Spokes: NYC Bike Map News

New York Bike Share Project 2008

July 10–14: Free Bikes

The NYC DOT continues to impress announcing that it will experiment with a bike share program to “create a network of publicly accessible bicycles at minimal cost, and could provide an important transportation link at transit hubs and commercial and social areas”.

More info at NYbikeshare.orgMore info at NY Bike Share .org New York Bike Share 2008

Imagine walking to a sidewalk corner and finding a public bicycle. With a cellphone call or swipe of a card, you unlock it from its bike rack and ride it across town. Once at your destination, you steer to the closest bike rack and, with one more call or card swipe, return the bike to the public network. You pay less than $.50 for the trip, and the bike is once again available for the taking.

So-called “bike-sharing” already exists in cities across Europe, with Paris alone currently installing over 10,000 bikes at 750 stations. Bike-sharing is revolutionizing transportation networks and greening the urban fabric. How could it launch in New York?

Find a Free Bike at the Following Locations

• City Bakery 3 West 18th Street
• Birdbath Bakery 145 7th Avenue
• Birdbath Bakery 223 1st Avenue
• Storefront for Art Architecture 97 Kenmare Street

Car-Free Summer Streets in August

For three Saturdays in August, New York City will have a 6.9 mile car-free path leading from the Brooklyn Bridge in Lower Manhattan to the East 72nd Street entrance of Central Park. The street closures will occur from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on three consecutive Saturdays in August, the 9th, 16th and 23rd. The streets to be closed are Centre Street, Lafayette Street, 4th Avenue and Park Avenue.

• Download the map from the DOT

from the DOT press release:
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan today announced Summer Streets, a new City program that will temporarily open a 6.9 mile car-free route from the Brooklyn Bridge to 72nd Street. Featuring connections to Central Park and other open spaces, Summer Streets will give New Yorkers unprecedented access to the streets for exercise and exploration from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on three consecutive Saturdays in August, the 9th, 16th and 23rd. Major cross-town streets will remain open for vehicles that need to cross the route. The Mayor and Commissioner Sadik-Khan were joined at the announcement by Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Lance Armstrong and David Byrne.

Countdown to the 2008 Tour de France

While the Tour de France has little to do with bicycling in New York City, it certainly inspires many riders to hit the streets of New York every July and to get you excited for the upcoming Tour here is map of the route, plus a list of the 30 most defining moments of the Tour de France from Bicycling Magazine.

Anybody have a favorite bar to watch the Tour de France in NYC?

Update: BikeBlog has a tip on a bar showing the TDF during happy hour:

For viewing in NYC, the Lakeside Lounge is airing coverage on Versus, located at 126 Ave. B. between 10th and 11th st.

I believe it is coverage during happy hour, starting when they open around 4:00pm. So for all of you who get off work in time or aren’t working…this works out great for you. At least it shows they are a cycling friendly bar.

Bike the New York City Waterfalls

New York City will be home to four man-made waterfalls in the East River and New York Harbor thanks to artist Olaf Eliasson’s “New York City Waterfalls” project. The temporary art installation will be place from June 26th to October 13th, 2008. The DOT has put out a great map for cyclists to take a “waterfall tour” (hat tip to Streetsblog).

The falls will be located in the East River and New York Harbor:

• Under the Brooklyn Bridge
• Brooklyn’s Piers 4 and 5
• Pier 35 in Manhattan
• Governors Island via ferry

Full Size Map from StreetsBlog (PDF)

Ride the City: Bicycle Routing for NYC

Uh oh, this site has some competition, although we welcome it since anything that makes cycling in New York City better is a good thing for everyone. Ride the City is a new NYC bike routing site that allows you to enter two addresses and it will provide the best route to take by bicycle. Kind of like if NYC Bike Maps merged with Mapquest. Check it out at www.RideTheCity.com

Here’s how it works:

The concept is pretty simple. Just like MapQuest, Google, Microsoft, and other mapping programs, Ride the City finds the shortest distance between two points. But there are two major differences. First, RTC excludes roads that aren’t meant for biking, like the BQE and the Queens Midtown tunnel. Second, RTC tries to locate routes that maximize the use of bike lanes and greenways.

4th Annual Tour de Brooklyn - May 25th, 2008

Montauk Century - Sunday, May 18, 2008

The 44th annual Montauk Century will roll on May 18, 2008. Choose from 65, 100, and 145 mile routes on Long Island’s beautiful South Shore. Check-in points are at Penn Station and the LIRR station in Babylon. All routes end in Montauk. Transportation is available to get you and your bike home. official site

Sunday, May 18, 2008
Start Time: 4:00 AM
End Time: 6:00 PM

2008 Five Boro Bike Tour Photos

Photos from the 2008 New York City Five Boro Bike Tour:

• flickr: five boro bike tour
• share your pictures: tag them on flickr.com with “5borobiketour” or email to seth(at)nycbikemaps.com
• 5 boro bike map

photos below from Seth Holladay

































































































































Permanent Link to 2008 Five Boro Bike Tour Photos

2008 Five Boro Bike Tour: Sunday May 4th

The Five Boro Bike Tour, the largest recreational cycling event in the United States, is scheduled for Sunday, May 4th 2008. Every year on the first Sunday of May, over 30,000 riders participate in the 42 mile ride around New York City. The route, closed to automobile traffic, takes riders through all five boroughs of New York City, across five major bridges, and finally across New York Harbor on the Staten Island Ferry. It is a lot of fun for cyclists of all skill sets and highly recommended.

Sunday, May 4, 2008
Rain or shine

6:30-7:45 a.m.: Tour lineup. Head toward Battery Park, in Lower Manhattan, and follow the marshals’ directions.

7:45-8:00 a.m.: Opening ceremonies with city officials and others at the start stage.

8:00 a.m.: The ride starts!

11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.: Festival at Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island, with finish at the Staten Island Ferry

• official Bike New York 5 Boro Bike Tour site

• 2008 Five Boro Bike Tour Photos

• 5 Boro Bike Tour Map

Tour de Queens - Sunday June 8, 2008

Join Transportation Alternatives for the first ever Tour de Queens. Enjoy a leisurely 20 mile ride around the perimeter of Western Queens and see all the sights. There is a limit of 500 riders and pre-registration is required, get a form at your local Queens bike shop or through T.A.Tour de Queens

Sunday, June 8, 2008
Location: Flushing Meadows, Queens
Start Time: 8:00 AM
End Time: 2:00 PM

Website: http://tourdequeens.org

Getting there: 7 train to Willets Point-Shea Stadium