Comments on: 2008: Year of the Bicycle? http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/03/03/2008-year-of-the-bicycle/ Covering the New York City Streets Renaissance Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:54:00 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: Larry Littlefield http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/03/03/2008-year-of-the-bicycle/comment-page-1/#comment-45379 Larry Littlefield Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:27:24 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/03/03/2008-year-of-the-bicycle/#comment-45379 (Imagine all the first rate bicycle and pedestrian facilities could be built for the cost of just a couple of blocks of the 2nd Avenue Subway!!) Exactly. This country is about to get somewhat poorer, and public finances are about to be stretched, as we are forced to pay money back rather than go deeper and deeper into debt. This as the most selfish generations in history transfer more and more money to themselves. So the MTA makes promises for 40 years from now. Right. In the meantime, my daughter took 1 1/2 hours to get home on the subway yesterday. Signal failure, presumably. And it's going to get worse. We took an nearly an hour to get from our house to BAM by bus Saturday night, due to a subway shutdown, presumably for a signal interlocking in-service. I we wouldn't get run over by an SUV, it could have been biked in 15 to 20 minutes. Again, this is all new to, but once you a little of it, you see things differently. (Imagine all the first rate bicycle and pedestrian facilities could be built for the cost of just a couple of blocks of the 2nd Avenue Subway!!)

Exactly. This country is about to get somewhat poorer, and public finances are about to be stretched, as we are forced to pay money back rather than go deeper and deeper into debt. This as the most selfish generations in history transfer more and more money to themselves.

So the MTA makes promises for 40 years from now. Right.

In the meantime, my daughter took 1 1/2 hours to get home on the subway yesterday. Signal failure, presumably. And it's going to get worse.

We took an nearly an hour to get from our house to BAM by bus Saturday night, due to a subway shutdown, presumably for a signal interlocking in-service. I we wouldn't get run over by an SUV, it could have been biked in 15 to 20 minutes.

Again, this is all new to, but once you a little of it, you see things differently.

]]> By: Andy B from Jersey http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/03/03/2008-year-of-the-bicycle/comment-page-1/#comment-45369 Andy B from Jersey Mon, 03 Mar 2008 22:50:14 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/03/03/2008-year-of-the-bicycle/#comment-45369 For those who doubt the cost effectiveness of investing in bicycle infrastructure, all one needs to do is look at Berlin. When the city was reunified the city council realized that it didn't have the money to modernize the East immediately up to the West's standards particularly when it came to the Metro or U-Bahn. Instead it decided that the old trolleys would have to do and the most cost effective action was to invest heavily in improving the bicycle network all around the city. Why? Because it was by far the cheapest action and had incredible bang for the buck ... uhhh I mean Euro. Imagine all the first rate bicycle and pedestrian facilities could be built for the cost of just a couple of blocks of the 2nd Avenue Subway!! For those who doubt the cost effectiveness of investing in bicycle infrastructure, all one needs to do is look at Berlin. When the city was reunified the city council realized that it didn't have the money to modernize the East immediately up to the West's standards particularly when it came to the Metro or U-Bahn. Instead it decided that the old trolleys would have to do and the most cost effective action was to invest heavily in improving the bicycle network all around the city. Why? Because it was by far the cheapest action and had incredible bang for the buck ... uhhh I mean Euro.

Imagine all the first rate bicycle and pedestrian facilities could be built for the cost of just a couple of blocks of the 2nd Avenue Subway!!

]]> By: galvo http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/03/03/2008-year-of-the-bicycle/comment-page-1/#comment-45348 galvo Mon, 03 Mar 2008 19:17:02 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/03/03/2008-year-of-the-bicycle/#comment-45348 sorry "needs to be reclaimed" i believe the outlawing of alt transportation methods in the ny state area are due to the fear of loss of revenue. how high will gas have to go to before there is a real push to let alt transportation on the local roads. sorry "needs to be reclaimed"
i believe the outlawing of alt transportation methods in the ny state area are due to the fear of loss of revenue.
how high will gas have to go to before there is a real push to let alt transportation on the local roads.

]]> By: gecko http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/03/03/2008-year-of-the-bicycle/comment-page-1/#comment-45346 gecko Mon, 03 Mar 2008 19:08:32 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/03/03/2008-year-of-the-bicycle/#comment-45346 PaulB & Aaron, Might both be too conservative as we are rapidly reaching a tipping point for making design and development of safe distributed on-demand human-scaled vehicles a major player in transport solutions to global warming PaulB & Aaron,

Might both be too conservative as we are rapidly reaching a tipping point for making design and development of safe distributed on-demand human-scaled vehicles a major player in transport solutions to global warming

]]> By: galvo http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/03/03/2008-year-of-the-bicycle/comment-page-1/#comment-45345 galvo Mon, 03 Mar 2008 19:07:49 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/03/03/2008-year-of-the-bicycle/#comment-45345 George Washington bridge bike path to be reclaimed as a 24 hour bicycle roadway. George Washington bridge bike path to be reclaimed as a 24 hour bicycle roadway.

]]> By: Aaron Naparstek http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/03/03/2008-year-of-the-bicycle/comment-page-1/#comment-45342 Aaron Naparstek Mon, 03 Mar 2008 18:31:00 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/03/03/2008-year-of-the-bicycle/#comment-45342 Paul, I'd have said the same thing before I visited Copenhagen with its nearly 40% bike share. I think it'll take a lot of years but NYC, flat and compact as it is, has the potential to be one of the world's great bike commuting cities, with a significant share of transportation done via two wheels. Paul,

I'd have said the same thing before I visited Copenhagen with its nearly 40% bike share. I think it'll take a lot of years but NYC, flat and compact as it is, has the potential to be one of the world's great bike commuting cities, with a significant share of transportation done via two wheels.

]]> By: paulb http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/03/03/2008-year-of-the-bicycle/comment-page-1/#comment-45338 paulb Mon, 03 Mar 2008 17:19:28 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/03/03/2008-year-of-the-bicycle/#comment-45338 I am a bike commuter between Bkln and Manhattan, but it's still a little difficult for me to visualize so many people commuting via bike that it makes a noticeable difference in other forms of transit. I mean, there are 2 billion rides on the subway each year. But without seeing any numbers I have a feeling that just the opening of the foot/bike paths on the Manhattan Bridge has greatly increased bike traffic over the East River. I doubt that an objective or traditional cost/benefit analysis would favor spending much $$ on bikeways. But bicycling feels good. It makes people who do it feel good, usually. NYC is a place that's so (insanely) conscious of all the actions of celebrities, the R&F, the so-called powerful, the ambitious in their SUVs and limos... Well, ambition and success are a big part of what NYC is about, so no surprise. And yet it's also a place where citizens and organizational machinery are very reluctant about doing anything differently, a very conformist place. The bike as a means of mobility... it needs to continue to build respectable "mindshare." Naked bike protests and critical mass... I don't like these. "All publicity is good publicity." Not. I am a bike commuter between Bkln and Manhattan, but it's still a little difficult for me to visualize so many people commuting via bike that it makes a noticeable difference in other forms of transit. I mean, there are 2 billion rides on the subway each year. But without seeing any numbers I have a feeling that just the opening of the foot/bike paths on the Manhattan Bridge has greatly increased bike traffic over the East River.

I doubt that an objective or traditional cost/benefit analysis would favor spending much $$ on bikeways. But bicycling feels good. It makes people who do it feel good, usually. NYC is a place that's so (insanely) conscious of all the actions of celebrities, the R&F, the so-called powerful, the ambitious in their SUVs and limos... Well, ambition and success are a big part of what NYC is about, so no surprise. And yet it's also a place where citizens and organizational machinery are very reluctant about doing anything differently, a very conformist place.

The bike as a means of mobility... it needs to continue to build respectable "mindshare." Naked bike protests and critical mass... I don't like these. "All publicity is good publicity." Not.

]]> By: Larry Littlefield http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/03/03/2008-year-of-the-bicycle/comment-page-1/#comment-45337 Larry Littlefield Mon, 03 Mar 2008 16:14:49 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/03/03/2008-year-of-the-bicycle/#comment-45337 The article doesn't even mention the biggest advantage of bicycles -- money. No public operating costs, little public capital costs. We are heading for a federal, state, local and personal fiscal meltdown, in which our elected officials, having squandared our future to reward those who matter, will face a sea of transportation and energy problems with little to offer. Bicycles, carpooling and telecommmuting are the solutions that don't cost. The article doesn't even mention the biggest advantage of bicycles -- money. No public operating costs, little public capital costs.

We are heading for a federal, state, local and personal fiscal meltdown, in which our elected officials, having squandared our future to reward those who matter, will face a sea of transportation and energy problems with little to offer.

Bicycles, carpooling and telecommmuting are the solutions that don't cost.

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