Critical Mass-New York Style

When I saw the last Friday of the month get closer and closer, I had visions of the 1000+ rider Critical Mass rides that I had seen on the internet. New York's Critical Mass was known for its size and its voice. The videos of the rider being struck by the police officer in Times Square were a hit on YouTube and in the advocate community for years. As I reached Union Square last night, I was surprised to see a dozen or so bikers standing around. Could this be right? Did I have my time right? Something was up, but I soon found out the whole story.

The rides of the past were gone. The city had heard the cyclist message and reacted by introducing bike facilities and legislation that gave the Critical Mass riders very little to complain about. The rides of over 1000 were now simply 75-100, and several of them were tourists and were riding for a once in a lifetime experience of riding through the city at night

There were a few things about this ride that is totally different from Orlando's. The police department gathers at the same square with about 12 scooters, 2 electric carts, 3 squad cars, a paddy wagon van, and a few unmarked cars that contained police higher ups and city commissioner types. These cops are not there to lead the group through the city and give them a safe escort. They are instead there to ticket any cyclists that break any traffic violations. New York laws require lights on their bikes once it gets dark and if there is a bike lane present, the group has to maintain itself in it. Of course they have to stop at all lights and there are no corking of intersections. It basically makes the ride a very uneasy tour through the city.

Either way it is cool to see that the message was sent loud and clear and was heard by the city officials. The new bike culture and facilities in New York have some thanks to give to the Critical Mass movement.

New York At A Glance

Sorry for the gap in posts, but the project that I am working on, and this great city, is sucking up most of my time. I am constantly in contact with bikes, since you can't walk down a single street here in New York without seeing a cyclist ride by or see bikes chained up to racks. Unfortunately for me, my apartment and work building can only allow bikes on their freight elevators and those only run from 9am-4pm. This would mean that my bike would sit outside day and night and I just can't gamble with it getting stolen, vandalized, or weathered.

This one thing is the only thing that is keeping me from buying a cheap bike on Craigslist, but in doing so I would have to buy a $75+ bike lock and pray every day that my bike is still there when I go out to ride it. As you can see in the photo, thieves here will apparently steal everything that isn't locked down, so I would hate to invest the money in something that is temporary, only for it to get jacked in the first week.

All of that being said, this city is great for cycling. The roads are comfortable to ride on, there are enough cyclists out that people are looking for them, and the culture seems to be biker friendly. All that they would need is a few bike stations to allow people to lock their bikes in an indoor facility and provide a locker room/showers, and this place would be on its way to being perfect. I plan on trying to hit their Critical Mass tonight, so I am sure I will learn some more about their biking situation there.

London Cycle Superhighways Open

The Barclays Cycle Superhighways opened up last week and so far, so good. I happen to have a connection to this project since some of my colleagues across the pond are the designers (you can see a slight resemblance to the No Excuse Zone model). The project received criticism just like it would have here in the states, but none the less they installed the system and the world didn't implode as some felt that it might. Just imagine if your city proposed to paint 8 feet wide blue lanes down some of the main streets. Not to mention the different bike advocates that would find some reason to think that they would make cycling less safe. We'll see what the safety record is in a few years and can make our judgments about that when it happens.

The Superhighways were developed to improve cycling conditions for people who already commute by bike, encourage those who don't to take to pedal power and keep fit, help cut congestion, relieve overcrowding on public transportation, and reduce emissions. The project is one of TfL's and the Mayor's main ways of bringing about a London cycling revolution. They aim to increase cycling in London by 400% by 2025 (compared to 2000 levels).

Click HERE if you want to read some frequently asked questions and answers.

Cycle Savy Course Gets Some Good Coverage

As I am getting ready to head out and see Brooklyn, I happened to check out how things are going in Orlando and came across this video from the Orlando Sentinel. I was glad to see that cycling advocate; Keri Caffrey's Cycling Savvy course got the attention of the Sentinel's Dan Tracy. She took him on a ride to prove how friendly Orlando roads are to cyclist.

I have always said that I haven't witnessed enough ill will toward cyclists to convince me that Orlando wasn't safe for riding, but not all cities have the same attitudes toward cyclists and pedestrians. I think that the education that Keri teaches is vital in showing riders how to react around automobiles, but educating drivers how to react around cyclists is just as important. The simple fact that accidents do happen and crashes can occur to the most avid cyclist is why my personal belief in infrastructure and special facilities are a good way for cyclists to become comfortable with riding on the road and let the roadway design help keep cyclists and pedestrians safe.

Here in New York people used to think that you were crazy to mix it up with the taxis and buses of the city, but with the city's emphasis on new bike facilities, cycling has exploded as a common sense way to travel. I plan on seeing even more evidence of this as I head to Brooklyn today. I'll be sure to share what I find.

Hitler Reacts to Contador’s Apology

I am getting settled in here in New York and will have some good stuff about this great city's bike culture and increasing ridership. Below is a funny video that I found that depicts a common reaction to the Contador vs Schleck battles that have been occuring during the Tour de France.

Cop Hits Cyclist in Brooklyn

A New York City police officer has been charged with hitting a bicyclist with his police car and driving off.
The Brooklyn district attorney's office says Officer Louis Ramos was charged Tuesday with assault, reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident.

According to a criminal complaint, Ramos hit the cyclist June 14. The complaint says Ramos got out of the car, pulled the cyclist to the curb, handed him a tissue and then drove off without reporting it or calling an ambulance.
The accident was captured on surveillance cameras, which you can see below.

Ramos has pleaded not guilty. He has been suspended without pay. The cyclist was treated for cuts, bruises and a fractured wrist.

Still Life in Germany

Well I am in New York City for 4-6 weeks, so I am just getting in for the night, but I saw this on Huffington Post and thought it was pretty cool. I am especially liking in since Manhattan's Summer Streets event is coming up in August and I will be able to see it first hand.

I have written before about Bogota's Ciclovia, and I am always looking for ways to reclaim asphalt in favor of human interaction, but I have never seen anything on this scale. A town in Germany recently shut down an entire section of Autobahn—that's right, the famous German highways with no speed limit—in order to hold a gigantic party for upwards of 3 million people!

The event, called "Still Life", was being held to celebrate the naming of the Ruhr region as the European Cultural Capital for 2010. According to the Huffington Post, which has a fabulous slideshow of the Still Life festivities, 3 million people turned out, with one million of them making an appearance on their bicycles, to enjoy the 37 miles of closed highway. To top off the festivities, everyone sat down to break bread at a 60 kilometer (37 mile) table made up of over 20,000 individual tables.

It goes without saying that events like this are an exception from the norm. But what an exception! The more we can learn to look at our public spaces not as routes to get from A to B, but as spaces to celebrate and get to know one and other, the more chance we have of digging ourselves out of the hole we find ourselves in.