A message from the New York State Bicycling Coalition and the Tri-State Transportation Campaign:

(June 21, 2010) — In Albany, bicycling advocates are working overtime to help assure the passage of a Complete Streets law—sweeping legislation that will create more livable, bikeable and walkable communities across the state. This proposed law would direct the state Department of Transportation to consider bicycle and pedestrian accommodations in the planning and development of state, county, and local roads and other transportation facilities. NYBC is working closing with the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, AARP and other groups to get this legislation passed.

On June 17, the Senate passed the bill 53-3. Unfortunately, Assemblyman David Gantt of Rochester has amended the Assembly version of the bill in a way that would render the legislation useless in its impact.

The only way to get this process back on track is if we can get bicycling advocates — particularly those in Rochester, where Assembly Gantt is based — to make their voices heard!

Visit NYBC’s Take Action! page to learn how you can help secure the passage of this bill.

I promise this site is not going to become NYBC central, but I wanted to let you know that the New York Bicycling Coalition is now on Facebook and Twitter. Please “like” us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

The links:

• NYBC’s Facebook page
• NYBC’s Twitter page

Thanks!

Today is my first day as executive director of the New York Bicycling Coalition. Check out the press release and lots of other cycling information at NYBC.net.

By the way, are you a member of NYBC? Why not join today?

…until the new gig!

“The bicycle, the bicycle surely, should always be the vehicle of novelists and poets.” — Christopher Morley

…and everyone else, too!

…that in a couple weeks my job is going to involve riding my bike around, talking about bikes and advocating for bikes?

…this is the first time I’ve ever been on television?

(Anybody who can tell me the origin of that second line gets a free jazz CD. Leave your guess in the comments.)

I’m very excited to announce that, starting June 1, I’ll be the new executive director of the New York Bicycling Coalition. I’m looking forward to heading out across the state to make New York a better place for cyclists. And I’ll be looking for YOUR help. More to come…

Friday is the first day of Bike Month. I am super psyched about what’s going on in the capital region. Write ups on the Albany Bicycle Coalition, and Bike Albany.

Also received this by email, from the NYBC:

In order to promote cycling, advance traffic safety, and raise awareness of bicycling and pedestrian-related issues amongst our elected representatives currently in session, the New York Bicycling Coalition has organized a full roster of Bike Month activities in the Capital District. Exciting activities include bicycle safety education courses and LCI Training Seminar; a bicycle-themed art show; “Two Wheels Good” film festival; the ever-popular SIGMA Commuter Contest; National Bike to Work Day; and the National Ride of Silence. Please consult the full calendar (attached) and refer to www.nybc.net for more information and ways to get involved.

5/1-5/2: Traffic Skills 101. Taught by certified LCIs, this 9-hour curriculum gives cyclists the confidence they need to ride safely and legally in traffic or on the trail. Covers bicycle safety checks, fixing a flat, bike-handling skills and crash avoidance techniques. Recommended for adults and children above age 14, this fast-paced 2-day course prepares cyclists for a full understanding of vehicular cycling. Location: SUNY Albany Downtown Campus, 135 Washington Ave. Draper 147. For full details and course registration info, visit http://nybc.net/?page_id=3 .

5/1-5/22: “Grand Tour: Bicycle, Transportation & Travel” Art Exhibit. Upstate Artists Guild, 247 Lark St., Albany. Opening Reception & Urban Ride 5/1/09, 6-9PM. Note: special bicycle-themed art & reception at Downtube Bicycle Shop, 466 Madison Ave., Albany. 1st Friday Ride, hosted by the Albany Bicycle Coalition, will stop at Exhibit and other 1st Friday art venues. Donations accepted to benefit ABC & NYBC. For more information, visit: http://upstateartistsguild.org/GrandTour.

5/8: “Two Wheels Good” Bike Film Festival. The Sanctuary for Independent Media, 3361 6th Ave., Troy; 7 PM. Collection celebrates all aspects of bicycle culture, from competitive mountain biking to urban “alleycat” racing to daily commuting, bike polo, and Critical Mass. Selection includes a variety of filmmakers and spans genres from documentary to narrative, animation to sports, art & music videos. Co-sponsored by NYBC and Troy Bike Rescue; valet bike parking available. Admission by donation ($10 suggested, $5 student/low income). See www.mediasanctuary.org for details and directions.

5/8-5/10: Bike to Albany’s Tulip Festival. A highly anticipated spring tradition, over 200,000 tulip bulbs will blossom into a sea of colors amidst of thousands of attendees Mother’s Day weekend in Washington Park. The City of Albany is taking a step forward to promote green initiatives and reduce congestion on the roadways by encouraging attendees to RIDE, rather than drive, to the event. Designated racks and valet bicycle parking and will be available at the Willett & Madison Ave. entrance and featured as part of the Tulip Festival Wellness Garden, promoting wellness of mind, body, spirit, and planet. Steiner’s Sports will be on-hand to offer free safety checks and quick tune-ups to keep you rolling. Visit http://www.albanyevents.org for full schedule of activities.

5/13: Driver’s Ed. For Cyclists: a FREE Hands-On Training For Educators. 7AM – 2:30PM, Six Flags Great Escape Lodge, Queensbury. Educators who work with children grades 4 and up will gain the skills and instructional techniques necessary to teach students in P.E. classes, after-school programs and summer camps. Topics such as age-appropriate bicycle handling skills, bicycle laws, cyclist’s responsibilities, proper bike and helmet fitting, the use of gears and breaks and how to avoid crashes will be covered. Participants will also receive instructional materials and have an opportunity to take part in hands-on skill drills. Training is co-sponsored by NYBC, GTSC, Glens Falls Hospital and Upper Hudson Primary Care Consortium NYSDOH Healthy Heart Programs, the Cornell Local Roads Program, and Bike New York.

5/14: SIGMA Commuter Contest. This exciting competition pits bicyclists against motorists and transit riders during rush-hour traffic to determine the most efficient means of transportation. For the past 5 years, the bicyclist has been the winner–join us this year to see if we can make it 6 in a row! Start time: 5PM sharp. Location: Starbucks to Starbucks (10 N Pearl St., Albany to Stuyvesant Plaza, 1475 Western Ave.). Fabulous prizes courtesy of Sigma and Steiner’s Sports.

5/14: VEER the movie. Two showings! 7:30 & 9:15 pm. The Madison Theater (Albany). Special one-night screening of new documentary of the Portland, OR cycling community. Sponsors include: CK Cycles, Steiner’s Sports, The Downtube, The Dead Presidents Lounge, Bomber’s Burritos, Lark Tavern, 518prints.com, UrbanVelo.org. $6/($5 for ABC & NYBC members). Membership is free and you can sign up at the door. ABC will also be collecting $$ donations for the KONA AFRICA BIKE PROGRAM.

5/15: National Bike to Work Day. Sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists, individuals across the country are encouraged to commute to work by bike. The Saratoga Healthy Transportation Network is sponsoring the “First Annual” Saratoga Bike To Work Challenge. Companies with offices/workplaces in Saratoga County are encouraged to form Bike To Work Teams and compete for the highly coveted “The Gear Head Trophy.” To register, go to www.healthytransportation.org. For more information and resources on bicycle commuting, visit www.nybc.net.

5/16: Club Picnic, Ride and Swap Meet. 10AM, Colonie Town Park. The Mohawk Hudson Cycling Club invites all local cyclists & their families to come celebrate Capital Bike Month with the club and meet some new cyclists/friends. Rides of varying categories (casual, tour, mountain bike); potluck lunch; post-ride swap meet. Consult the Ride Calendar on http://webmhcc.org for full details.

5/20: National Ride of Silence. 6PM. Start location: Corning Preserve, Albany. 12 mile route will pass ghost bikes commemorating the deaths of 3 local cyclists. For more details, visit www.rideofsilence.org or www.nybc.net .

5/29-5/31: LCI Training Seminar. Becoming a League Cycling Instructor (LCI) certified to teach BikeEd is a great way to help cyclists in your community. If you are an experienced cyclist and would like to teach others, consider taking the next step towards certification and help bring the joy of safe cycling to others. NOTE: Road I is a prerequisite for a certification seminar. For full details and course registration info, visit http://nybc.net/?page_id=3. Co-sponsored by NYBC, Bike New York, and the League of American Bicyclists.

Nominations Currently Being Accepted for NYBC’s Commuter of the Year Award
NYBC is seeking nominations for its annual Bicycle Commuter of the Year Award. Bicyclists of any age who are NYS residents and commute to work or school on a regular basis are encouraged to apply. Submissions should include a brief written description, in 50 words or less, of why the person nominated is worthy of the award; deadline is Monday,May 11th. Winners will be announced on National Bike to Work Day: Friday, May 15th, 2009. Entries may be sent to: New York Bicycling Coalition, P.O. Box 8868, Albany, NY 12208 or e-mailed to Claire Nolan, NYBC Board Member, at cbnolou@yahoo.com

Celebrate National Bike Month: enter our 2009 Bike Giveaway and help make New York a more bicycle-friendly state!

Win a new Originate Urban Cyckel, generously donated by CK Cycles, and ride in style. Join or renew your membership to NYBC from now until August 31st, 2009, and your name will be automatically included in our 2009 Bike Giveaway drawing!

Grand drawing to be held September 1st, 2009. For official rules, photos, and other details, visit www.nybc.net .

It’s going to be a fun month.

This came from NYBC’s Jennifer Clunie today:

Dear Cyclists,

NYBC has received a number of calls and inquiries re: the LONG BIKE Back event tomorrow (Saturday, September 27th). Like trusty mail carriers, Pearson & Pete have ridden through heavy rain, fierce winds, blistering sun, and treacherous road conditions (16 flats & counting) since their journey began early this summer to deliver the Share the Road message to communities across the country. Our event is on rain or shine! If the weather is inclement tomorrow afternoon and you opt not to ride, we still encourage you to show your support and attend the Welcome Reception and Talk from 5:30-6:30pm, happening in the warm dry space of the UAG Gallery on Lark St.

For those wishing to ride the last 15 miles in with Pearson, Pete, and Julia, meet at the corner of Dunnesville Rd. & Route 20 (Western Ave), Dunnesville, NY. If you’re looking to ride a shorter distance, two alternate locations that are easily accessible on Western Ave. are the Twenty Mall (intersection of Routes 20 & 155) and in front of the Bank of America (across from Stuyesant Plaza/Fuller Rd.) Claire Nolan, NYBC Board member, will be accompanying our cyclists and will pick up individuals at all 3 of these locations.

5:30pm-6:30pm: “The Long Bike Back” Reception/Preview Screening at the Upstate Artists Guild Gallery, 247 Lark Street Albany NY 12210, co-sponsored by NYBC and the Upstate Artists Guild. Join us for a warm welcoming reception and early preview screening of a segment of “The Long Bike Back,” after which our featured guests will speak briefly about their journey, including Pearson’s recovery, and the need for motorists to be aware of vulnerable road-users. $10 donation ($5 student/low-income); proceeds for the event would benefit NYBC’s Share the Road campaign to increase bicycle safety awareness.

See article published in Thursday’s Times Union: Life-changing crash sparks ride for awareness: Message is that cyclists, drivers must share road

NOTE: bicycle parking is available in front of UAG Gallery and Lark St. BID. For more information about the event, visit NYBC.net or longbikeback.com.

We look forward to having you join us tomorrow,

Jennifer

Buncha fun rides this Saturday, September 27th.

On Saturday, September 27 at 9:30 AM, Save the Pine Bush is sponsoring a bicycle ride from the Civil War Monument in Washington Park to the Pine Bush Discovery Center on Route 155, north of Washington Avenue Extension. Once at the Discovery Center, we be given a short tour.

When riding, we will follow all traffic laws, and stay together as a group. I have a route picked out (but, I always welcome suggestions!).

I would really like to have one or two more ride leaders to come with me. Would anyone be interested?

And, if you don’t want to be a ride leader, please, be a ride participant! Its a lot of fun to ride to our beautiful Pine Bush!

I expect we will return to Albany sometime in the afternoon, around 3:00 PM, depending on how fast we go, how long we stay at the Discovery Center, and whether we stop for food.

For more information:
http://www.savethepinebush.org/Current/Ski.html

And then there’s this one, which I’m psyched about.

After two years of recovery from a hit-and-run accident, cyclist Pearson Constantino and his brother Pete are riding across America to make our roads safer and inspire more bicycling. A documentary film, THE LONG BIKE BACK, is being made about Pearson’s inspirational comeback and the brothers’ epic ride.

Pearson was one of 44,000 cyclists to be injured by a motor vehicle in the United States in 2006; an additional 68,000 pedestrians were injured in traffic crashes.

On August 12th, brothers Pearson and Pete set out from Newport, Oregon, and will continue their cross-continental journey all the way to Cape Cod, Massachusetts along US Route 20, Main Street America.

Support NYBC’s Share the Road Campaign and join “The Long Bike Back” as they ride through NYS’s Capital.

Saturday, September 27th:
4:00pm: Pearson & Pete have invited cyclists, advocates and friends to accompany them the last 15 miles on their route to Washington Park, downtown Albany. Meet at the corner of Dunnesville Rd. & Route 20 (Western Ave), Dunnesville, NY, ready to ride (Please note: all riders must wear helmets–a rider will not be allowed on a ride if he/she does not have a helmet. Riders are expected and required to follow all traffic rules and regulations.)

5:00PM: arrival in Washington Park, downtown Albany.

5:30pm-6:30pm: “The Long Bike Back” Reception/Preview Screening at the Upstate Artists Guild Gallery, 247 Lark Street Albany NY 12210, co-sponsored by NYBC and the Upstate Artists Guild. Join us for a warm welcoming reception and early preview screening of a segment of “The Long Bike Back,” after which our featured guests will speak briefly about their journey, including Pearson’s recovery, and the need for motorists to be aware of vulnerable road-users. $10 donation ($5 student/low-income); proceeds for the event would benefit NYBC’s Share the Road campaign to increase bicycle safety awareness. For more information, please contact NYBC at nybc@nybc.net or (518) 436-0889. We hope you can join us for this event!

I have no idea where Dunnesville even is. As usual, anybody in the Helderberg neighborhood who wants to ride together, let me know.

Here’s a list of upcoming events in the Capital District sponsored by the New York Bicycling Coalition:

World-Renowned Bicycle Revolutionary to Visit Troy 9/15

On September 15, Chris Carlsson – San Francisco-based author, urbanist, and instigator – will be presenting his latest work, Nowtopia, at The Sanctuary for Independent Media. The event is co-sponsored by the New York Bicycling Coalition and Troy Bike Rescue. Event begins at 7 P.M. at The Sanctuary for Independent Media, 3361 6th Avenue, Troy, NY. Admission by donation ($10 suggested, $5 low income). Directions and more information at www.MediaSanctuary.org or by calling 518-272-2390. Valet bike parking will be available.

Carlsson will be discussing his new book, Nowtopia, while sharing the spotlight with local bike enthusiasts, Troy Bike Rescue, and members of Rhizome Collective, of Austin, TX. As the number of cyclists continues to visibly grow, some might hope that this prophet from the bike-city of San Francisco will be bringing the good word of separated bike lanes and proper bike parking to the auto-dominated streets of the Empire State. However, Carlsson’s latest writing carry a much broader message – it’s an analysis of “work” and a vision of radical new economics that he contends is already taking shape.

Carlsson is perhaps best known in the bicycle community as one of the first motivators of the monthly Critical Mass bike rides that began in the early 90s in San Francisco, and have spread to 5 continents and over 300 cities around the world.

Local organizer and founder of Troy Bike Rescue, Andrew Lynn, remarks: “Making true social change and moving society towards sustainable future is not just about ‘going green’; it’s about building sustainable social and technical infrastructure. This will require new levels of cooperation and innovation.”

NOTE: Per Andrew Lynn: “we are looking for a few people who might want to help specifically with Valet Bike Parking. we have advertised that this service will be available. its pretty simple – taking peoples bikes a they arrive and taking them to the little alcove between the sanctuary and the adjacent building. then, someone will need to hang out by the door and be the security. ideally this would be a rotating role. please let me know if you can help with this at anyone@breathingplanet.net.”

LAB Road I Class to be held in Albany 9/19-9/20

A League of American Bicyclists Road 1 Bicyclist Education Class will be held on Friday, September 19 from 6:00 – 9:00 PM and Saturday, September 20 from 10 am – 4:00 pm (note: this is a two-day, 9-hour certification course).

Per LAB, this course “gives cyclists the confidence they need to ride safely and legally in traffic or on the trail. The course covers bicycle safety checks, fixing a flat, on-bike skills and crash avoidance techniques and includes a student manual. Recommended for adults and children above age fourteen, this fast-paced, nine-hour course prepares cyclists for a full understanding of vehicular cycling.”

Location: SUNY Albany Downtown Campus, Draper Hall, 135 Washington Avenue (between South Lake and Robin Streets), Room 146.
Fee: $40.00 includes course materials
Open to Anyone – 14 and older with a Bicycle and a Helmet
MHCC members are reimbursed the class fee upon successful completion of the class, a road-test and a written test.

To register: Call (518) 209-6477 OR (518)221-8693, or e-mail cbnolou@yahoo.com.

Inspirational Cross-Country Bicycle Ride To Encourage Safer Roads Journeys to NY’s Capital Saturday, September 27th

After two years of agonizing recovery from a life altering hit-and-run accident, cyclist Pearson Constantino and his brother Pete are riding across America to make our roads safer and inspire more bicycling. A documentary film, THE LONG BIKE BACK, is being made about Pearson’s inspirational comeback and the brothers’ epic ride.

On a beautiful morning in late June 2006, lifelong cyclist Pearson Constantino was riding on a suburban road when he was struck from behind by an SUV. He suffered multiple severe injuries including a shattered hip, a crushed lumbar vertebra and severe head trauma; his helmet saved his life. In what is an all too common phenomenon, the driver fled the scene. Pearson was one of 44,000 cyclists to be injured by a motor vehicle in the United States in 2006; an additional 68,000 pedestrians were injured in traffic crashes.

Although Pearson is still plagued by constant pain in his back and hip and lingering memory loss, he has returned to his bicycle and is riding across America to encourage road safety and inspire others to cycle. On August 12th, brothers Pearson and Pete set out from Newport, Oregon, and will continue their cross-continental journey all the way to Cape Cod, Massachusetts along US Route 20, Main Street America.

Support NYBC’s Share the Road Campaign and join members “The Long Bike Back” as they ride through NYS’s Capital.

Saturday, September 27th:
4:00pm: Pearson & Pete have invited cyclists, advocates and friends to accompany them the last 15 miles on their route to Washington Park, downtown Albany. Meet at the corner of Dunnesville Rd. & Route 20 (Western Ave), Dunnesville, NY, ready to ride (Please note: all riders must wear helmets–a rider will not be allowed on a ride if he/she does not have a helmet. Riders are expected and required to follow all traffic rules and regulations.)

5:00PM: arrival in Washington Park, downtown Albany.

5:30pm-6:30pm: “The Long Bike Back” Reception/Preview Screening at the Upstate Artists Guild Gallery, 247 Lark Street Albany NY 12210, co-sponsored by NYBC and the Upstate Artists Guild. Join us for a warm welcoming reception and early preview screening of a segment of “The Long Bike Back,” after which our featured guests will speak briefly about their journey, including Pearson’s recovery, and the need for motorists to be aware of vulnerable road-users. $10 donation ($5 student/low-income); proceeds for the event would benefit NYBC’s Share the Road campaign to increase bicycle safety awareness. For more information, please contact NYBC at nybc@nybc.net or (518) 436-0889.

We hope you can join us for these exciting events!