/cycling-in-the-city.pdf

Here is a full inventory of all implemented + planned protected cycle tracks in New York City:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/nyc-protected-bike-lanes.pdf

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Written by Vox

Comments

This post currently has 38 comments.

  1. @Pancito49

    January 27, 2026 at 2:17 am

    In Nevada when studying for your drivers license there are NO QUESTIONS about bicycles 🚲 and right aways. I livid in Latin America 30 years and they don’t like bicycles and don’t respect their rights in the streets and ridding around Las Vegas I can tell you , you take your life in your hands and the police always fault the bicyclist. You have no chance.

  2. @marcoferrao

    January 27, 2026 at 2:17 am

    If Paris can do it, than New York can do it as well. If New Your can do it, than any other big city in the world can do it as well. These cities are role models.

  3. @samuelspace101

    January 27, 2026 at 2:17 am

    0:37 I can’t believe Portland, a city of 600k people is beating both Los Angeles and Chicago in bike commuters, in total.
    Oregon do love there bikes.
    (Portland also has the highest percentage of bikers for any city over 500k population, being 4th most biked city if you include city’s over 100k population.)

  4. @badabing8884

    January 27, 2026 at 2:17 am

    This isn’t just an American city problem. This is a car centric way of thinking and Governments have no real incentive to prioritise cycling. It is just tacked on where it is convenient and cost effective . A painted line is treated as cycling infrastructure, wands instead of proper protection from traffic and shared paths with few rules of how to share – just dodge around and not know where pedestrians can walk – often with cans over their ears.

  5. @thurstonrider

    January 27, 2026 at 2:17 am

    Just think, bike lanes would not be neccessary if it wasn't for increased motor vehicles on the roadways. Not to mention increased aggressive/reckless driving. No wonder many ppl in the 20th Century never got on a bicycle with the exceptions of the courageous few who did.

  6. @KDemosh

    January 27, 2026 at 2:17 am

    Remember when Vox went viral bombing our chance at Medicare For All? I remember, y'all highlighted only the rise in tax and not the overall decrease in medical costs far outweighing the rise in tax. I hope you all feel that you hurt millions and you do better.

  7. @raybon7939

    January 27, 2026 at 2:17 am

    If it were up to me luckily for cars it isn't.
    Cuase I utterly despise cars.
    If it were up to me tonight not even
    Tommorow morning. Tonight
    I'd kick all cars out of every down town in this Country.

  8. @JustaGuy_Gaming

    January 27, 2026 at 2:17 am

    I think another factor people often ignore is E-Bikes. It really let a lot of people who were not physically fit enough ride a bike. Or even just let you ride a bike easily, and thus not arrive to work all sweaty.

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