Bicycling Up Citywide Manhattan Bicycling Ridership Up 14 Percent Citywide, DOT Says Over 18,000 bicyclists were counted daily

this past Spring, DOT statistics said. By Kareem Johnson DNAinfo Reporter/Producer MANHATTAN Its a bicycle town, New York. According to statistics from the Department of Transportation, the city set a record number of bicyclists commuting daily this past Spring with 18,809 riders being counted at six Manhattan commuter points. Since 2000, commuter bicycle ridership is up 262 percent. More and more New Yorkers are choosing to get around town by bicycle, and by creating more bike lanes, were giving New Yorkers the option to safely chose to bike, said Mayor Bloomberg in a statement. Expanding bicycle lanes citywide are driving the growth, with the city installing over 390 bike-lane miles since 2002. More New Yorkers than ever are using the expanding bike route network, and still more are seeing the benefit it brings for everybody who uses the streets, DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan said in a statement. Despite the increase in bicycle riders citywide, the number of bicycle riders fatalities dropped from 28 in 2008 to 15 in 2010, DOT statistics show.