Candy Cranks

From Transportation Alternatives:

Some days it seems like New York City’s bike scene is only slightly more civil than sharing sweet tea with the Hatfields and McCoys. BMX bad boys, commuters with kids, double-rushing messengers, dollar-hungry delivery people and racers kitted in spandex like speeding Christmas presents have about as much in common as a pair of feuding families. Still, we’re all in this together. With that in mind, Transportation Alternatives will host a Bike Culture Summit at NYU’s Wasserman Auditorium on Thursday, May 6th at 7 pm.

Panelists will include the blogger and bike-culture critic “Bike Snob NYC,” the foremost U.S. historian of bicycling, David V. Herlihy, and T.A.’s Director of Bicycle Advocacy Caroline Samponaro.

Discussion topics will include: What is bike culture? How should cyclists relate to pedestrians, motorists and to each other? To what extent should cyclists sacrifice style and convenience for safety? What can be done about sexism in the bike community? How has the way cyclists have addressed these issues changed over time? As well as lots of lighter fare and questions from the audience.

There will also be a raffle for an awesome Kona bike, a $100 gift certificate from Brooklyn Bike and Board and helmets from Nutcase. Tickets to the event are $15 for T.A. members and $20 for non-members. For an additional $35, attendees can purchase a signed copy of either Bike Snob’s “Bike Snob: Systematically and Mercilessly Realigning the World of Cycling” or David V. Herlihy’s “Bicycle.”

This event has been generously sponsored by Kona Bikes, Nutcase Helmets, Brooklyn Bike and Board, Mod Squad Cycles and Spokesman Cycles. All proceeds from the Bike Culture Summit will support Transportation Alternatives’ bicycle advocacy work.

For more information and to purchase tickets go to bikemonthnyc.org/summit.

For anyone who is interested, this Spring the Department of Transportation is offering free bike helmets in several NYC locations. For more information, see:

http://www.theskint.com/2010/04/free-bike-helmet-giveaways.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheSkint+%28the+skint%29

Happy cycling!

While walking to the subway this rainy night, I noticed a few bike racks I hadn’t seen before on West Broadway in Tribeca. I didn’t have my camera, so I’m posting a photo from Curbed. The bike racks appear to reclaim sidewalk used as for ventilation for the subway, which is clever. And, in addition to looking modern and interesting, they incorporate a seating element.  Go NYC! We still have a long way to go to make drivers drive less like maniacs, but it makes me glad to see these kind of small, bike-friendly developments across the city. According to the Curbed article, they were installed in 2008. What do you think? (Photo from Curbed)

Want to help plan the Brooklyn waterfront greenway and bike access? See the following announcement:

Community planning workshops for the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway, led by NYC Department of Transportation, will begin on Thursday, March 25th. The community workshops will inform DOT’s master plan for constructing the greenway, so please mark your calendars and tell your neighbors. Four workshops will be held, one in each broad geographic area along the planned 14-mile route. Brooklyn Greenway Initiative and Regional Plan Association are co-sponsoring the workshops.

Greenpoint/Williamsburg (CB1)
Thursday, April 22nd
6:30-8:30pm
Brooklyn Brewery
79 N. 11th Street

These are pretty nice full-size folding bikes by Montague, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Montague says that they engineer the bikes to be foldable without sacrificing functionality or comfort.  They have pavement and mountain versions, both of which look pretty snazzy. What do you think?

Candy Cranks recently did a Q&A with Michelle Ernst of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, which promotes alternative transportation and sustainable land use development in the Tri-State region (NY/NJ/CT). Michelle gave us a review of recent bike developments around NYC.

CC : What bike-related projects have you worked on with your organization ?

ME : A project we’ve worked on recently is the Bikes in Buildings law. A major deterrent to bicycling to work is just not having a place to park your bicycle when you get there. Prior to the law’s enactment in December 2009, many buildings prohibited bicycles from being brought into the office. And cyclists know that it can be a bad idea to leave your bike locked up outside, even for a short period of time. It’s still too early to see what effect this law will have on cycling, but we’re optimistic. The main challenge has been getting access to freight elevators to bring bikes in and out of buildings. Access is currently from 9am to 5pm, but many people work different hours, so if a freight elevator closes at 5pm, it can be hard to get a bike out.

CC : What are some of the recent bike developments you’ve seen in NYC?

ME : The many bike lanes that have been built recently are a big development for NYC. The NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner, Jeanette Sadik-Khan, is a cyclist herself, and she has been very progressive with projects such as closing off traffic from Broadway in Times Square and creating pedestrian plazas throughout the city. In the past three years, the city has built something like 200 miles of bike lanes. And the city is trying to track bike commuting, which is done by sending people out in the streets to do bike counts at bridges and other places. It’s not a perfect system of measurement, but it’s a start. Bicycle fatalities have dropped dramatically in the city, down from 26 in 2008 to 12 in 2009. It’s hard to discern a trend from just one year of data, but it sounds like good news to me. And I’m out on my bike very day, and I’ve noticed a lot more people cycling, even in the winter. And I’ve particularly noticed a lot more women who are riding. Just the other day, I was thinking, « Gosh, there are a lot of women on bicycles in NYC. » It’s great. So I think the trends are positive for cycling in the city.

CC: What’s next for your organization?

ME : We’re continuing our current work on pedestrian fatalities. We’re looking specifically at senior pedestrian fatalities, because seniors represent a disproportionate number of those. We’ll be examining that data to show that we need to better accommodate seniors though infrastructure, enforcement, education, and so on. Some avenues are quite dangerous to cross.

CC: Are there sources that identify the most dangerous intersections in NYC ?

ME : Transportation Alternatives releases a study called CrashStat, which shows the locations of fatalities and injuries in NYC. Many fatalities occur on arterial routes in the suburbs, because cars get up to higher speeds there. So if an auto strikes a cyclist or pedestrian at a higher speed on one of these arterial roads, that person is more likely to be killed than in places like Manhattan, where traffic tends to travel at a slightly slower speed.

CC : We’ve heard rumors about a potential bike-sharing program for NYC. Have you heard any recent news on that ?

ME : I’ve heard rumors that NYC is developing a plan for bike-sharing. The city just tested a bike share program in Summer 2009 on Governor’s Island, and I think it went well. So I think the city is looking at this option, which would be great for NYC. Of course, the problems would be theft and safety. But the data shows that the more cyclists are out there, the safer the streets.

CC : What resources do you recommend to stay current on NYC biking news?

ME : Transportation Alternatives, Streetsblog NYC, and the NYC Department of Transportation, which has a whole page devoted to bike resources.

CC : How can NYC bikers support bike-friendly initiatives ?

ME : Attend your local community board meetings. Be vocal and supportive of bike projects. Some bike lanes have encountered opposition from small portions of the community. So if cyclists don’t show up and speak in favor of projects, their voices don’t get heard. And support the NYC Department of Transporation and all the great work they do, as well as Transportation Alternatives, and our group, The Tri-State Transporation Campaign!

CC : What is your bike commute like ?

ME : I take my daughter to school every day on my bike. We ride up to her school on the Hudson Avenue bike lane. Then I take the 8th Avenue lane, which is separated from car traffic, to my office. To get home, I go south on another bike lane on 9th Avenue. My commute is not very difficult, so I’m lucky!

CC : What are your favorite bike routes in the city ?

ME : The Hudson River bike lane on the riverfront is a favorite. And crossing Brooklyn Bridge is fun. And Governor’s Island in the summertime is great, because no cars are allowed on the island.

CC : How can NYC riders ride more safely?

ME : NYC riding is pretty aggressive. And I’m less aggressive than some of the bikers out there, particularly when I ride with a child. I use bike lanes, especially the separated bike lanes. And stopping at lights is a good idea. Improving traffic enforcement is something the city need to improve. Lack of traffic enforcement is slowing down other great initiatives that the city is making. The NYPD could think more about pedestrian and cyclist safety. So there are some frustrations, but we’re working on them.

CC : What do you recommend for riding with a small child ?

ME : There is a great bike seat made by a company called Wee Ride. We tried other bike seats that fit on the back of the bike, but the weight and center of gravity was awkward for me. So now with this bike seat, my daughter sits out front and instead of looking at my back, she can see.

CC : Any last comments for Candy Cranks readers?

ME : I think the aim of the blog is terrific. I think it’s great for other women cyclists to see other women cyclists out there. So the work you’re doing is really important.

Just a heads up on this upcoming NYC Transportation Alternatives event this Thursday, February 11th:

Celebrate Valentine’s Day, bicycling, Transportation Alternatives and all of our sexy members at this year’s first mixer. Join us at NYC Velo on Thursday, February 11th. $10 will get you in the door, where free snacks, Brooklyn Brewery beer and who knows what else await!

Join or renew your membership at the door and we’ll wave the admission fee. If that isn’t reason enough, NYC Velo will extend its longstanding 10% discount for T.A. members to all products, as well as an extra 10% off any winter jacket and other special seasonal sales. Plus, in tribute to our evening’s theme, we’ll have a special contest to see who loves bicycling the most…

Biking is for Lovers

Thursday, February 11th

7-9 pm

NYC Velo

64 2nd Avenue

Manhattan, NY

$10 at the door

To RSVP, click here.

The New York Times reports that electric bicycles are catching on around the globe. Has anyone ever ridden one? I rode one in London, and it seemed it would be quite neat for commuting. (Kind of felt like cheating, though)

Despite the cold weather and slow biking season in NYC, Transportation Alternatives, a NYC-based bike/pedestrian safety group has been busy. The group has announced its top goals for 2010.

You can check out the TA blog here, which includes lots of juicy local discussion, including news on the recent Williamsburg bike lane conflict.

The TA’s Brooklyn chapter is having a meeting this Thurs, for anyone who is interested in attending. It will be held:

Thursday, January 28th, 7:00pm
@ Long Island College Hospital (LICH) conference room@ 7pm.

Photo from NYC.gov

Good news for NYC bike commuters! The Bicycle Access to Office Buildings Law just went into effect on December 11th, 2009, whereby allowing cyclists the opportunity to park their bikes in or close to the workplace.

This is great news to make life easier for current commuters and to encourage would-be commuters. (After you’ve survived the harrowing NYC morning commute, the last thing you want to worry about is a secure space to park your bike.)

For the law to apply, your employer needs to be located in a commercial office building with at least one freight elevator.

Of course, if there is no freight elevator accessible, you can still ask your employer if you can carry your bike up the stairs. (I once worked for a company that allowed us to park our bikes in the basement. When the basement was no longer available, we carried them up the stairs to an unused part of the office. People may complain about damage/wall smudges, so be careful with your tires on the landings.)

If you use this new program, or if you have an employer who has offered a helpful solution to accommodate your bike, let us know!