Everything to Know About Biking at the WTC

Biking is an integral part of New York City’s transportation network. At the World Trade Center, we’re always working to make our campus more bike-friendly by supporting the growing number of bicyclists in Lower Manhattan and New York City. We also strive to create better connections to the larger biking network outside of our 16-acre campus (we’re close to major bike trails like the Hudson River Greenway, which contains the southernmost portion of the Empire State Bike Trail).

“Our efforts to provide safe bike routes to and through the World Trade Center, storage solutions for personal and shared bikes, and activities to reduce barriers to bicycling – like bike builds and riding lessons – represent a collective commitment to bicyclists and lay the groundwork for more to come. We invite locals, visitors, and workers to choose pedal-power for their next World Trade Center trip,” shares Jake Fry, Planning Manager for the World Trade Center Department at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. 

Read about our bicycle infrastructure, including bike lanes and parking, plus our programming efforts, below. Download our campus bike map to plan your next trip. 

Bike Parking

Public bicycle parking is available within the campus on the west side of Memorial Plaza, adjacent to West Street and across the highway from the Hudson River Greenway. There are also several on-street bike racks within walking distance to the World Trade Center. World Trade Center tenants can also check with their property management teams on available bike parking rooms in the office towers. 

Campus Biking

One of the most unique features of the World Trade Center campus is that most vehicular traffic is limited, which creates a safer environment for cyclists. In 2020, the World Trade Center added shared-lane bike markings (also known as “sharrows”) on Church, Greenwich, and Fulton Streets on campus. Cyclists particularly enjoy the Church Street shared bicycle lane because it is protected on either side with bollards. 

Citi Bike Stations

Over the last few years, Citi Bike ridership across New York City has continued to break records. In  September 2022, Citi Bike topped its highest week ridership record with over 900,000 rides. At the World Trade Center, we worked with Citi Bike and the New York City Department of Transportation to open stations on campus. In 2020, Citi Bike installed a station with 46 Citi Bike spaces at Albany and Greenwich Streets, just below the site of the future 5 World Trade Center. In 2021, we worked with Citi Bike to bring a station with 48 spaces to the corner of Vesey and Church Streets at the base of the future 2 World Trade Center. Check out Citi Bike’s map for the latest list of stations.

Bike Programming and Events

Biking is a sustainable and popular mode of transport, and we believe it should be accessible to everyone. Over the last few years, the World Trade Center has hosted a series of events to support bike access.   

In 2021 and 2022, we partnered with Bike New York, an organization that “empowers New Yorkers to transform their lives and their communities through bicycling,” to bring their “Bike Skills 101: Learn to Ride” class to Fulton Street at the World Trade Center. Children and their families from around the city came to learn the fundamental skills needed to ride a bike and practice without having to worry about vehicle traffic. Bike New York also hosted a pop-up on Oculus Plaza to give away bike lights to passing cyclists.

Future Bike Planning 

At the World Trade Center, we are constantly working to improve bike infrastructure on campus for our customers. To stay updated about future bike improvements, keep reading “Connect” and follow us on social media.