Welcome to the last issue of the New York Bicycling Coalition newsletter this year! We close 2025 by highlighting important work and progress happening across the state - from NYBC’s specialized Law Enforcement Training program strengthening safety through education, to emerging safe-passing technology that could transform how communities protect people on bikes. We also lift up powerful statewide advocacy in our coverage of New York’s World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, and spotlight upstate leadership at the Vision Zero Cities Conference. And we celebrate New York’s growing prominence as a national leader in bicycle-friendly higher education. New York was second only to California in the number of Bicycle Friendly Universities this year! Read our feature below on Stony Brook University’s Silver-level Bicycle Friendly University designation. Plus NYBC Executive Director Anne Savage discusses Strive for 25 at this past GTC conference as well as more chances to test your knowledge with NYBC’s interactive quizzes.

Read on for stories that showcase the people, policies, and innovations shaping a safer future for all New Yorkers regardless of how they get around.

May we all find welcoming paths as we travel forward to 2026 by bike, foot, or whatever mode moves you!

• NYBC Offers Specialized Law Enforcement Training

• The Gift of Safety: New Technology Supporting Safe Passing

• Upstate Advocate featured at Vision Zero Cities Conference

• NYBC Honors World Day of Remembrance

• New York State: A Leader in Bicycle Friendly Universities

• Test Your Skills with NYBC Interactive Quizzes

• NYBC Executive Director Discusses Strive for 25 at GTC Conference

NYBC Assistant Director of Bicycle Safety Education, Ed Brennan, teaching our
2025 Active Transportation Law and Safety class in Rochester

At New York Bicycling Coalition, we know that safer streets begin with shared understanding between people who bike, people who drive, and the law enforcement professionals who help keep our communities safe. As e-bikes, e-scooters, and other micromobility devices become increasingly common on local streets many departments are seeking clearer guidance on laws, safety practices, and real-world challenges. That’s why NYBC offers specialized Law Enforcement Training designed to strengthen officers’ knowledge of the NYS Vehicle & Traffic Law and equip them with practical, community-centered tools for effective enforcement. Our Active Transportation Law and Safety curriculum, led by NYBC Assistant Director of Bicycle Safety Education, Ed Brennan, uses local examples and real-world scenarios to deepen understanding and help officers confidently navigate the growing diversity of devices on our streets. This collaborative approach ensures each class reflects the needs of the communities being served. More information about the program is available at https://nybc.net/safety/law-enforcement-training.

Each training session is tailored to the hosting agency and can focus solely on bicycle, e-bike/e-scooter law and safety or be expanded to include crash-data analysis, grant-writing support, community engagement strategies, and the interaction between local ordinances and state law. With half-day and full-day options,the program is flexible enough to meet the demands of any department schedule.

Officers consistently report that the training brings clarity to complex laws and provides guidance they can apply immediately in the field, helping create streets where every New Yorker can travel safely and confidently.

If your department or community would like to host a training, you can request more information at safety@nybc.net. Spots fill quickly, so we encourage interested agencies to reach out early!

The “close pass” is an all too familiar and unwelcome experience for folks pedaling our roads and streets. However, new technology is opening exciting possibilities for safer cycling, and one of the most promising breakthroughs comes from a team of computer scientists who recently unveiled ProxiCycle, an inexpensive handlebar-mounted sensor that tracks how closely cars pass cyclists. Tested on 15 bikes over two months in Seattle, the device recorded more than 2,000 close passes - data that aligned closely with years of official crash records. That means a simple low cost, easy to install sensor could help reveal where streets pose real risks long before collisions occur. 

For states like New York where NYBC continues to strongly advocate for 3-foot safe-passing legislation statewide, tools like ProxiCycle hint at an exciting future beyond personal safety. As more sensors are deployed and the design becomes open source, crowd-generated data could help not only map safer routes but also support local agencies in identifying areas where drivers consistently violate safe-passing standards. While still early, this kind of technology could someday help strengthen education, shape enforcement strategies, and give cyclists clearer, smarter choices about where to ride. And as we head into the holidays, innovations like these offer a new kind of gift: one that delivers data to shape community-powered safety policies that truly protect people on bikes.

If you want to help us advocate for better laws in NYS you can learn more About NYBC's advocacy for Defined Safe Passing and consider joining us at the NYS Safe Streets Day of Action on January 27, 2026!

Taylor Jaffe Program Manager at Catskill Mountainkeeper
speaks at 2025 Vision Zero Cities Conference

At this year's Vision Zero Cities Conference in NYC, local advocate Taylor Jaffe, Program Manager & Environmental Justice Associate at Catskill Mountainkeeper, brought a critical upstate perspective to the conversation on street safety and equity. As a panelist in “Taking on the Traffic Industrial Complex: Who Really Controls Our Streets?” Jaffe highlighted how political and industry power structures from state DOTs to auto and oil interests shape decisions that put profit over people. Her contributions underscored why local leadership is essential to shifting street design toward safety, climate resilience, and community well-being.

That local leadership is equally evident in Jaffe’s ongoing work on the proposed Route 17 to I-86 expansion, where Catskill Mountainkeeper recently secured a cautious win when the New York State Department of Transportation paused the proposed 1.5 billion highway expansion project siting "community concerns”. NYBC is proud to stand with Catskill Mountainkeeper, because spending billions on highway expansion moves New York in the wrong direction - away from Vision Zero goals and away from safety for all roadway users. As the conference made clear, achieving safer streets requires not just global strategies but steadfast local advocates like Jaffe who push back against harmful transportation investments and fight for healthier, more sustainable mobility choices for every community.

Click here to sign the Stop Route 17 expansion petition

Juliane Williams mother of Doniqueca Cooke and founder of the NiiquaBeeFaith Foundation at the 2025 World Day of Remembrance event in the Bronx.

The New York Bicycling Coalition joins advocates across New York State in honoring the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, a solemn global observance held every November to remember those killed or injured in crashes and to demand stronger action for safer streets. Survivors, advocates, and family members like Juliane Williams mother of Doniqueca Cooke, and founder of the NiiquaBeeFaith Foundation shared heartfelt tributes honoring victims of traffic violence and reaffirming their commitment to safer streets and community healing.

In Western NY, Reconnect Rochester and community members gathered for a candlelight vigil marked by more than 2,000 yellow flags and empty shoes, calling on Monroe County leaders to lower speed limits and prevent tragedies like those suffered by local families.

In Albany, the Albany Bicycle Coalition brought survivors and advocates together to read the names of pedestrians and cyclists killed countywide since 2020; their demands include calling on Capital Region city, and county leaders to commit to Vision Zero. 

In New York City, Transportation Alternatives, Families for Safe Streets, and public officials came together in the Bronx to memorialize the more than 3,000 New Yorkers lost since Vision Zero began and to urge passage of life-saving measures such as the Stop Super Speeders bill.

From Western New York to NYC, these events underscore the urgent need for redesigning dangerous roads, reducing speeds, and strengthening proven safety policies reminding us that every life lost to traffic violence is one too many.

Click Here to Sign the Stop Super Speeders Petition

Students at SUNY Stony Brook Enjoying Wolf Ride Bike Share (Photo from news.stonybrook.edu)

Stony Brook University’s 2024 Silver-level Bicycle Friendly University was well deserved: from its Wolf Ride Bike Share program, which saw more than 72,000 rides in 2023-24, to extensive bike parking, dedicated paths like the six-mile Paul Simons Memorial Bike Path, and community-driven repair support through the Freewheel Collective. Together, these investments reflect the university’s forward-thinking approach to modern mobility, sustainability, and student well-being.

Stony Brook is one of many New York institutions helping the state earn a reputation as a powerhouse for campus-based bicycle innovation. Schools across the state, large and small, urban and rural are embracing bike share systems, safe infrastructure, and multimodal mobility planning that reduces congestion and expands low-carbon travel options. As the League emphasizes, when universities make biking easier and safer, they do more than improve campus travel; they shape healthier, more sustainable communities and inspire lifelong transportation habits. For NYBC, New York’s strong showing in the Bicycle Friendly University program is a reminder that cultural and infrastructural progress doesn’t just happen on city streets; it thrives on our campuses too. And as more institutions follow Stony Brook’s lead, New York will continue moving toward a statewide future where biking is safe, supported, and celebrated.

Think your University has what it takes? Click Here to learn about applying for Bicycle Friendly University status

How well do you know the rules of the road for biking in New York State? Test your knowledge with NYBC’s interactive quizzes!

Each quiz uses images, short explanations, and real-world scenarios to help you better understand safety techniques and state laws. They're a fun and engaging way to learn - whether you’re brushing up or starting fresh. Both cyclists and drivers will learn how we can all safely and respectfully share the road with our quizzes for child cyclists, adult cyclists and drivers.

Many thanks to Ride Illinois for the initial work they did on these quizzes, and to NHTSA and the New York Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee for their generous support helping to bring these fun learning tools to riders and drivers in New York State.

In November, New York Bicycling Coalition (NYBC) Executive Director Anne Savage led a discussion about opportunities for local communities to opt in to 25 mph speed limits for greater street safety at the Genesee Transportation Council (GTC) Regional Transportation Safety Summit: Putting the Safe Systems Approach into Practice.

The one-day summit convened municipal leaders, transportation professionals, advocates, and community partners from across the nine-county Genesee–Finger Lakes Region. Participants shared best practices grounded in the Safe System Approach, highlighted progress on regional safety initiatives, and explored strategies to make local roadways safer for everyone.

Even if you couldn’t attend, you can still see the presentation at GTC Strive for 25 Keynote Recording. The recording includes a 35 minute presentation by NYBC Exective Director Anne Savage followed by a panel discussion moderated by Cody Donahue of Reconnect Rochester and including panelists: Bill Smith, Town Supervisor, Town of Pittsford, Christine Corrado, Town Board Member and Chair of the Public Works Committee, Town of Brighton, Erin Magee, Commissioner of Public Works and Highway Superintendent, Town of Irondequoit.

nybc@nybc.net | www.nybc.net

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