Because of this class, after my monthly metro card finished I decided to start biking. I already had a bike but I wasn't comfortable biking in the city yet. It was great that we started this bike blog because it gave me a reason to go out and give it a try.
Living on 121st and Morningside, getting to CCNY is a quick five minute trip and I had done it few times before but I wasn't prepared for what I was about to get into. My first trip was down to the Financial District. On google maps the trip is 8.6 miles with an estimated time of 46 minutes.
The majority of this route was on the Hudson River Greenway, which runs almost the entire length of the West Side of Manhattan. There are no bike lanes near my house that connect me the Hudson River Greenway so I took the most direct route possible north on Morningside avenue then west on 125th to the entrance by Fairway. This required navigating through a congested 125th street with speeding cars, freight trucks and public buses and going underneath the West Side Highway to get onto the greenway. After having done it a few times now it is not as bad but I could see how it could deter ridership. This is a major connectivity issue and greatly decreases the accessibility of the Hudson River Greenway.
Once I was on the Hudson River Greenway, I was cruising. Not only is it a smooth ride but its has a beautiful view of the city. The greenway appear to be used for commuting and recreation. The only bad thing about the greenway is that its next to the West Side highway but it does feel good when your biking faster than a car. I exited the greenway on Warren street toward Broadway where I made right then a left on Park Place at my destination. The Financial District has mostly one lane streets with low car traffic making it easy to navigate especially since its at the tip where Manhattan is at its densest. It would be interesting to see the Financial District converted into a google campus with citi bikes everywhere. On my way back I learned of the other bad thing about the greenway, the wind.
My next trip required me to go all the way down to St. Marks place in Greenwich Village. This trips I navigated my way south on Columbus avenue via a protected bike lane, from cars and the wind. First off, this route was much easier to get to than the greenway, Morningside avenue is not a bike lane but it has wide lanes and low car traffic, from there I headed west on 110th street then south on Columbus avenue.
The Columbus avenue bike lane starts off painted green with a buffer zone and parked cars between the bike lane and the cars. The path was well maintained with very little potholes allowing me to get up to speed on the first downhill only to be stopped by the traffic lights. I have since learned how not follow traffic signals but the first time out I learned how frustrating they can be as a biker. Biking is about momentum meaning it is easier to bike straight up a hill then to take breaks along the way. The rest of the trip I spent learning how to time the lights, read traffic and use my gears.
Around 70th street the buffer goes away for a while and lane construction forced me to bike in traffic. Delivery trucks were also a common annoyance as they often park in the bike lane to make deliveries. At 66th street Columbus intersects with Broadway and drivers can go straight or left through the bike lane making that intersection unsafe. This intersection needs a bike traffic signal that allowed bikes to cross the intersection.
Once I was back downtown the streets were easy to navigate to my destination using multiple bike lanes and low traffic one way streets. On the way back I decided not follow a route. I started out downhill going north on an unprotected Third ave. With a yoga mat across my back it made it hard to check my rear but as I got used to the traffic I realized that its not that hard for bikes and cars to work together. Obviously still more dangerous for the biker but I found that car drivers were aware of bikers and tended to give them the right of way, especially taxis. From 59th street, I biked through Central Park to 110th street to Morningside avenue. The Central Park trail is not very flat making it more for the purposes of recreational biking. Still a very fast uninterrupted ride.
Overall, I have been very pleased with my biking experience in New York. But there are tons of improvements that could be made. New York City unlike San Francisco is built for biking. It his high density, relatively flat due to road construction and thanks to the urban heat effect roads are usually clear in the winter.
I have now done both of these trips at least 10 times utilizing different routes and making up my own. I also bike to Washington Heights, its called the heights for a reason, and Randall's Island, which could use a bike bridge on 125th street. From this experience, I'm not afraid to bike anywhere in New York and am confident that I can match if not beat public transportation.
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