At few lectures or events do attendees have to worry about navigating a maze of helmet-filled aisles and rows of open seating.
Helmets were in vogue Wednesday night, however, as cyclists, environmentalists and city officials gathered to discuss the issues associated with an expanding group of citizens shifting to two-wheeled transportation.
"Several years ago when we started some of these projects, we had to readjust the way we did things because we realized the city wasn't interested in non-polluting transportation," said Bill DiPaola, executive director of Time's Up, a nonprofit direct-action environmentalist group that promotes bicycling.
According to Joshua Benson, however, studies by the New York City Department of Transportation have found that commuter bike traffic on local bridges has almost tripled since 2000. Benson, the director of the bike program at the DOT, is currently leading the largest bicycle expansion program in the city's history. This three-year, 200-mile expansion of bike-friendly routes aims to increase connectivity and further a "citywide backbone of safe and convenient routes" by adding to the city's 480 miles of lanes, paths and routes.
Gary Parker of NYU's Office of Government and Community Affairs credited the Bloomberg administration for promoting and prioritizing biking and other alternative transportation. "Clearly this administration understands biking in the city more than any other," Parker said.
The evening sought to promote universally safe and convenient biking habits, featuring a tutorial on "Bike Maintenance 101" by Time's Up volunteer Austin Horse and a presentation from the DOT on cyclists' rights as well as regulations. Councilwoman Rosie Mendez began the evening with a discussion of the importance of biking in the community and legislative initiatives she has introduced to facilitate and give incentive for biking citywide.
The NYU community was especially touched by the issues regarding safe biking and alternative transportation when Eric Ng, an active alumnus and community member, was killed by a drunk driver while riding his bike in the winter of 2006. According to Benson, a 10-year study of bike fatalities has found that bike lanes have clearly helped improve safety. He noted, however, that the study also found that, "both bikers and motorists evenly share responsibility for accidents."
"Historically, it's become clear that the reliance on enforcement has not been working," Benson stated. Thus, the DOT and many groups such as Time's Up have added education to the agenda for promoting cycling and environmentally friendly transportation.
Hilary Tuttle is a staff writer. E-mail her at campus@nyunews.com.
