NYC shows the way

If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere, or so the saying goes. We’ve been excitedly watching NYC for some time now, and the city has been designated a Bronze level Bicycle Friendly Community since 2007. The city has been installing bike facilities at a jaw-dropping rate, managing over 200 miles in less than 3 years and is still going strong. NYC is inspiring major cities throughout the country and the world. When your work garners the attention of the bicycling masses in Copenhagen, you know you’re doing something right!

Just last week I was treated to a bike tour from the city’s Acting Bicycle Program Coordinator Hayes Lord. Though I’m a frequent visitor of the city, and there seems to be new pathway or separated lane each time I go. On this particular tour, Hayes showed me the 1^st and 2^nd Avenue separated lanes that were still being installed as we rode by. There is no doubting the impact these types of facilities are having in drawing out new cyclists. That draw is part of the reason for new political support in addressing safety and throughout the city.

While the separated facilities in Manhattan often receive the most attention, NYC DOT has been busy installing and mapping a variety of infrastructure treatments. Using all the tools in their toolbox they’ve helped make it possible to safely bike in all 5 boroughs via low trafficked streets, a system of sharrows and routes, access across bridges, cycletracks, and other separated facilities as well as standard bike lanes. Clarence Eckerson Jr. of Street Films has a great new video showing how his commute uses a mixture of these facilities and how they work.

How does this compare to your commute where you live? Are there examples in the video that could translate into your community?