Cities need to give bikes a dedicated, prominent place on our streets Last night, hundreds of people took to New York?s streets on bikes to send a message to the city: Too many people are dying.
The ride was organized by the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives after the death of a prominent bike activist last month. The death was particularly notable because it represented the 15th cyclist killed this year?the same number of cyclists who were killed in the entirety of 2015. Only two weeks later, that number has risen to 17.
The spiking number of traffic deaths highlight another troubling truth: Most of the city?s cycling deaths have occurred in Brooklyn, the place where the largest percentage of New Yorkers are riding bikes. It proves that the idea of critical mass doesn?t really equal safer streets unless the infrastructure rises up to meet its riders.
Some great photos of our #RideTogether to demand safe passage for cyclists and pedestrians! https://t.co/ghnUySRYDg pic.twitter.com/kdxKQObsM6? TransAlt (@transalt) September 16, 2016

Many U.S. cities?including New York?are working hard to stripe streets with green lanes and helmeted stick-figure icons. But the problem is that very few cities have managed to build a continuous, protected, highly visible bike network, even if they have a ?bike plan? in place.
For all the cycling gains in recent years, transportation planners are still making bike decisions that prioritize cars. Think about where you see peo...