Anyway. I'm a wee bit troubled. It's GREAT to get cars off the streets, but I can't help worrying that Summer Streets emphasizes recreation instead of transportation. To be honest, I'm scared that we might be giving ammunition to the miseries who tell cyclists to go ride in the park. And will this be thrown in our faces next time we want a bike lane? I don't want to hear "No, you can't have a bike lane on Queens Blvd. We already let you have Summer Streets, now go away and leave our roads alone." I dunno... I'm not really sure how I feel. Just a little uneasy. Maybe I had too many Gummy Bears for lunch...

Feel free to stop me and say hello on Saturday. I'll be on a black 29er singlespeed with yellow chain and yellow pedals.

I hear next year it's all day long?! (Or is that a rumor I just started?)

My wife and I rode up Park Avenue, around the CP Loop, and back down. The one sad moment was seeing two people on the ground badly hurt on the east side of the CP loop. It appeared that either two bicycles, or a bicycle and a jogger, had collided at high speed.

The issue is speed. In Prospect Park the speed riders come out early, ride in a group, and have people posted at entrances to warn the pedestrains.

Now back to reality

Of course, the bicyclists I encountered had no problem with me being on "wrong" side of the road as the pace was leisurely and everyone just went around me naturally.

I also went into the Park Ave. Tunnel (actually, Murray Hill Tunnel) to take pictures. Was surprised I didn't see anyone even if just for the novelty.

Oh well. I want to see more of this and with better hours! START at 10 or around there and then leave it till dusk. Then again, a good jog does cure a hangover!

It will only get more fun this Saturday when I don't bring the camera. Okay....I'll only bring a point and shoot...I didn't get as many good photos as I wanted.

I couldn't help but wonder how many pedestrians might find this intimidating if Police felt it was necessary to exercise crowd control at each major intersection.

By comparison, Police seemed to take a much more relaxed role as one moved uptown. There were even Bicycle Cops in the East Sixties and Seventies.

But above all, it was a wonderful experience and I can't wait until next Saturday. I certainly hope DOT will make this a regular warm weather event and consider expanding it to include more of the City's great boulevards.

Some pedestrians were uneasy with this state of affairs and wanted cyclists to stop at the traffic lights that were not in effect (i.e., at the instersections where intersecting traffic was blocked). Those pedestrians were "missing it." Without traffic lights, people had to look at each other, communicate with each other, cooperate with each other. I took every opportunity to grow these traffic interactions into non-traffic pleasantries, like "have fun!" and "isn't this great?" I generally received very positive responses. Presto, an exponential increase in NYC civic culture! It's easy! The folks who can't deal with this are clinging to the NYC of the 1970s and 1980s, when it was taboo to meet eyes with or speak to strangers.

Christina: On the Separation of Pedestrians and Bicyclists - The overall pace of the open streets was fairly slow and meandering. I think it makes sense to separate bikes and peds when you're considering daily traffic flows but as an unique event, it seems to have worked fine.

Angus: I was thinking the same thing (traffic counts), there were so many people on the street it could be a real plus for businesses. I imagine restaurants in particular could really bring in a lot of people if they had outdoor seating. It would be much nicer than the bouquet of exhaust that usually greets al fresco diners!

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/summerstreets/html/contact/contact.shtml

And tell them to keep it going more often for longer hours next year.

I think the main reason for separation of cyclists and pedestrians in other places is that there's just not much space. Park Avenue is huge, so there was plenty of room for everyone.

Given the difference in how much space pedestrians, cyclists and cars take up, I'd be interested to see any traffic counts. I could imagine that more people per hour passed through Park Avenue on Saturday morning than on many weekdays.

Some places do separate bikes and peds, but plenty don't, and there's no policy that says all roads/paths must segregate bikes and peds. In fact you'll even find different "separate or not" setups on the different East River bridges (well, the last time I rode them, at least).

It's so nice to see the city back on its dancing feet. You all look so healthy and happy. And hardly any black clothing!

Lots of love from the West Coast.

- brian