By COLlive reporter
Transportation Alternatives, a bicycling and pedestrian advocacy group in New York City, found roughly 236,000 locals riding bicycles each day in 2009, up 28 percent from 185,000 daily riders the year before.
“More and better designed bike lanes, that’s clearly what’s fueling this growth,” said Wiley Norvell, a spokesman for the non-profit which has conducted an annual cycling estimate for nearly two decades.
Total miles traveled by bike in the city also rose by about the same amount, to 1.8 million miles from 1.4 million miles, according to the estimate, with the vast majority of those miles traveled by commuters or recreational cyclists, the New York Times reports.
“At this point, this is a legitimate and measurable part of the transportation picture,” said Mr. Norvell, “and with transit cuts and traffic congestion, bicycling is the only part of the transportation picture that has a positive outlook.”
Indeed, the Department of Transportation is looking to double-down on the hundreds of miles of existing bicycle infrastructure, installing more permanent, separated bicycle lanes on major thoroughfares over the next year.
In Crown Heights, plans to add bike lanes on Kingston Avenue were met with fierce opposition by the local representatives saying it will hurt commerce and slow traffic on the neighborhood’s shopping street.
Eastern Parkway, Empire Boulevard, E New York Avenue, Maple Street and Bedford Avenue currently have designated bike lanes.
For those without a bicycle, the Crown Heights Bike Gemach has opened again for the summer months, loaning bikes to Jewish men in the community.
“It’s an energetic and challenging way to be healthy in body and mind,” says Yoske Strasberg, a resident who runs the non-profit service.
His bikes can be borrowed to ride alone or in groups he organizes. He also offers free personal encouragement and training.
Visit BikeGemach.com
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Yohske Strassberg is the kindest, most giving person I know. He is happy to help a fellow Yid at any time just for the Mitzvah. He regularly lends my son bikes and its always with a smile and kind word.
The bike gemach is amazing, checkout their site http://www.BikeGemach.com
you could open for women . & # 2 for girls
I’d love to use a Kingston bike lane!! Let’s get riding Crown Heights! Shed those pounds!
Really nice idea. What about for the women in this community?