Monday, April 26, 2010

Cycling in NYC: "a mainstream mode of travel"

Here, from the NY Times City Room, is statistical proof that more people are commuting in NY City, more than 200,000 people daily, up substantially even from last year. Encouraging stuff. More bike lanes, some say, have done the trick.

3 comments:

Khal said...

This is good news for the air, the water, the public health, the balance of trade (i.e., just a tiny bit less imported oil) and especially good news to all the people who have worked for decades to make large cities less intimidating to bicyclists.

My theory of the rise in bicycling is that it is not just about bike lanes or infrastructure, but that you also reach a “tipping point.” Get enough people on bicycles and there is some moral support out there. Make the infrastructure at least bearable and bicycling as transportation becomes a trend and the more tentative folks will follow the leaders. I think the tipping point came when gas topped 4 bucks a gallon.

Keep up the good work, Charlie Komanoff, Noah Budnick, Janette Sadik-Kahn, and all the other hard working folks who are pulling this together. Just make sure you have enough League Cycling Instructors handy!

Larry and Heather said...

Good news! Here in Italy the government just declared the second sunday in May a national day of the bike. Super Mario and Il Grillo were there for the TV cameras at the announcment. With gasoline at almost 1.50 euro a LITER (do the math with a $1.35 euro)and some incentives to buy new bikes, more Italians should be cycling

Khal said...

Larry, do Italians really need incentives to bike? I thought it was practically genetic!