Bikes & Cars...

It’s about time for New Yorkers to get with the program. I was in Portland last week and their streets are devoted to the cyclers!

As of right now, an average of about 112,000 people bike everyday in the Big Apple. That’s actually an increase of about 10 percent over the past decade, but that ain’t enough!

The Department of Transportation wants to make it 20 percent by 2015. Helping them is Transportation Alternatives, a nonprofit group that is largely to thank for some of the current improvements in NYC’s streets.

There are some separate lanes for the bikers, but this new initiative is hoping to create 200 more miles of bicycle lanes between now and 2009. In addition to that, they are creating 15 more miles of protected on-street bike lanes by 2010, and 30 miles from 2011 to 2015.

The lanes are important for safety reasons, and it gives bikers a bit more assurance on the road, just knowing that they have their own area. That being said, it is important that drivers are educated about their interaction with cyclists, as they are inevitably on the road together. More bike lanes is a newer concept for city drivers, so it’s certainly an adjustment to be made.

The proposal will also install 37 bike shelters and 5,000 bike parking tracks by 2011! These are really exciting plans, and to get things really moving, the Transportation Dept. is holding a competition to find the most bike-friendly employers in New York City. (http://bikemonthnyc.org/bfb)

Lest you forget, the New York City Five-Borough Bike Tour on April 4 had to stop accepting entries because it reached its maximum capacity of 30,000 riders. Perhaps New Yorkers are feelin’ these wheel. More power to them! Join in the excitement, wherever you live!