Sure, some among the commentariat will jump all over this fellow's bare skull and mobile phone but the first thing I thought of when I saw this photo was the famous H.G. Wells quote, "When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race." A city where distinguished gentlemen commute to work by bike is a city where I am happy to live. Of course, I'd be happy to live in this city too.
Snapped by BicyclesOnly at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 58th Street in Manhattan.
Here's a great documentary-style Streetfilm about the Recycle-a-Bicycle program from Elizabeth Press, who writes:
Recycle-A-Bicycle takes donated bicycles, repairs them and reintroduces them to the community through earn-a-bike programs in schools and sales from their non-profit retail locations. Although their work mainly focuses on environmental education and job training programs for New York City youth, they also host repair classes for people of all ages. Every Tuesday evening after the shop closes, Susan Lindell teaches bike mechanics 101 to women.
Some interesting nuggets are coming out of DOT bike coordinator Josh Benson's ongoing Q & A with readers of the Times' City Room blog. In yesterday's installment, Benson outlined upcoming additions to the Queens bike network:
In Queens, specifically, we have a number of bike lane projects
either under way or on the drawing board for the coming months,
including:
35th Street, Astoria (1.7 miles)
Linden Boulevard, St. Albans (3 miles)
Sunnyside Connector to the Queensboro Bridge, Woodside, Sunnyside, Sunnyside Gardens (5.2 miles)
Vernon Boulevard, Long Island City, Astoria (7 miles).
Then, responding to a question about the need for more indoor bike parking, he said a zoning amendment to mandate bike amenities in or around certain buildings is in the works (no sure thing, of course, but certainly encouraging). A City Planning spokeswoman told Streetsblog the department is aiming to introduce the amendment by the end of this year. Benson's full response comes after the jump.
The Daily News today has the sickening story of an off-duty NYPD officer beating an NYPD traffic agent for ticketing his girlfriend's illegally parked car in the Bronx. The capper: the agent was reportedly cuffed and taken to the precinct, while the cop he says assaulted him has not been charged with a felony, though the state just adopted a law stiffening penalties for attacks on traffic agents.
"If the NYPD doesn't show respect to us, what will happen with regular civilians?" said Traffic Agent Eric Celemi.
Celemi, 29, says Officer Eladro Mata beat him bloody last month after he ticketed the double-parked car in the Bronx.
Mata has been stripped of his badge and gun, but not charged with a felony, despite a law signed last month by Gov. Paterson that makes assaulting a traffic cop a crime punishable by up to seven years in prison.
If BP can stand for "Beyond Petroleum," what's to stop the trucking industry from claiming to "deliver a cleaner tomorrow"? Not much, apparently.
In a story about the current practices of K Street lobbyists, the Washington Post reports that even the American Trucking Associations -- a national trade group -- is adopting an eco-friendly tone:
Record gasoline prices have done more than boost advertising budgets for worried energy lobbies. They also have turned long-held positions of significant lobbying groups upside down -- and decidedly pro-environmental.
The American Trucking Associations last week did a 180 (or pretty close to that) on two key issues. In news releases notable for their use of the color green, the truck company lobby said it would accept a fuel tax increase -- once its most hated policy proposal -- if the extra revenue went toward reducing highway congestion. It also suggested tougher fuel economy standards for trucks, another shocker for the trucking industry.
To get its green message across, the ATA has launched a campaign called "Trucks Deliver" touting six steps to reduce the industry's emissions. Their congestion mitigation strategy comes after the jump.
City Council Members John Liu and David Yassky bike to City Hall at a press event yesterday (the other 49 took a pass), as Paul Steely White brings up the rear in style.
The weather may not be fully cooperating, but we know Streetsbloggers won't be deterred on National Bike to Work Day. We want to hear those morning bike commute stories. Impromptu bike posses? Helpful TA volunteers? Fresh paint on the bike lane? Something more sinister? Tell us all about it in the comments.
A group of cyclists in Los Angeles continues its guerrilla rides on city freeways. In this video, via Streetsblog LA, riders are joined by rollerbladers as they cut through idling traffic on the 405. The "Crimanimal Mass" movement has gotten more sophisticated since the previous video installment, what with the narrative-style editing, helpful graphics and what seems to be an original score (which I could only tolerate for about four minutes before muting).
Read all about the "If You Rode a Bike You'd Be Home By Now" rides here.
