Image NY Times.
The following proposal seeks to implement NYC Council Intro 1933-2020, which calls for creation of 75 miles of bike/walk-able space, with a series of “linear parks.”
The linear park proposal would result in hundreds of miles of recreational routes. It could be implemented quickly and cheaply by posting of gps instructions and maps.
As routes gain acceptance, they can be enhanced with signage and physical improvements.
The examples cited:
• Range from eight to 50 miles, spanning Staten Island, Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx. Some begin-and-end in Manhattan.
• Aggregate on-road bike lanes, separated bike paths, low-intensity residential streets and parts of the city zoned for industrial use that get little traffic on weekends.
• Draw from routes curated by bike clubs; “event” rides like Tour de Bronx; Old Croton Aqueduct Historic State Park; 1997 NYC Bicycle Master Plan and U.S. Bicycle Route System.
• Largely avoid crowded shared use paths like Hudson Greenway, Prospect Park and Central Park. [Note: In April, the CP Conservancy called for group training rides to conclude by 7AM.]
• Highlight local food and tourist stops.
• Skirt past city parks to ensure rest stops at regular intervals.
• Do not require street closure, elimination of on-street parking nor involvement of the NYPD.
Benefits
• Creates extended opportunities for exercise and recreation.
• Draws cyclists off popular paths, reducing density and user conflict (crashes).
• Capitalizes on the global trend towards “staycations.”
• Bridges “transport deserts” and supplements existing bus-subway capacity.
• Enhances resilience to widespread transport outage.
• Reduces vehicle miles traveled—the least expensive means to reduce greenhouse emissions from transportation.
• Should significantly expand the constituency for cycling—given that more people bike for recreation than transportation.
Image People for Bikes.
Examples
On the following maps, red is outbound, blue is inbound. Links comprise a downloadable GPS file (requires setting up a free account) and a printout for a paper “cue sheet.”
Staten Island #1A – Olympic, 7.5 miles – GPS, cue sheet
Staten Island #2 – Annadale (Dirt), 45.4 miles – GPS, cue sheet
Staten Island #3 – Lemon Creek, 38.0 miles – GPS, cue sheet
Staten Island #4 – Richmondtown, 38.3 miles – GPS, cue sheet
“CRB&PSM” Staten Island Advance.
Staten Island #5 – Black Tom, 52.0 miles – GPS, cue sheet
Staten Island #6 – Elizabeth, NJ to Whitehall, 11.3 miles + ferry – GPS, cue sheet
Staten Island #7 – Bayonne, NJ to Whitehall, 8.0 miles + ferry – GPS, cue sheet
Staten Island #8 – Newark> Elizabeth> Perth Amboy> Tottenville (Terrain) – GPS
Staten Island #8A – Newark> Elizabeth> Perth Amboy> Tottenville (OSM Cycle)
Press
• Why the U.K. Is Investing Big in Cycling and Walking, Bloomberg, 7/29/20
• How Paris became a cycling success—and built a roadmap for others, Curbed, 1/31/20
• Deaths Expose Chaos of Central Park Loop, NY Times, 9/28/14
Bio
Neile Weissman heads up Complete George—250 organizations and communities calling for wider bikeways across the George Washington Bridge. Neile is also Public Relations Director and a Past-President for New York Cycle Club for whom he organizes 50+ rides and events per year.
Image Alex Lektchinov.