As New York City enters Bike Month, the Department of Transportation (DOT) is rolling out a slate of free events and safety programs in Queens and across the five boroughs, highlighting the city’s record ridership and major investments in cycling infrastructure.
The NYC DOT’s Bike Month 2025 campaign includes free helmet fittings, bike light giveaways, community rides and safety outreach events throughout May. Queens will host several high-profile events, including helmet distribution in Crocheron Park and Juniper Park, as well as a bike light giveaway at Alley Pond Park on May 27 and along 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights on May 30.
“As ridership soars, we’re building infrastructure and providing education to meet the moment,” said DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “With record ridership and a historic expansion of our protected bike lane network, we’re making it safer and easier than ever for New Yorkers to choose cycling—whether they’re commuting, making deliveries, or just riding for fun.”
Rodriguez pointed to the city’s 226 million annual cycling trips as a sign of its ongoing “bike boom.” Under the Adams administration, the DOT has added 87.5 miles of new protected bike lanes and upgraded 20 more miles citywide in just three years.
Queens neighborhoods are playing a critical role in that expansion. Corridors like 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights—where DOT will host a light giveaway event on May 30—have been transformed into high-profile bike and pedestrian priority zones under the city’s Open Streets and Vision Zero programs. In eastern Queens, riders will gather at Alley Pond Park, near the Long Island Motor Parkway Greenway, a growing part of the city’s greenway network.
Queens elected officials are also backing the effort. Council Member Vickie Paladino will co-host a free helmet fitting event on May 10 at Crocheron Park in Bayside, while Council Member Robert Holden will do the same on May 17 at Juniper Park in Middle Village.
DOT will also hold a delivery worker safety outreach event in Flushing on May 28, along Roosevelt Avenue between Union Street and College Point Boulevard, as part of its targeted engagement with gig workers who rely on bikes for work.
In addition to in-person events, the agency is encouraging riders to explore new routes through self-guided rides and is promoting recent upgrades to bike safety infrastructure. That includes cyclist-friendly traffic signals and ‘Green Wave’ signal timing along busy corridors, timed to favor cyclists traveling at a steady 15 mph.
DOT says the safety benefits of protected bike lanes go beyond cyclists: They reduce total fatalities and serious injuries by 18.1%, with a 29.1% drop among pedestrians. Among older New Yorkers, those numbers are even more significant, with a 39% reduction in pedestrian deaths and serious injuries.
“More and more New Yorkers are getting around by bike each year. Bike Month is a great way to both celebrate that progress and encourage more people to give biking a try,” said Ben Furnas, executive director of Transportation Alternatives. “Every New Yorker deserves a high-quality network of protected bike lanes so that even more people feel comfortable hopping on a bike to get around.”
The city’s expanded offerings also include a new interactive bike counter and visualization tool, allowing riders to explore ridership trends across the five boroughs in real time.
“Bike Month is all about encouraging more New Yorkers to experience the joy and health benefits of cycling — and to do so safely,” said Ken Podziba, CEO of Bike New York. “From free helmet fittings to educational outreach, these events make biking more accessible and empowering for everyone.”
