There is a push to protect cyclists and encourage more people to ride bikes in Jersey City.

The city opened a series of protected bike lanes for bike riders Wednesday. There are now 4 miles of dedicated lanes, marked with green paint and safety posts, intended to keep drivers away. The lanes are currently available on Washington, Montgomery, Grove and Bergen streets.

City officials say that these streets were chosen because they are the most dangerous to bike riders.

“Sixteen percent of our city streets are responsible for 55% of fatal crashes,” says Jersey City transportation planner Barkha Patel. “Which shows a minority of streets is contributing to a majority of crashes.”

Mayor Steven Fulop says that his goal is to have 20 miles of bike lanes by the end of the year, connecting several areas of the city.

“In a way that you could travel from Journal Square to the Grove Street PATH to Hoboken entirely in a protected safe bike lane,” he says.

The bike lanes will change some of the traffic patterns around the city. On Bergen Avenue, there is now one lane in each direction, plus a turning lane. Previously there were two lanes for motor vehicles.

Some city residents say that they are not happy about the new bike lanes.

“I bet 100 bikes don’t come down this street,” says George Hagopian. “All of this traffic is dangerous and the cars are parked in the street.”

But the mayor says that he disagrees. He says that the streets should be for everyone, both motorists and cyclists.