Mayor Eric Adams took part in Car Free Earth Day Saturday to announce a large investment in making city streets safer for bicyclists.

New York City drivers were encouraged to exchange their cars for bikes Saturday for Car Free Earth Day.

Each of the eight areas that were shut down to car traffic are designed to give people an idea of what the world would look like if we used more eco-friendly and sustainable ways to get around. Group fitness classes, art, safety workers and demonstrations of e-scooters or other transportation alternatives took place at the different spots.

Adams took a bike ride to Brooklyn before taking to the podium. He announced a $904 million investment over the next five years to go toward building what he called "critical infrastructure."

The plan includes expanding the mileage of bikeways, implementing dedicated bus lanes and bikeways, reforming street parking and reducing the number of dangerous vehicle drivers in the city.

Adams promised that he would work to improve street safety around every borough.

"Far too many people are not biking because they don't feel safe....too many New Yorkers have lost their lives, and we're committed to stopping this increase," Adams says.

Climate change discussions and community-based performances were planned in each borough through the rest of the afternoon.

To help make the citywide bike ride possible, Citi Bike offered free one-day passes to new riders Saturday. Riders could use the code "car free 22" in the Citi Bike app to get unlimited 30-minute rides on a classic Citi Bike for 24 hours.

This was the fifth edition of Car Free Earth Day, but the first since 2019 because of the pandemic.

The day also marked the start of New York City's 2022 Open Streets and Public Spaces Programming summer season.

Over 150 streets and 300 blocks will reportedly be turned into community dining, walking and biking areas.