Wednesday, May 7th, 7:40 am on the Staten Island Ferry

On Wednesday, Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro will receive the "Friend of City Cyclists" award from Transportation Alternatives as part of NYC Bike Week 2003. The Borough President's office will provide breakfast on the ferry for cyclists going to work or out for a morning ride.

Bike Week NYC 2003, presented by Transportation Alternatives and the NYC Department of Transportation, is the 12th annual celebration of NYC cycling. The week-long celebration honors the bicycle as a convenient, quick, quiet, clean and community-friendly form of transportation.

"I am delighted to receive the 'Friend of City Cyclists' award. Staten Island has long recognized the importance of bicycling for its residents. The Borough already has several bike paths, and more are planned for the future," said Staten Island Borough President James P. Molinaro. "Bike riding is a great way to get to the ferry-parking is free and it's a healthy form of exercise. I would encourage everyone to take up this winning transportation alternative-not just during Bike Week, but all year long," he added.

"New York City is a perfect place to ride a bike because it is compact. Every day 105,000 cyclists ride in New York City, many of them are from Staten Island. That's up from 75,000 in the last ten years," says Transportation Alternatives' Projects Director, Noah Budnick.

In the past year cycling in New York City has benefited from the opening of a new bike path on the Williamsburg Bridge, ten miles of new bike lanes and 216 new, strong bike racks throughout the five boroughs. Staten Island cyclists in particular have benefited from a new bike lane on Arlene Street, the continuation of free bicycle access on the Staten Island Ferry and the DOT's examination of Whitehall Ferry Terminal as a future location for secure bicycle parking. "Cycling in New York has come a long way, but there are still important improvements that would make cycling safer and more convenient," Budnick added.

Transportation Alternatives calls on the City and State to:

1. Allow people to bring bicycles on the MTA's Staten Island Railway 24 hours/day, 7 days/week.
2. Build the Staten Island Railroad Trail greenway and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge/North and South Shore Greenways.
3. Create "traffic calmed" residential streets-especially around schools-to improve safety for children bicycling and walking to school.