Tow Truckin’ from Xtracycle on Vimeo.
According to an article in today’s New York Times, a recent survey of New York City residents found that lack of storage is one of the biggest things keeping New Yorkers off bicycles.
In a city of tight living quarters and unaccommodating corporate towers, the biggest cycling challenge can be finding a good place store one’s ride when it is not in use.
For James Rather, an urban planner whose Riverdale walk-up does not have a storage option, lugging his bike up three flights to his apartment every time he rides is a “constant hassle” and a sometime danger.
You can read the article at the Times site.
Like Ethan, I went to see the movie Veer at the Madison Theater last night. I went to the late show, and was impressed at the size of the crowd coming out of the early show – particularly on a rainy Thursday night. I recognized most of the folks, but there were also some new faces, which was cool.
Also impressive was the organized presence of the Albany Bicycle Coalition (ABC) at the event. I was greeted by a volunteer named Rohan when I arrived. He had stickers, copies of magazines from one of the sponsors, Urban Velo, and sign-up sheets to collect data about the attendees for future recruitment by the ABC.
I thought the movie itself was fun and often inspiring. I’m not sure it’s a great recruiting tool for people looking to attract “just plain bike riders,” given that it focuses on the cycling counterculture of Portland, Oregon, much more than on everyday commuting cyclists. That’s not really a negative, though, because I don’t think the film’s focus is on recruiting. To me, it was a snapshot of the cycling scene in one place at one time. As such a snapshot, I think the filmmakers did a fine job capturing the freewheeling, adventurous and confident spirit of Portland cyclists.
The film also spends some time on the process of lobbying for passage of a new bike law increasing the penalties for reckless drivers who injure or kill vulnerable road users. This footage is split up throughout the film. It’s great to see an organized, professional approach to bike lobbying, even though there’s not much substance to the lobbying segments. For example, there’s no detail on the crafting of the legislation or on exactly how the lobbying occurs. Once again, though, I think that’s probably beyond the scope of the film.
One part of Veer that I wondered about was the amount of time spent on ZooBombing, in which cyclists ride mini-bikes downhill as fast as they can, starting at the top of a hill near the Portland Zoo. Some of the ZooBombing footage is interspersed with an interview with a local police officer. He’s made to look fairly ridiculous as he describes the ZooBombers’ violations of traffic laws in their downhill races. I don’t know, though. From what I could see in the movie (and that’s the sum total of my knowledge about ZooBombing), it looked like the cyclists were flagrantly and dangerously violating the law – riding with few if any lights at night through stop signs in residential neighborhoods. In most debates between law enforcement and cyclists, my experience has been that law enforcement tends to be ill-informed or unconcerned about cyclists’ rights. In this case, though, it’s hard to fault a cop who thinks ZooBombing is dangerous. And it’s odd that the cycling advocates in the film never acknowledge that. (I’d love to hear your opinions in the comments section.)
On the whole, I enjoyed Veer. I found parts of it inspiring, such as the various bike advocacy and training programs for kids and adults. It was also fun to watch people just enjoying a cycling lifestyle. And above all, kudos to Bob from Liberty On Bikes! for bringing it to us, and for everything he’s doing to make Albany a better place for cyclists.
Once again, a bicyclist beat a car and a bus commuter in the Albany commuter contest. The story and photos are at All Over Albany.
(Thanks for Claire Nolan for the link!)
We have the occasional train story here on RocBike, given that several of us are regular or semi-regular (irregular?) train riders. In fact, I rode Amtrak today to get home after contracting the stomach flu in Rochester over the weekend. Jen and the boys drove home yesterday, and I rode the train today.
Here’s some good news:
Budget saves Amtrak’s Adirondack line
By ERIC ANDERSON, Deputy business editor
Last updated: 1:03 p.m., Monday, March 30, 2009Full state operating support was restored for Amtrak’s Adirondack service from the Capital Region to Montreal, ensuring the train operates for another year, the president of the Empire State Passengers Association said this morning.
UPDATE: Here’s a link for the Empire State Passengers Association.
(Nick Kurczewski for The New York Times)
PARIS — The Velib bike rental system has been hailed by Parisians and tourists alike for its convenience, as well as being a “green” alternative to getting around the French capital via taxicab, bus or metro. But the high cost of fixing, maintaining and, in many cases, replacing the fleet of about 20,000 bikes is proving too much for JCDecaux, the company that runs the program.
So.
Last night I rode my bike to Tess’s Lark Tavern for the monthly Poets Speak Loud event. It was an open mic followed by a walk to the Robert Burns statue in Washington Park, upon which a daring poet placed a beret. I’ll talk more about the event over at jasoncrane.org, but I wanted to mention a tangential fact about it here on RocBike.
Last night’s bike ride was my first time on a bike since … maybe September.
There, I said it. The founder of RocBike, former board member of the New York Bicycling Coalition and blogger about car-free living no longer rides a bike.
When I was transferred to the Albany area in November 2007, I lived in Saratoga Springs for the first few months. Most of my job duties, though, were in Albany and Schenectady, so I was on the road all the time and needed to be in my car. My family were still back in Rochester, so my eating habits suffered, too. Less good food, more fast food and food eaten in the car.
In the late winter or early spring of 2008, I moved into the city of Albany and started riding again. It was around that time that I started blogging again in earnest and joined the board of the New York Bicycling Coalition. I was also attending meetings of the Albany Bicycle Coalition, and blogging about the challenges of car-free or car-light living in my capacity as a Parent Panelist for the Albany Times Union newspaper.
When Jen and the boys moved back, I was still biking a fair amount. Jen got an Xtracycle like mine, and we biked a lot as a family. But then things started to change. I had already gained a fair amount of weight because of the changes in my lifestyle. I started driving most places and left the bike locked away. By the fall, I wasn’t riding at all. I was 35 pounds heavier than when I moved here. And my poor Packet Boat was dry-docked in the back shed.
Well, it’s time to get back on the horse. Look for updates from me about returning to the bike and making some much needed changes.
I’ve got nothing to lose but my chains! (And 35 or 40 pounds.)
A new BBC World Service documentary called the Bicycle Diaries starts this
Friday, Jan. 16. The synopsis reads:
“A journey to 3 different places around the world to discover communities and people for whom two wheels are better than four.”
You can listen online or on XM radio or shortwave. Airdates are listed here:
From the New York Times:
By JAN ELLEN SPIEGEL
Published: December 31, 2008
Photo: Wendy Carlson for The New York TimesAfter a summer of their dreams, bicycle store owners are facing a grim reality this winter.
Big increases in business this year led some shop owners to think that they were largely insulated from a slowing economy. But the economy has continued to spiral downward, taking bicycle sales and much else with it.
The question now is whether all the bicyclists who appeared last summer will be back next summer.
