Bikes, bikes, bikes
I’ve never been to Amsterdam, so perhaps my touchstone for reference is off, but still, it’s true that I have never been in such a bike-friendly city in all my life. Every tree and rail is thick with tethered bikes, and you see every single type of human being riding about here. It’s marvellous.
New Yorkers look at us funny when we say that the drivers here are courteous, but really, the behaviour of an otherwise nice enough Cape Town mum in her SUV is quite homicidal when approaching a bike or pedestrian, typically choosing to lay an entitled hand on an earsplitting horn way before even considering the possibility of applying the brake. Here, on the other hand, cars pause for pedestrians, stop at orange lights, leave pedestrian crossings clear… it’s wondrous.
Rant over, time to celebrate. I’ve bought myself the little folding bike above (from amazingly tiny Bfold Bikes on E13th), and I’m loving it!
The purchase has coincided with some blooming warm weather, so much happy tootling about the Big Apple has ensued.
We’re planning on joining up with a night ride in Central Park this weekend, amongst other riding. May is Bike Month in NYC, so heaps of stuff going on.
Melinda
NY was the first place I braved it alone with NO contacts as a 19 year old.
The people may be direct , but they are the nicest on the planet. Personal Messenger Service a fleet of top-notch unconventional people on foot and bike saved me more than once professionally, and often lifted my moral.
I miss NY
erika
Being from the Netherlands I am used to bikes and not having a car and living in the city I do all by bike and love it. I think it would be great riding a bike in New York so much better than the subway!! Do they have a lot of biking trails or do you have to ride on the streets?
Jacqui
As I was reading your post I was thinking that yes, NY is a very bike-oriented place, but then actually I think most North American cities are. Certainly my home-town in Canada was. It’s just that since moving to New Zealand and dealing with the homicidal (very good term that) drivers and serious bike-unfriendliness that I’ve gotten out of the habit of thinking of it as a normal thing to do. When my Canadian friends complain about the drivers there I just laugh and tell them they have noooo idea. None. I can’t imagine cycling on a regular basis in Auckland, it’s too dangerous!