Comments on: Memo to DOH Commish: Don’t Be Afraid to Bike, or Push for Safer Biking

By: gecko

gecko — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 21:14:57 +0000

Just as the structural violence resulting from great disparities in healthcare -- largely based on socio economic factors -- requires immediate remedy, the same goes for transportation systems largely based on automobiles where the violence is much more physically apparent.

By: Angus Grieve-Smith

Angus Grieve-Smith — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:34:12 +0000

Transportation Alternatives' Queens Committee runs a monthly Queens Boulevard Bike Pool, using safety in numbers to protect commuters on this vital route. Maybe we should have a "Tom Farley Bike Pool" to protect the Commissioner on his commute?

By: Larry Littlefield

Larry Littlefield — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:46:04 +0000

"NYCDOH Commissioner should use his bully pulpit to enunciate the health risks of not cycling."

Or to put it differently, he should push the potential health benefits of casual exercise such as exercise while commuting on health insurers, particularly those doing business with the city.

Many insurers provide discounts and subsidies for health club memberships, for example. To the extent that employers are in a position to encourage bicycle commuting, by providing facilities for example, health insurers are in a position to provide an incentive in the form of a premium differential.

By: Komanoff

Komanoff — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:30:48 +0000

At the risk of diluting Paul Steely White's incredibly cogent remarks in Ben's post, I'll add that the new NYCDOH Commissioner should use his bully pulpit to enunciate the health risks of not cycling -- i.e., the fact that the cardiovascular and other benefits from cycling's physical activity considerably outweigh the actuarial risks of being seriously injured or killed in traffic (even under current, brutish conditions). We advocates could quantify and make this point, of course, but Health Commissioner Farley would give it far greater weight.