Biking is becoming more popular in NYC - David Bryne writes about why he bikes there. This Summer bike sharing will begin. It will be interesting to see how popular it becomes.
Still, the city - or any American city - have a long way to go. Integration of active transportation (human powered - like walking and bike riding) into cites takes a lot of work and careful attention to detail.
A paper by John Pucher and Ralph Buchler of Rutgers (pdf) examines the how and why of the successes of the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany - existence proofs that it can be done.
Abstract
This paper shows how the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany have made
bicycling a safe, convenient, and practical way to get around their cities. The analysis relies
on national aggregate data as well as case studies of large and small cities in each country.
The key to achieving high levels of cycling appears to be the provision of separate cycling
facilities along heavily traveled roads and at intersections, combined with traffic calming of
most residential neighborhoods. Extensive cycling rights of way in the Netherlands,
Denmark, and Germany are complemented by ample bike parking, full integration with
public transport, comprehensive traffic education and training of both cyclists and
motorists, and a wide range of promotional events intended to generate enthusiasm and
wide public support for cycling. In addition to their many pro-bike policies and programs,
the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany make driving expensive as well as inconvenient
in central cities through a host of taxes and restrictions on car ownership, use, and parking.
Moreover, strict land use policies foster compact, mixed-use developments that generate
shorter and thus more bikeable trips. It is the coordinated implementation of this multifaceted,
mutually reinforcing set of policies that best explains the success of these three
countries in promoting cycling. For comparison, the paper portrays the marginal status of
cycling in the UK and USA, where only about one percent of trips are by bike.
The Dutch, Danes and Germans decided it was important and have worked policy for decades. It could be done in the US and other areas if there was political will - it would not be expensive and would have a very positive effect on health as well as using less oil.
An excellent talk by John Pucher on the subject and the foils.
"The CitiBike share program is designed–and, so, priced–with short trips in mind. We won't go into all the details here, but, basically, you pay a membership fee ($95 a year; or $25 a week if you want to check it out), then get to use any CitiBike for free for up to 45 (if you're annual member) minutes (weekly and daily members get 30 minutes for free). So for errands, commutes, and your basic daily, getting-around-town transportation, you're set. Use your CitiBike for longer than 45 minutes without docking (and waiting "for a couple of minutes" before you can take out another for free) however, and the price adds up in a hurry: a four-hour ride, for example, will set you back $54, and that's if you're an annual member! Still, for the vast majority of your bike transportation needs or desires, CitiBike seems like it'll be cheap and convenient. In fact, even if you already own a bike, CitiBike might be a good deal! Just use CitiBike for quick trips or your commute, and your personal bike for when you really want to go for a ride."
My concern would be contending with weather, traffic, and potholes, and my experience with NYC is that nothing gets fixed until a thousand or thousands of people scream. So after a few months when all the bicycles are sitting in the racks with flat tires, bent rims and frames, and missing parts, will the people scream or not? If not, then another great idea will go the way of all the other great ideas.
Posted by: Roger | May 28, 2012 at 15:12
But everyone knows bikes lanes are part of UN conspiracy...
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b08_1281109969
Posted by: greg b | May 28, 2012 at 15:42
For what it's worth I find biking to be much better in parts of the city than it was even two years ago. Much remains to be done - there are some bike riders who clearly don't obey the rules...
Cities have have differing amounts of luck with this sort of program - Paris suffers from large mounts of vandalism that is much greater than the London for example...
For me a huge win is not needed to worry about where to park the bike - assuming the stations are dense enough.
Posted by: Steve | May 28, 2012 at 16:24
Jesus probably drives a F-350 with the crew cab, dual tires, extended tanks and a Cummings diesel
Not to mention the gun rack
Posted by: Steve | May 28, 2012 at 16:32