October 15, 2009

Closing Bell: Google Bike Routes

Streetsblog ran a post yesterday pointing to a Google blog post that suggests bike routes and directions will be coming to Google maps some day. Right now, Streetsblog says, New Yorkers can use the site Ride the City for bike directions, but the options for most cities in the nation are slim. And in case Google needs more encouragement, Streetsblog directs us to an online petition for Google to add bike trip tools, which already has over 50,000 signatures
Google Bike Routes Almost Here [Streetsblog]
Your World, Your Map [Google LatLong]

October 2, 2009

Prospect Park West to Get Bike Lane

On the heels of the two-way protected bike lane in progress on Kent Street, the Department of Transportation is getting ready to install a similar bike lane along Prospect Park West, a recent post by Transportation Alternatives reminds us. (The Brooklyn Paper had a story on the project last April). The path will provide 1.8 miles of bike lane between Union Street and Bartel Pritchard Square, intended to provide a safe biking route as well as calm automobile traffic. The DOT report (PDF) says that Prospect Park West "traffic volume does not warrant three travel lanes" and this one-way road is prone to speeding and reckless driving. The new path is part of New York City's 1997 Bicycle Master Plan. You can check out an elevation plan from when we first covered the topic.
New York's Best Bike Lane [Transportation Alternatives]
The New York City Bicycle Master Plan [DOT]

September 30, 2009

Updates for Manhattan Bridge Bicyclists

Workers have been, um, at work at the base of the Manhattan Bridge bike lane in Brooklyn for a while now. We stopped to talk to them over the weekend, and they said they are building a barrier wall for the bike lane, separating it from Sands Street as well as the grassy hill on the north side. They also said they are making slight improvements to the lane itself. In other news, automobiles are still confusing the new elevated bike lane along Sands Street for parking:

September 29, 2009

Bikes and Bodies on the Brooklyn Bridge

In the weekend New York Times, Robert Sullivan tackles the nightmare that we all know and many avoid: the Brooklyn Bridge elevated path. Designated half pedestrian walkway, half bike lane, the white line separating the two is never enough. Tourists often wander across the line with cameras glued to their faces, unaware of the cyclists zooming towards them; and cyclists, well, sometimes they zoom too much. Sullivan's solution: instead of signs and bollards, just separate the two—give bicyclists a protected lane on the lower level, among the cars. This suggestion will surely sound unpleasant to many bicyclists: they will lack the scenic views of the upper level and it sounds like a bad deal for anyone who enjoys breathing oxygen. Sullivan resisted the idea as well, but argues that "if we bicyclists cede the Brooklyn Bridge walkway, then it might be a step toward winning the public’s respect. Then, just maybe, pedestrians would call a truce and recognize that their real enemy is the car ..." It's a respectable argument, one definitely worth mulling over, but we still voted no on the Gothamist poll asking whether bikes should be banned from the upper level (64 percent said yes at the time of writing this post).
Bicyclists vs. Pedestrians: An Armistice [NY Times]
Vote: Ban Bikes from the Brooklyn Bridge Walkway? [Gothamist]

September 22, 2009

CB1 Criticizes Truck Traffic in Williamsburg

At the meeting of Community Board 1 last week, residents of North 11th Street in Williamsburg raised their hackles over the parade of truck traffic that has marched down their street ever since a portion of Kent Avenue became northbound-only as part of the Kent Avenue Improvement Plan. David Wolloch, from the Department of Transportation, said: "We’re not going to be trying to divert more trucks to North 11th Street. We’re going to monitor the truck traffic on North 11th, open signal studies, and route more trucks directly to North 14th.We have not been doing what we should have been doing for decades." The DOT also hopes to divert traffic to Greenpoint, McGuiness, and Meeker avenues, but, as feared, trucks are currently taking routes through residential streets. While many residents don't oppose bike lanes (a major part of the improvement plan), they did express frustration at their exclusion from the planning process. “I’ve been screaming for one and a half years that they were not going to the community and now everyone is suffering,” CB1 member Simon Weiser told YourNabe.com.
Truck Troubles on North 11th Street [YourNabe.com]
Truck Troubles on North 11th Street [Brooklyn 11211]
Kent Traffic Shifts to Wythe [Brownstoner]
Photo by mikequozl

September 9, 2009

Possible Perils of the Sands Street Bike Path

The Sands Street bike bath, the slick new route for bicyclists entering or exiting the Manhattan Bridge, only opened this summer, and already there are problems. Last week, Gothamist rreported that the raised portion of the bike bath between Navy and Gold has proven to be irresistible to illegal parkers; in addition, Transportation Alternatives notes bicyclists often make dangerous diagonal crossings when dealing with the double crosswalks at Sands and Jay where the bridge path lets out. The project isn't complete yet, and the DOT told Streetsblog that they are working on both of these issues. GMAP
Double Parkers Gravitate into Sands Street Bike Path [Streetsblog]
New Sands Street Bike Lane Perfect for Cable Guy Parking! [Gothamist]
Photo by Gothamist

September 3, 2009

Closing Bell: Bamboo Bikes

Red Hook's Bamboo Bike Studio has been popping up in the media recently, as in a recent piece by NY1, and so we thought we'd check it out. The studio holds weekend classes for the public, where you can design and build your own bicycle from bamboo harvested in the tri-state area. The studio is part of a larger collaboration with the Columbia University Earth Institute-based Bamboo Bike Project and the Millennium Cities Initiative to establish bamboo bike factories in South America and Africa, to provide transportation and promote sustainable entrepreneurship and light-industry development. Bikes and activism—who could ask for anything more? GMAP
Photos by Joe Zorilla

August 25, 2009

Streetlevel: Traif Bike Gesheft

The chickens at Traif Bike Gesheft obviously don't fix the bikes; they're just there to keep Joe Diamond company. Joe opened his bike shop (which translates from Yiddish to "Non-kosher Bike Shop") a few months ago in a space behind the Time's Up bicycle organization in Williamsburg, where he repairs and sells used bicycles, and raises chickens. It's easy to miss. The entrance is a set of swinging saloon doors painted bright yellow that lead to a narrow alley to the right of the building. We stopped by the other day for some bicycle advice, and Joe mentioned that he has received 500 new used bikes, so if you're looking for a reliable and well-loved steed—and, if you're lucky, a freshly laid egg—check out his shop at 99 South Sixth Street between Berry and Bedford, or call (347) 245-8759 for opening hours. GMAP

August 6, 2009

Closing Bell: Brooklyn Bike Maps

Bicyclists of Brooklyn rejoice! Or keep rejoicing, if you've already started. The site NYC Bike Maps has a colorful, searchable, well-annotated map of Brooklyn bike lanes, using Google's mapping service. So get on your bikes and ride!

July 24, 2009

DOT Greens a New Bike Lane on 9th Street

bike%20lane%209th%20street%2007-2009.JPG
The DOT's green paint-wielding fairies have been busy in yet another section of the borough: A new royal road to Red Hook has been established on 9th Street from Smith to the BQE. GMAP

June 15, 2009

Closing Bell: Brooklyn Waterfront Epic Ride

June is BikeBKLN month. As part of that, this Saturday, June 20th is the Brooklyn Waterfront Epic Ride. The ride is a moderately-paced 40+ mile ride along the future Brooklyn Greenway and Queens coastline. Luckily, the ride does include restroom/water stops (at Owls Head Park and Canarsie Pier). The ride starts at at 11 a.m. at Ash Street and Manhattan Avenue in Greenpoint (in front of the Greenpoint Manufacturing Design Center). It will finish around 3 p.m. at Rockaway Taco (95-19 Rockaway Beach Boulevard) in Queens. ~~To register, email name and contact info to bikebrooklynjune@gmail.com.~~ Update: The ride is full!

June 9, 2009

Time Limit to Bike Parking?

Does anyone know if there's a limit to how long a person is allowed to keep his bike locked up to a public bike rack? It's an admittedly small gripe in the grand scheme of things, but someone locked up this Ross in our preferred parking spot in Dumbo a few weeks ago and has yet to return for it. Bike parking's at a premium around our office building and at a certain point this violates the social contract, no?

May 12, 2009

Closing Bell: Bicycle Fetish Day at City Reliquary

bike-fest-Jim%20Kiernan-flickr.jpg
Over the weekend, the City Reliquary Museum in Williamsburg held its fifth annual Bicycle Fetish Day. Gothamist found a great slideshow of the event. Remember that May is Bike Month in NYC so participate in bicycle-friendly events throughout the month (like National Bike to Work Day this Friday, May 15th).
Photo by jamie nyc.

November 12, 2008

And the Winners of the Red Hook Bike Competition Are...

Jonathan Rule Design; First Place Winner

It's bicycle week in NYC, albeit unofficially. Earlier this week, the City announced a zoning amendment to require bike parking in buildings. Here's another velo-entry: The Forum for Urban Design asked architects and planners to imagine Red Hook as the city's most bicycle-friendly neighborhood (a stretch for now, considering the unpleasantness of crossing Hamilton Avenue on two wheels). Yesterday, the winners where announced. The first place winner was Jonathan Rule Design, who envisioned a new network of bike lanes along with a "bike loft acting as a hub for bicycle activity in the area." Click through for more. Curbed has images, too, and the FFUF site has videos galore.

November 11, 2008

New Rule for New Buildings: Bike Parking

Earlier this year, we heard a lot about the potential fallout from a zoning amendment requiring developers to provide off-street parking in new buildings; critics said such a shift would create demand for cars, thus worsen our already rotten traffic situation. Well, perhaps DCP will now create demand for bicycles. Yesterday, City Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden announced an "initiative to require secure parking for bicycles in new multi-family residential, commercial and institutional buildings throughout the city," per a press release they sent us. The newfangled amendment would enter the public review process on November 17th, and it's designed to increase bike ridership (many more folks would ride if they knew they didn't have to lug a bike up several flights of stairs and store it in the bathtub). Meanwhile, as the city considers adding tolls to the East River crossings, folks on Curbed asked, "Why don't you all just bike over them?" Maybe, with bike storage and parking, they will.
Photo by GarySe7en.

September 12, 2008

Warnings to Cyclists Near the Bridge

There have been a number of tragic bicycle fatalities in Brooklyn this week, and the danger of the intersections near the Brooklyn Bridge has once again been highlighted. But rather than focus on traffic calming and the like — or, okay, maybe in addition to it — Streetsblog reports that the NYPD is asking bicyclists to dismount at the base of the bridge. Well, maybe not asking. "A uniformed officer told me that I was supposed to dismount and walk to the point where the path ends, and where we were then standing," says their tipster. "I pointed her to the bicycle symbol painted on the ground about 10 feet from where we were and she pointed up to a sign about 30 feet away and explained that from that point to the end, bikers were to dismount and that C class summonses were going to be handed out shortly and that she was providing a warning." Is the NYPD providing protection for bikers or is it a continuation of the culture war of cops-against-bicyclists?
NYPD Issuing Warnings to Brooklyn Bridge Cyclists [Streetsblog]

May 6, 2008

Design Competition Trying to Hook Biking Visionaries

Last week the Forum for Urban Design announced details of a competition it's holding to solicit plans aimed at making Red Hook an extremely bicycle friendly neighborhood. The competition involves submitting design proposals to FUD that consider the possibility of building a bike garage in or near the Smith-9th Station; envisioning a bicycle network for Red Hook; and identifying possible funding sources for the project. Judges for the competition, which has a grand prize of $4,000, will include officials from NYC Transit and the DOT. One of the main points of the competition, whether or not it actually results in a design that's put into play, is to "introduce the concept of a bike garage to an audience in New York City," according to Lisa Chamberlain, executive director of FUD. "It’s a good place to try it on small scale. Another good place to have it would be in Downtown Brooklyn," near Borough Hall, though Chamberlain notes that "it would be much more complicated there than in Red Hook." Bike garages have been built in cities like Amsterdam, Berkeley and Seattle, and they deter theft and shield bicycles from the elements.
Could Red Hook Become a Biker Haven? [Brownstoner]
The Bicycle Master Plan Design Competition [FUD]

May 1, 2008

Greenway Plans Rolling Along; 5 miles Expected in 2 Years

Grand plans for Brooklyn Greenway, the waterfront pedestrian and bike path, are on the brink of moving forward, according to a story in this morning's Eagle. The Greenway currently spans 14 miles. Half a mile of the route planned for Columbia Street is slated to be complete by the end of the summer, and design work for the Williamsburg-Greenpoint segment is expected to begin soon. "The overall picture is that we’re moving into design,” says Milton Puryear, vice chairman and director of planning for the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative. “We’re hoping that we can get five miles constructed within the next two years. When you’re coordinating with multiple agencies, it can take years.” The entire project could cost around $50 million, and Rep. Nydia Velázquez, whose district includes most of the future Greenway, has raised $6.6 million in federal funding for the Red Hook, Navy Yard and Greenpoint sections and $8 million for the Sunset Park section.
Greenway Along Brooklyn Waterfront Begins To Take Shape [Eagle]
Photos from the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative.

Bicycling