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As Mayor Mike Bloomberg pursues a congestion pricing plan, he can always look across the pond to London for hints. Similarly, as the Department of City Planning and the Department of Transportation carry out the Bicycle Network Development Program, they can look across the country to Portland, Ore.
The Pacific Northwest city’s innovations in urban cycling were highlighted in The New York Times this week; the article topped the “most emailed” list for several days and described a city in which 3.5 percent of the population commutes to work on bike.
According to Transportation Alternatives, a non-profit group that advocates for better bicycling, walking and public transit options, 40,000 New Yorkers, less than 1 percent of the City’s total population, commutes by bike.
DCP and DOT are collaborating on the Bicycle Network Development Program, initiated in 1994. It has two major products: Cycling Maps and the Bicycle Master Plan.
More than 1 million free maps have been distributed since the first 1997 edition and the rate of distribution is increasing steadily; 200,000 maps were distributed in 2007 compared to 25,000 maps in 1997.
The Bicycle Master Plan, as outlined on the DCP Web site, “identifies a 900-mile, bicycle network to guide the implementation of on-street bicycle lanes and off-street paths; promotes bridge and mass transit access and recommends improvements; reports on funded Greenway projects and outlines future projects; proposes a Comprehensive Bicycle Program to encourage cycling in the areas of engineering, enforcement, and education; provides guidelines on the design of bicycle lanes, paths, and signage.” The more immediate goal is to add 200 miles of bike lanes by 2009.
Queens, already home to Kissena Park’s Velodrome, the only bike racing track in the state, will soon be graced with more bike lanes, routes and car-free greenways.
According to DCP Web site’s Bicycle Route Installation Schedule, which tracks installation April through November, Queens will have received 8.5 miles of bike lanes – at 164th Street, Parsons Boulevard and Jewel Avenue – by the end of the month.
“The more that local cyclists speak up either through community boards or other outlets the better because then people have a say in which streets they see with bike lanes,” Transportation Alternatives Bicycle Campaign Coordinator Caroline Samponaro said.
Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing) chairs the Transportation Committee.
“I think we should definitely be encouraging more people to get on their bicycles and not just for leisure but as a valid form of transportation,” Liu said. “Especially in Queens where we have a lot more peaceful roads relative to Manhattan.”
Queens may have more leafy roadways, but bike parking remains limited.
The City has initiated CITYRACKS, a program that accepts requests from the public and then installs free sidewalk bike racks for short-term parking use. Submit a bike rack application through calling (212) 442-7687 or visiting www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/bicyclists/rackfrm1.shtml.
Indoor parking is also available, but is privately owned and subject to price increases. Queens currently has four private bike lots at Court Square, 90th Avenue, Queens Borough Hall and Queens Plaza South at Jackson Avenue.
Liu also emphasized safety.
“We must encourage safety measures, insist everyone wears helmets and obeys rules of the road,” Liu said, adding that it is illegal for anyone older than 12 years old to ride on sidewalks. In June DOT sponsored a helmet distribution event called Get Fit-Ted and gave out 1,000 free NYC helmets in Central Park. Free helmets are still available. Call 311 for more information.
Implementing more bike lanes requires more than paint; DOT must determine which type of lane is most appropriate.
“We advocate for the lane to reflect what the street is like,” Samponaro said, adding busier streets require protective lanes, whereas calmer streets can make due with shared lanes.
“The more cyclists there are on the streets, the safer they are,” Samponaro said. “There’s safety in numbers.”