New York streets only for cyclists

New York is finalizing a project where cyclists and pedestrians will take over the city in a few weeks, as a COVID-19 prevention measure.

For weeks we have been hearing politicians from all over the world suggest that the bicycle could be decisive as a means of transport during the pandemic caused by the Covid-19. New York could be the first to carry out a huge urban restructuring with up to 120 km of streets for cyclists and pedestrians.

Without a vaccine or proven medications to deal with the coronavirus, the only truly effective measure to prevent infection is social distancing. Until now this alienation has been extreme with much of the world's population being confined to their homes. But what will happen when we return to the streets?

The social distance between people of at least 1.5 meters is a good measure to avoid a new massive contagion, but this distance will be very difficult to maintain in some essential spaces when economic activity returns to normal. For example, in public transport.

Already many countries have ensured that cycling or walking are safe ways to get around town while the threat of the coronavirus lasts. But if the influx of cyclists and pedestrians grows exponentially they will still need more space in the city so that the safety distance can be maintained. A space that will have to be taken away from motorized traffic.

Until now we had only heard insinuations from countries such as France or Spain. But in the United States, New York, the most densely populated city in the world, has already passed a bill that will be approved in the next few days and that, according to StreetsBlog NYC, will make 120 km of its streets available for the exclusive use of pedestrians and cyclists.