More New Yorkers Taking Summer Vacations by Bike

Here is an interesting way to travel, mentioned in the New York times today

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/nyregion/more-new-yorkers-taking-vacation-escapes-by-bike.html

“you get to experience everything – the weather – the smells – and meet people you wouldn’t if you were driving.”

Bikes in Amsterdam Rule the Streets

Interesting point of view by this author. Check out this article from the New York Times:

The Dutch Way: Bicycles and Fresh Bread

“AS an American who has been living here for several years, I am struck, every time I go home, by the way American cities remain manacled to the car.”

Females Hesitant to Ride Bikes

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/04/nyregion/number-of-female-cyclists-lags-in-new-york-with-safety-as-a-concern.html

As you can see here, bikes are growing in popularity. In fact, one of my sources has reported to me that 3 new bike shops have opened in Brooklyn just this summer. Check out the article.

“Despite the city’s efforts to become more bike friendly, male cyclists in New York continue to outnumber female cyclists three to one.”

Nothing Wrong With Bikes in NYC

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304070104576399972538343738.html

“The revival of urban cycling in this country follows a fairly predictable pattern: nervousness and ridicule, followed by the realization that the truth never matches the fear-mongering.”

This article was in the Wall Street Journal on June 22nd. Author Jason Gay has an interesting take on the use of bikes in New York City—it’s simply the a preferred method of transportation.

Sure, I believe that many of the cyclists you see are there for exercise and don’t have a place to be at that moment. I mean if they really had somewhere to be, and they were in a hurry, they might be in the Subway. Although there are many situations where riding a bike is even faster than taking the subway, especially going a short distance late at night when trains run less frequent.

Check out the article, it goes on to mention the idea of a bike share in NYC, similar to the one I wrote about in Miami.

“The revival of urban cycling in this country follows a fairly predictable pattern: nervousness and ridicule, followed by the realization that the truth never matches the fear-mongering. The supposed choice between bikes and everyone else is a bogus choice. More bikes in a city doesn’t merely benefit riders; it reduces congestion, saves money, improves quality of life, elevates the experience. No one returns from a city and says, ‘Oh, it was great—except for all the biking.’”

Point taken.

Uneducated Bikers are Part of the Problem

In my previous post this video was mentioned, but it deserves it’s own post. Quite simply New York City is just too dense and with bicyclists not following the rules of the road a huge problem is presented.

The Modern Day Form of Protesting

People may remember awhile back a video surfacing on the web that muttered the words “Don’t tase me bro”. Although many people felt the guy was tased wrongfully, there were no people fighting against this incident with any traditional means of protesting. Someone did however, take a video of the incident and upload it to youtube.

Perhaps Youtube has become a modern day method of protesting. This article looks at Casey Neistat, who found a creative way to protest the bike lane situation in NYC.

“At a time when homemade videos have helped ignite protests and revolutions around the world, it is only fitting that they are a potent weapon in New York’s biggest street fight: the battle over bike lanes that the Bloomberg administration is carving out all over the city. These short visual clips — featuring police stops, arguments, indignant commentary and sometimes humor — are fast becoming a staple of urban cycling, fueled by Web sites that gladly post them and by relatively inexpensive cameras that can be mounted on helmets and handlebars.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/nyregion/more-urban-bike-disputes-are-caught-on-video.html

Historic Bicycle Photos

Here is a recently published article from the Huffington Post. It shows some really cool historic photos of people bicycling in New York. It looks so pleasurable, with so much less traffic and dirt roads. Some of these photos are from the 1890′s.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lacy-schutz/bicycling-in-new-york-city_b_860531.html

“May is National Bike Month and we are pleased to offer a look back at the heyday of bicycling in the city. Don’t forget to ride your bike to work during Bike to Work Week, May 16 through 20.”