Cycling in New York
Rutgers prof John Pucher and colleagues have just done a definitive critique of cycling in New York City.
Don’t be afraid. It’s highly readable, lots of pics, great graphics. It does take up more than a screen’s worth of reading (the limit, it seems, in these bloggy times) - but it’s worth the clicking.
Subtitled “Innovative policies on the urban frontier,” it quickly captures the significance of New York’s efforts:
Trends often start in New York and spread elsewhere…. The fate of bicycling in New York is impotant because it may influence bicycling in other cities. If bicycling can thrive even under the challenging conditions in New York, it might provide momentum for cycling growth elsewhere.
You can almost here Frank Sinatra providing the soundtrack: “If I can make it there …”
Here’s the chart I love that reveals where cycling growth has occurred in the city:
It certainly matches up with my impressions after visiting the city last March. You can match up New York with Portland and Vancouver in this issue of Price Tags on NYC Cycling.
And for those who need it, here’s the citation: John Pucher, Lewis Thorwaldson, Ralph Buehler, and Nick Klein, “Cycling in New York: Innovative Policies at the Urban Frontier,” World Transport Policy and Practice, Vol. 16, summer 2010, forthcoming.
