Ken Ohrn is in New York City:
My observations are many:
- New York is crowded and chaotic, especially in Manhattan. We decided that Vancouver, at its busiest, is calm, spacious and sparsely populated by comparison.
- There are quite different rules for navigating the streets — which rules I am starting to see as local social constructs. Pedestrians are much more assertive, and while motor vehicles honk and honk incessantly, people walk across a street or intersection when they think their chances of getting killed or maimed are low, lights and cars be damned.
- People get around on foot, by taxi, and by NYC’s huge rapid transit system. The private car is there, but not so many and with less dominance.
- Many NYC people on bikes wear a helmet by choice. The NYC bike rider cuts across all demographics, sort of like the subway rider.
- There are bike lanes in Manhattan. They are mostly next to the sidewalk, and have a 3-foot buffer from parked motor vehicles, and a buffer of parked vehicles to moving traffic. Concrete separators exist at intersections, and the remainder of separation is paint.
- CitiBike, the bike-sharing system, is everywhere. And so are the riders. There are 6000 bikes and 323 stations in the system. And I uttered foul curses at the opportunity I lost to photograph a guy with a cargo bike moving Citi bikes for replenishing.
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I will be there again in October for a few days …Fascinating city indeed.
Many options to get around.
Car is mainly for out of towners !
Vancouver will get there, too .., eventually
Not mentioned, but relevant for Vancouver:
1) every bridge or tunnel into Manhattan is tolled
2) parking fees are exorbitant
3) subways far FAR more relevant than buses
4) many wide sidewalks
5) most N-S thoroughfares are one way
The most striking thing for me about New York’s bike lanes is how well used they are – by pedestrians.
Welcome to New York! I hope we treat you well. I just wanted to note that although we are not known for our waterfront seawall, i’d encourage a trip to the west side (along the Hudson) where one can bike uninterrupted along the river from Battery Park to the far northern reaches of Manhattan in Inwood, about 12 miles – truly an amazing ride and one that’s not touted nearly enough, its perhaps one of the loveliest commuting opportunities around. Enjoy!
Hi Stephen: Our trip was very short, and packed with events like galleries and theatre — plus wandering like goofy tourists do.. We didn’t have blocks of time available for cycling, other than to stop occasionally and take a photo of the passing scene.
The few days we had were wonderfully enjoyable. I’d love to find a way to spend a few weeks in NYC with a focus on cycling.