Advocates: Mike better for bikes
Mayor gets support from proponents of alternate means of transportation, though they hope to see more
Newsday
By Graham Rayman

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Despite high-profile clashes between bicyclists and the city before last month's Republican National Convention, some advocates for alternative transportation say Mayor Michael Bloomberg's record on bike access is an improvement from previous administrations.

Bloomberg has backed the Manhattan Greenway, a network of off-street bicycle paths, that would eventually allow cyclists to ride around Manhattan. About 30 miles of the greenway's planned 38 miles have been completed. The city also has improved bike access to the Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges.

"The Manhattan Greenway was the first major bike project since the Koch era," said Noah Budnick, a spokesman for Transportation Alternatives, an advocacy group. "In that regard, it's great to see them get behind a cycling project."

The city has even entered itself in a contest for the nation's most bike-friendly community sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists, a national advocacy group in Washington.

The mass ride that led to about 250 arrests and bike confiscations against the backdrop of the convention was part of a regularly scheduled series of rides geared to promoting pollution-free transportation. This month's ride, on Friday, resulted in fewer than 10 arrests, for disorderly conduct and blocking traffic.

"I think he's done a credible job," Councilman David Yassky (D-Brooklyn) said of Bloomberg's record. "There's plenty more to do."

Matthew Roth, an organizer with the environmental group Time's Up, said major issues include encouraging use of bicycles, providing space for storing bikes and adding more bike routes.

"No one is addressing the policy issues," he said, adding that the greenway has been in the works for many years.

The number one complaint among cyclists is a lack of indoor storage for cyclists who want to ride to work, Budnick said. Few buildings in the city allow bicycles, yet riders say locking their bicycles on the sidewalk is too risky.

A bill proposed by Yassky in April of last year would require office buildings to allow bicycle access, but it has languished. Building owners have resisted the measure, he said.

"You really can't bike to work without leaving it outside and we all know the dangers of that," Yassky said. "If the tenant is willing to do it, then the landlord should have no problem."

Yassky said he asked city officials to consider allowing bikes in city buildings, but he was rebuffed.

Bloomberg officials said the administration has yet to take a position on the bill because it has not yet had a hearing.

Councilwoman Madeline Provenzano (D-Bronx), chair of the housing and buildings committee, said through an aide that a number of other bills have taken priority this year, but she would like to hold a hearing on the proposal.

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