LARA LEBEIKO: "A History of Biking"

Post on 20-Sep-2014

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Biking in NYC grew by more than 20% last year. More people are using cycling as a means of getting around the city, or just getting fit. But it hasn't always been this way. 20 years ago, the NY Department of Transportation was planning on installing stairs - not walkways - onto the Brooklyn Bridge. Activists were encountering heated backlash for pushing the idea of biking in the city. Cyclists were spat on, yelled at, cut off, and at times, arrested. Learn more about the early days of cycling in NYC, hear more about and what it takes even now to create a more bike-friendly city - from bike lanes to bike parking - and why this change matters to the future of the city.@natashaf8, http://bicyclehabitat.com

Transcript of LARA LEBEIKO: "A History of Biking"

Lara LEBEIKOA History of Biking

@natashaf8

A history of cycling.

NEW YORK CITY

A BYSTANDER. NOT A HISTORIAN.

THE PRECURSOR.

Al

MEANWHILE…

MANHATTAN GRID

ESTABLISHED NEW NORMS1870s Central Park1880s Brooklyn Bridge1900s NYC subways1920s Ford + mass production of automobiles1930s Robert Moses + infrastructure

THE U.S. BIKE BOOM

1965-1975: SOLD MORE BIKES THAN CARS

“Our nation faces a severe bike shortage”~ Time Magazine

AS WE KNOW IT

THE STRUGGLE

THE NEED FOR ACCESS

CONGESTED ≠ SUSTAINABLEtext.

AMERCIAN LIFESTYLELess than 1% commute by bikeMajority own and commute by carObesity is a major issue

NEW YORK LIFESTYLEMajority do not own a carMost trips are 3 miles or lessLargest thoroughfares used by individual vehicles

ROBIN HOODA new standard of mobility.

LESS ROOM FOR CARS, MORE ROOM FOR BIKES1997 50 mi2006 100 mi2010 400 mi

Goal: 1800 miles (PLANYC)

A DAY IN THE LIFE

PEDESTRIANS, LEARN THE ROADTry a bike. (Rent, borrow, ride.) Don’t walk in the lane. (You wouldn’t walk in the road.)Open your doors slowly. (Thanks.)Support alternatives.

LEARN THE ROPES

CYCLISTS, LEARN THE ROPES Same rights. (Take a lane.) Same rules. (No sidewalks.) Communicate. (Use lights. Use bells.) Ride with traffic.

NO SALMONING, FOLKS

Something’s fishy about you.

OLD STREETS ARE HISTORY.#BIKENYC