This Month Is Your Month, This Month Is My Month… – Bike Snob NYC

It’s Might, which is in fact Bike Month:

This may seem to be a very good factor, however when you think about they often solely dedicate whole months to terminal illnesses and the gravest of social points you start to comprehend that as a bike owner you’re simply one thing else most individuals would like not to consider.

So is Bike Month even nonetheless related in 2025? Most likely not–and but in some way it’s nonetheless a factor. To attempt to perceive why, I undertook a fast survey of how we’re observing it across the nation and past:

Ohio

So how do you get extra individuals on bikes? Do you construct extra protected bicycle infrastructure? Do you implement insurance policies reminiscent of congestion pricing to cut back car site visitors? Do you present quick access to bike share? Do you construct safe bike parking? In the end, encouraging significant numbers of individuals to embrace utilizing the bicycle as transportation in all probability requires a concerted effort to implement all of these items.

Then there’s the the other strategy, which is to throw up your fingers and say, “Fuck it, let’s simply dump a bunch of helmets:”

I’m not saying that is all Ohio is doing to advertise secure bicycling. I’m additionally not saying individuals shouldn’t put on helmets (even when I’ll secretly be pondering it). I’m simply saying giving out 13,000 of them smacks of desperation, like airdropping a bunch of provides right into a catastrophe space. They’re even calling it “Put A Lid On It,” which is just barely extra well mannered than “Cease complaining and put on this:”

I’d like to understand how a lot cash it prices cities to do large-scale helmet giveaways like this, and what number of bikes they may very well be shopping for for teenagers as an alternative.

New York Metropolis

Right here in New York, the Division of Transportation has revealed an inventory of family-friendly bike routes the place you’ll discover transient respite from all of the weed-addled drivers in vehicles with paper license plates:

Oddly, the longest route is in Manhattan, although it’s the smallest borough by geography, which simply appears unfair:

Not solely that, however a lot of the Bronx route [PDF] is in Manhattan too:

See?

The Bronx has probably the most parkland of any borough and no less than two big parks with sufficient bike path to make a family-friendly bike route of a mile or two a no brainer–one with a seaside and one with a pool–and but the route the DOT comes up with is designed to easily get you and your loved ones out of the Bronx altogether, go determine.

San Diego

Bike To Work Day is a staple of Bike Month, however now that so many individuals keep residence and work of their underpants San Diego is altering its strategy:

After all that is unlikely to assist as a result of if you happen to make money working from home you in all probability additionally train at residence and have all of your purchases delivered and do just about every part else from residence, too:

I’d have gone with “Go For A Experience And Then Go To Work Day,” since a morning journey adopted by a day of working in your underpants is as shut as many people will ever get to residing the dream.

However hey, 30+ years of Bike To Work Day was a very good run. Sadly, I give Bike Anyplace Day not more than 10 years earlier than it turns into We Know You’re Gonna Drive, Simply Attempt Not To Run Anyone Over Day.

Raleigh

San Diego could also be giving up on Bike To Work Day throughout Bike Month, however Raleigh is giving up on bikes altogether:

This one actually hurts:

The promo code needs to be BETRAYAL. The scooter is the pure enemy of the bicycle; the invasive species that has destroyed our habitat. It’s like gifting away free free Popeye’s rooster throughout American Coronary heart Month.

United Kingdom

I don’t know if they’ve Bike Month over there, however they do have a bicycling viola da gambist: