Biking in New York

After a bad crash almost three years ago, I've been biking in New York again. Some things have changed, some things have not.

Unchanged: pedestrians. They step into the street without paying attention, they walk in the bike lane, they text and walk, they behave with complete unpredictability. I appreciate the anarchy on a philosophical level, but on a practical level I’d like them to acquire some level of self-preservation.

Changed: a flashy new protected two-way bike lane on 20th Street, between 1st Avenue and the East River. That used to be the scariest part of my ride, with unprotected bike lanes going both directions on a two-way street, constantly blocked by parked and stopped cars, an access road on the other side of a sidewalk, and parked cars that made it really hard to know where the next 2000-pound barrel of death might come from.

Changed: protected on-way lanes on some of the cross streets, with plastic bollards to keep the cars out AND no line of parked cars, so you can actually see the traffic.

Unchanged: construction projects that block the bike lane, forcing cyclists out into the stream of motorized traffic streaming down the avenues.

Unchanged: drivers that use the bike lane as a stopping zone, loading zone, unloading zone, delivery zone, temporary parking. Whatever. Sometimes, every block has an obstruction in the bike lane.

Unchanged: the “protected” bike lanes on the avenues with a line of parked cars that make it so you can’t see the traffic, you don’t know if a driver is going to open a door into your path, and if a pedestrian steps in front of you, your options are to slam on the brakes or hit a parked car. Sometiems both.

Changed: the sheer numbers of cyclists. There are more of them than ever. This provides a certain amount of protection by sheer numbers, because drivers know to look for us. But New Yorkers being New Yorkers, it also means a net increase in chaos, with more people riding against traffic in one-way bike lanes.

Unchanged: the city still doesn't have an infrastructure or a culture that prioritizes anything other than motor vehicles. Vision Zero is still a dream.

More Biking in the New Year

I teach a couple of classes in which I ask students to undertake a semester-long personal project where they commit to some small change that will benefit the environment. I generally make my own commitment as well, and write about it in the same on-line discussion board where the students write about theirs.

My point: we can’t stop climate change, but we can make it less bad. It’s going to take efforts on the parts of individuals, corporations, AND governments. It’s our problem, not somebody else’s.

In the Fall, I told my Humans and the Environment students that I was going to do my grocery shopping by bike.

I failed spectacularly. I made it to the supermarket twice all semester.

When I’ve lived in Cambridge, I’ve done all of my shopping by bike, regardless of weather conditions. I didn’t have a car, so I had no choice. I shopped once or twice a month at the big supermarket on the other side of town, on weekends at the farm stand, and at the small shop in the center of town when I needed something quick.

And when living in NYC, I’ve always done all of my shopping on foot or by bike. Parking, at both ends, is just too much of a hassle.

But having a car in New Jersey, and the presence of ample free parking everywhere, made it too easy to drive.

I’ll pat myself on the back for this: even though it wasn’t an articulated goal, I always managed to bike to the gym when I wasn’t already on campus for teaching and meetings. I also either walked or biked to work almost every single day, except for the weeks when I had walking pneumonia.

This spring, I’ll try again to add grocery shopping into the biking mix.

Problem in the fall: I didn’t make my goal concrete enough, and I didn’t give myself time to get up to speed. Plan for spring: In January, I’ll aim for at least one trip to the supermarket by bike, in February, at least two, in March, at least three, and thereafter, four per month (or once a week).

Problem in the fall: I didn’t commit to times or days when I was going to shop by bike. Solution: I’ll pick the days and plan ahead to make sure I have the time and equipment.

Problem in the fall: I didn’t plan ahead. I’d be at the end of the work day and realize I was missing a key ingredient for dinner. Plan: always bike to work with an empty pannier, locks, and lights so I can ride by the supermarket on the way home.

Also, I’ll be more careful about planning menus at the beginning of the week and buying groceries that will support them, rather than buying a bunch of random stuff that looks good and assuming it will come together.

Problem in the fall: I didn’t pick specific stores that I was going to bike to. Proposed solution: plan one trip to the health food store, one trip to each of the two closest supermarkets, and one trip to the farmer’s market. Figure out what I can do comfortably, and then do it.

Wish me luck. Hold me accountable. And tell me what you’re doing this year to make a difference.