Bicycling: The Pedaling Right of New York Citizens
Gotham: The New York Experience
Bicycling: The Pedaling Right of New York Citizens
Cynthia Sollin
Molloy College June, 2012
Bicycling: The Pedaling Right of New York
Citizens
In the New York world of cars,
buses, and subways, there is a population of people who would rather travel the
green way. Unfortunately, the right of the pedaling population is an everyday
fight. Bicyclists have to compete for space, safety, and regulations on a daily
basis just so that they can travel in a safe manor to their destination. New
York is continuing to control the argument over transportation policies. The
Bloomberg administration is one of the councils trying to “...convince New
Yorkers that bicycle lanes are good for them (Grynbaum, 2011).” New York City
vehicle drivers, who are opposed to this idea such as Leslie Sicklick, feel
that “He’s taking away my rights as a driver (Goodman, 2010).”
Even with modern day technology of the hybrid car, many New
Yorkers still choose to ride their bike as a mode of transportation. Besides
the fact that bicycling does not give off emissions like a motor vehicle and
decreases the rate of global warming, people in the city feel like its just an
easier way to get around. Cycling is evolving into non recreational; it is
becoming the only means of traveling through the city for some citizens. In
order to travel through the city, these cyclists need to use bicycle lanes.
Typically, this involves “…taking away a lane of motor vehicle traffic on major
avenues (Kastenbaum, 2011).” The bike lane is usually next to the sidewalk. The
lane is then isolated from traffic by bollards and several parked vehicles.
Other locations may have an additional walkway to act as a barrier between
bikes and car traffic (Kastenbaum, 2011). The cyclists just want the same
rights that a person in a vehicle would have. Cyclists can’t just ride along a
city street because there are too many people. With the use of a bicycle lane,
a person would not just walk into oncoming traffic of bicycles. The Bloomberg
administrations have been trying to implement bicyclist’s freedoms and
regulations by undergoing a major transformation. In the last four years, more
than 250 miles of traffic lanes have been reserved for bicycles and various
laws have been put in place in order to promote pedaling (Goodman, 2010).
New York has had a long affiliation with the bicycle. The first
bike path was built along Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn in 1894. In the 1970’s,
Mayor John V. Lindsay, took an interest in developing …”a better bike
infrastructure (Goodman, 2010).” In 1980, Mayor John V. Lindsay separated the
first bike lanes. They looked very similar to the ones that exist on Eighth and
Ninth Avenues in Manhattan. They were quickly removed at that time because
there was a severe opposition to the bicycle lanes (Goodman, 2010). In today’s
world, the opposition still feels the same. Drivers and business owners feel
that the bicycle lanes remove parking spaces, create more traffic, and prevent
certain truck deliveries. Because of the disapproval from drivers and elected
officials, the city began to remove about two and half miles of a painted bike
lane along Father Capodanno Boulevard on Staten Island. As for Manhattan, a
community board organized a meeting where business owners can vocalize their
problems with a few protected bicycle lanes in the area, especially the one on
Columbus Avenue (Goodman, 2010). Brooklyn Citizens have protested that the new
bicycle lanes have been causing quarrels in the area. Many protestors have
stood beside West Prospect Park, Bedford and Kent Avenue, and in front of local
businesses, who have bicycle lanes in the front of their stores. With all the
commotion that was stirred up, the Bedford Avenue bike lane was removed
(Goodman, 2010).
In an attempt to strategize and convince the citizens that the
bicycle lanes are needed, City Hall turned to Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson.
Wolfson aimed to build up the support for the lanes and diminish the political
fallout for Mayor Bloomberg (Grynbaum, 2011). It is unusual that a Deputy Mayor
would need to step in for the dispute of street space, but the negative
publicity of the bike lanes and the criticism of Janette Sadik Khan, the
transportation commissioner, needed to stop. Wolfson stated “We allowed the
other side to frame this debate, that’s really the bottom line: our voice was
missing here (Grynbaum, 2011).” Although people and politicians were upset about
the bike space, they were not taking into account the advantages of having it.
Cycling advocates had enough of the criticism that was coming their way about
having a lane which they essentially need. Before the regulations and lanes
were put in place, people were ran over, hit, and thrown from their bicycles,
because of parking and crowding along the city streets and parks. On November
10, 2010, promoters and cyclists gathered in front of City Hall to protest the
Transportation Department’s decision to “Scale back on parking-protected lanes
along First and Second Avenues (Goodman, 2010).” It was time for them to have a
voice and state exactly why they deserved those bicycle lanes. In all fairness
to the cyclists, only 255 miles of bike lanes have been added
to the 6,000 miles of streets the city has (Grynbaum, 2011). In order to
rebalance cyclists, pedestrians, and cars on the street, the city has tried to
improve bicycle infrastructure, pedestrian plazas, and the use of a new express
bus service lane. The Transportation Department has answered to criticism by
pointing out the correlation between new lanes and increased pedestrian safety.
Fatal crashes have dropped significantly since the new lanes have been in place
(Goodman, 2010). This new statistic may be from the development of “traffic
calming”. The slowed motor traffic around these lanes may be an annoyance to
the drivers, but it is keeping people safe and preventing fatal outcomes.
Janette Saik-Khan, stated “The record speaks for itself: Injuries have dropped,
dramatically, for everyone on streets where bikes lanes have been installed
(Goodman, 2010).”
Even though cyclists have been moving up in the world of
transportation, they have also moved up in the world of ticketing. Jeffrey
Miller, president and CEO of the Alliance for Biking and Walking, stated “We
don’t have any reports anywhere like what we’re having in New York City right
now. It frankly seems a little bit out of control (Kastenbaum, 2011).” Miller
may have been referring to a ticket that was given to a woman riding her bike
while wearing a skirt. The female was ticketed for being a distraction to
drivers. Published information cite about a 50% increase in the summonses
written for bicyclists in New York City this year. The ticketing has become so
outrageous that a group has initiated a project where bikers can report when
and where they were ticketed. Then the group would see which area was given the
most tickets and mark this region as a hot spot, where bicyclists were targeted
(Kastenbaum, 2011). On the other hand, the city has established a new mission
to educate New Yorkers on bike safety. A spokesperson for Bloomberg reported,
“The focus is on safety for all road users. If you choose to drive, if you
choose to bike, if you choose to walk---we want the streets to be safe
(Kastenbaum, 2011).” Whether a person is driving a car or operating a bicycle,
they still have to follow the law. If a person breaks a law, then the NYPD will
be there to enforce it.
Bicycle lanes are a difficult controversy in New York City.
Businesses may be blocked by the lanes and traffic may become slower, but
cyclists deserve the right to the road of New York as well. Cyclists have the
right to pedal without fear and safely share the road with vehicle drivers. In
some manner, both parties will have to agree to a solution. The streets of New
York belong to the citizens and everyone should have the right to travel in the
manner which they choose, without the anxiety of being injured or offended
while using the road.
Goodman, D. J. (2010,
November 22). Expansion of bike lanes in city brings backlash. New york
times.
Retrieved June 23, 2012, from
http://nytimes.com/2010/11/23/nyregion/23bicycle.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print
Grynbaum, M. M. (2011,
March 29). Promoting bicycle lanes as if they were on the ballot. The new
york
times. Retrieved June 23, 2012, from
http://nytimes.com/2011/03/30/nyregion/30bike.html?pagewanted=print
Kastenbaum, S. (2011,
July 1). Bicycles fight for space on city streets . In CNN Living .
Retrieved June 23,
2012, from http://articles.cnn.com/2011-07-01/living/battle.over.biking_1_bike-lanes-bicycle-and-pedestrian-advocacy-ticket?_s=PM:LIVING
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