2007 almanac - League of American Bicyclists

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COMMUTER 4 12 American Bicyclist COMMUTER Dani Simons New York City How long.have.you.been. commuting? I’ve been commuting to work for about seven years now. When did you first.try.bike. commuting? I first started commuting to work when I lived in Providence, R.I. and worked for the Woonasquatucket River Greenway Project. Finding a parking space in downtown Providence was too much of a hassle and I wasn’t getting paid enough to rent a parking space. Plus, I lived less than five miles from work, so biking was as fast as driving would have been. I was a little more intimidated to start biking to work in NYC, but since I work for Transportation Alternatives, a bicycling and pedestrian advocacy group, I knew I had to give it a shot. My coworkers and T.A. members really inspired me to keep going and now bicycling is definitely my favorite way to get around NYC. What is a day.in.your.commuting. life.like?. I ride each morning from Brooklyn to the Transportation Alternatives’ office in Manhattan. My commute is full of choices, which makes it fun. On my way in to work I usually ride over the Manhattan Bridge and then up through Chinatown, Little Italy, around Union Square and over to Chelsea. Even though I have to deal with the morning rush hour traffic, I like this route because it’s direct and I see so many different neighborhoods. In the evenings, when I want to unwind, I often ride west to the Hudson River Greenway and take the greenway down to lower Manhattan where I go on-street for a few blocks across to the Brooklyn Bridge and back home. The views from the Bridge are amazing and always remind me how happy I am not to be stuck underground in the subway. What skills are vital for.a.commuter. in.NYC.to.know? Stay alert, LOOK, use lights, make yourself visible, never assume that drivers (or pedestrians) see you. Claim your space, always leave at least four feet between your bike and parked cars so you don’t get “doored,” (this is a big cause of cycling injuries in NYC). Ride nicely. Even when it seems frustrating, we cyclists have to ride according to traffic laws and hold ourselves to an even higher standard of politeness. We need the support of pedestrians and even drivers to win more bike lanes, greenways and vital safety improvements. This spring Transportation Alternatives will come out with a new booklet, the working title is “A User’s Guide to NYC Cyclingm,” that will have a lot of tips by urban bike commuters for urban bike commuters. Folks should check out our website www.transalt.org for more information when it is released in May. What is the best part of.your.daily. commute?. Other than the Brooklyn Bridge, I’d have to say its meeting other cyclists on the way and chatting with them as we cross the bridges or pause at intersections. What would you change.about.your. commute? I wish that bike lanes on big streets in New York City were wider and buffered from traffic. There are a number of ways to do this (from physical separation to a simple painted buffer between the bike lane and moving traffic) but in general riding on the few buffered lanes that already exist in NYC makes me feel safer and more relaxed as I ride. Also, I’m lucky; I can park my bike inside my office at Transportation Alternatives. Most NYC commuters are not so lucky and according to City surveys the lack of secure bike parking is the number one obstacle to would-be bike commuters in NYC. So I’d also create more indoor and secure outdoor bike parking for all NYC bike commuters. What bike are.you.riding.now? I ride a Bianchi Boardwalk. It’s a hybrid. I like it because it’s tough enough to stand up to NYC potholes, old enough that no one steals it if I have to lock up outside when I go to a meeting and lightweight enough to ride 50 miles to do route scouting for T.A.’s NYC Century Bike Tour.
5 LONG-DISTANCE TOURER Peter Maron, Ossining, New York (Suburban NYC) How long.have.you.been.touring? I bought my first touring bike, a Schwinn Varsity, when I was 13 years old. I’ve been long-distance riding ever since. In 2006, at 52 years old, I logged 8,022 miles on the road and still found time to work. When did you fall in love.with.bicycle.touring?. After buying my first bicycle, I made a trek up to Bear Mountain. This 40- or 50-mile ride opened up a whole new world and gave me an enormous sense of freedom. What is a day in.your.life.like? I have always been an early riser. On a typical day, after breakfast, I leave when the birds are waking up and explore all day until late afternoon. Sometimes I stop for lunch, but usually I lose track of time and keep pedaling. I owned a business for 20 years and I would commute 30 miles from home. I would leave at 5:30 a.m. and get home at 8 p.m. The Northeast winters were once much harsher, so I would ride early March until late November. What skills are vital.for.a.bicycle.tourist.to.know? One always has to be aware of their surroundings and blend into them as much as possible. Cars and little children on tricycles present some of the many obstacles that we encounter. These are just surrounding factors and we have to adapt quickly and adjust our position accordingly. Whether it is taking our right of way in a position dangerous to us or stopping to encourage the tike on the tricycle, you have to stay alert. What would you change.about.bicycle.touring? If we could change the philosophy of America’s need to get there fast and to encourage more people to pedal, the Earth would benefit greatly. What are you.currently.riding? A Cannondale CADD 8 road bike. If.we.could.change. the.philosophy.of. America’s.need. to.get.there.fast.and. to.encourage.more. people.to.pedal,. the.Earth.would. benefit.greatly. LONG-DISTANCE.TOURER American Bicyclist 13
Page 3 and 4: CONTENTS 8 SNAPSHOT A Day in the Li
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Page 7 and 8: The cyclist must see what’s behin
Page 9 and 10: BIKE ED 12 LCIs CERTIFIED at first
Page 11 and 12: 1 MANUFACTURER Bill Cook, owner, Ba
Page 13: 3 MECHANIC Brett Flemming Vancouver
Page 17 and 18: 7 LEAGUE CYCLING INSTRUCTOR Jim Bar
Page 19: American Bicyclist 17 nk you Nina.J
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FAVORITE RIDES Peter N. Baker Chica
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2007 almanac - League of American Bicyclists

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