CB2 Bicycle Strategies Committee members and friends:

Last month, in announcing a new DOT/NYPD focus on street safety, Commissioner Jannette Sadik-Khan was quoted in the New York Times as saying, “We’ve installed 250 miles of lane over the last four years and thousands of new bike racks. We have been friendly to cyclists. Now it’s time for cyclists to be friendlier to the city.” I think this sums of my personal point of view, and I expect that it would be a good summation of the overall feeling of CB2. My own observations point to continued surge in the numbers of cyclists and as the streets become safer and saner for bicycling, I am seeing overall a slower, more conscientious bicycling style. Still, I’m still frustrated with many cyclists’ unwillingness to “play by the rules” and the presence of more and more safety-conscious riders make the bad apples more obvious.

Meanwhile, in recent months the press has been full of vitriol, because conflict and fear sells. This divisiveness, embodied best (or worst) by CBS2′s “Bike Bedlam” series, does nothing to solve problems but, as in politics, serves to fan fires and turn colleagues into opponents. They offer only anecdotes without looking deeper for ways to improve the situation.

That’s where we come in. I’d like to open our minds to ways to reach out to the very diverse populations of cyclists to get out a message of respectfulness. The city continues to make the streets safer for cyclists and we continue to support this, but cyclists must consider their place in a dense city streetscape.

One significant point of departure for our discussion should be Borough President Stringer’s report released last month entitled, “Respect the Path, Clear the Lane,” which says that despite the rollout of so many new bicycle-friendly designs, abuse of these facilities are limiting the safety benefits. There is widespread misuse of bike lanes by drivers, by pedestrians, and by cyclists. How do we take the BP’s findings and turn them into safer streets?

For reference, the “official” members of the subcommittee are myself, Tobi Bergman, Elizabeth Gilmore, Florent Morellet, Bo Riccobono and Shirley Secunda. Any resolutions we might decide upon will go to the Transportation Committee for consideration.

I hope you are able to join us on Nov. 30 and bring your creative ideas.

Ian Dutton