New York Bicycling Coalition (NYBC) is proud to recognize New York State University Police Officer Robert Light, a police officer at SUNY Plattsburgh, as the recipient of our 2013 Law Enforcement Bicycling Champion award.

NYBC will presented the award to Officer Light on Tuesday, May 21 at Lake Placid Elementary School (Essex County), as part of the Fun on Wheels program where Officer Light and other cyclists ride to elementary schools in Essex and Clinton counties to distribute and fit helmets for 2nd and 3rd grade students.

“For the better part of the past twenty years Officer Light has been working diligently to enhance bicycle safety and he is certainly a Bike Champion,” said Jerry Lottie, Assistant Chief of Police at SUNY Plattsburgh, in his nomination of Officer Light for the award.

Among his many accomplishments in promoting bicycle safety, Officer Light has been a driving force behind the development of the SUNY Plattsburgh police bike patrol program, and has promoted the program by leading Police Mountain Bike trainings for hundreds of police officers statewide.

After recovering from his own serious bicycle crash, Officer Light uses the experience to educate kids across the North Country on bicycle safety. Working with Safe Kids Adirondack, Officer Light initiated bicycle safety education and helmet fitting programs that benefit hundreds of students at local elementary schools. He has also raised thousands of dollars for national charities through his bike rides and rallies.

“These programs are a tremendous benefit to our communities,” said Kerry Haley, Co-chair of Safe Kids Adirondack. “We are reaching hundreds of kids every year to make sure they are riding safely, and thanks to Officer Light, we are saving lives.” Ms. Haley also endorsed Officer Light for the annual NYBC Bicycling Champion award.

New York Bicycling Coalition (NYBC) is the only statewide organization advocating for the rights of all bicyclists and pedestrians, and promoting the safe use of the bicycle and walking as modes of transportation, sport,recreation, health, environmental protection, energy conservation, tourism and economic development.

“NYBC is committed to improving safety for bicyclists of all ages and abilities, which we can only do with the help of dedicated Bicycle Champions like Officer Light. We are proud to give him the recognition he deserves for his notable achievements in bicycle safety.”
- Josh Wilson, Executive Director of New York Bicycling Coalition.

Pearson Constantino was preparing to fulfill his lifelong dream of bicycling across the United States when he was hit from behind by an SUV. Despite his helmet, Pearson suffered serious and permanent injuries including a shattered femur, a crushed vertebra, and a head injury. The Long Bike Back, a feature length documentary, follows his grueling recovery and his inspiring ride across America with his brother, Pete, advocating for road sharing and improved bicycle infrastructure and legislation.

Many in the New York Bicycle Coalition may remember riding with Pearson and Pete into Albany on Route 20 or attending the presentation and reception sponsored by NYBC at the Upstate Artists Guild. Both these scenes made it into the final cut of the film, as did a scene from the 2008 Legislative Bike Breakfast and ride around Albany. The Long Bike Back is now fully edited, but we need some help with the cost of the final technical processes (color correction and sound mixing) so that we can release the film this summer. So we’ve launched a crowdfunding campaign: http://igg.me/at/lbb Please consider contributing (there are perks, like a DVD, soundtrack, photo book, and more) and sharing the link with your friends and followers.

What is a bicyclist?

Before we try to answer that seemingly simple question, let me provide a brief introduction.

It has been exactly one month since I came on board as NYBC’s new Executive Director.  One very busy month that seemed to fly by.  There’s plenty to keep you busy at the helm of a statewide bicycle organization.  Already I’ve traveled to many parts of the state…joining transportation and health officials at a summit in Rochester; meeting with local Complete Streets advocates in Plattsburgh; “visiting” mountain biking trails in Saratoga Springs; and interacting with thousands of bicyclists at Bike Expo NY in NYC (which included an electric bike ride in Chinatown – exciting stuff for this North Country native).

While all of this sounds glamorous and not much like “work” – rest assured I’ve also been glued to my keyboard and cell phone for more hours than is probably healthy becoming acquainted the responsibility of managing an awesome organization like NYBC.  There’s plenty of behind-the-scenes work that keeps our small staff and dedicated board members and volunteers very busy, I won’t bore you with the details.  But I will make this promise:  the central focus of everything we do will always be on providing a coherent, credible voice for the interests of ALL bicyclists in New York State.

www.kerrybicyclefestival.org

Which brings me back to the question – what is a bicyclist?  Honestly I never asked myself that question before.  But then I had this exchange with a very nice woman at a recent event:

NYBC:  Are you a bicyclist?
Very Nice Woman:  No, I just ride my bike to work every day.
NYBC:  Well then I think you’re a bicyclist!
Very Nice Woman:  Well I don’t wear lycra and ride really fast, and I don’t race or anything like that.
NYBC:  [Head Exploding]

Later in the day I had another shorter conversation with a man who told me “I’m not a bicyclist, I just ride bikes with my kids sometimes.”  Head explodes again.

This was a light-bulb moment the likes of which I’ve never experienced.  Here is a person who bikes to work every day – getting exercise, saving money, reducing congestion – who thinks she is not a bicyclist.  Here is another person who likes to bicycle with his children – introducing them to a healthy, lifelong activity – who thinks he is not a bicyclist.

I mulled over this experience during my long drive home across the state.  Why do these people not identify themselves as “bicyclists”?  What can NYBC do to change that?

On the drive I passed several groups of people road biking, some of them on bikes that cost more than my car.  But I also passed an older woman with a customized bike and trailer, hauling giant bags of bottles and cans to a redemption center.  I passed a man on a long-distance tour, his bike stacked with loaded paniers.  I passed a group of kids racing each other across a field in a town park and jumping over dirt mounds.  I stopped for a sandwich and passed someone’s cruiser bike parked outside of the deli.  When I finally made it home, I climbed on a mountain bike and rode onto the network of trails behind my house.

All of these people are bicyclists.  I’ll take it a step further and suggest that the moment one swings their leg over a bicycle and starts pedaling – whether for recreation, transportation, fitness, or fun – they become a bicyclist.

NYBC’s mission is to provide a voice for bicyclists in New York State.  We represent the interests of ALL bicyclists, whether you use a bicycle for daily transportation, ride on- or off-road, ride for recreation or take part in bike races, and we will continue to work every day to make New York a more bicycle-friendly state for YOU.

We’d love to hear your perspective on this question – what is a bicyclist?  Please share your thoughts in the comments section below or on our Facebook page.

- Josh Wilson

New York Bicycling Coalition works everyday to provide a coherent, credible voice for the interests of all bicyclists, which includes providing assistance and support to local advocacy coalitions who seek changes to improve safety, education and access for road and trails users.  NYBC supports the efforts of local advocates to refinish the Putnam Trail through Van Cortlandt Park with a paved bike facility – and crushed stone running surface – properly connecting Westchester’s fully paved, multi-use North-South County Trailways to it’s Bronx terminus. Please see below for a perspective on the project from NYBC advocates Rich Conroy and Neile Weissman, and a link to a petition started by the Facebook group “Connect the Putnam Trail.” – Josh Wilson, NYBC Executive Director

A coalition called “Connect the Putnam Trail” – led by Bike the Bronx, Bronx TA Committee, Bike New York, and local activists – has created an online petition to urge the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation to follow through with their plan to extend and pave the Putnam Trail.  According to the coalition, the Putnam Trail will be a greenway that will run from Van Cortlandt Park’s northern border to West 230 Street (a block from Broadway). It will accommodate cyclists, walkers, runners, skaters and those wheelchair bound. This trail once renovated will connect the Bronx greenway system to the South County Trail in Westchester. It will also connect to Manhattan’s Hudson River Greenway via the East Coast Greenway on-street bike route.  – Rich Conroy, Bike New York

Supporters can sign the petition here
Visit “Connect the Putnam Trail” on Facebook here

Rich Conroy at Bronx Community Board #8.  Photo by Neile Weissman

NYBC advocate Neile Weissman made the following remarks to local media and before the Bronx Community Board #8 Committee on Parks & Recreation.

I lead 50 bike rides per year for New York and Westchester cycle clubs.  Many along the North/South County Trailways which connects Brewster, NY to Westchester’s southern border with the Bronx — and putatively, down the Putnam Trail to its historic terminus in Van Cortlandt Park.

But, given the Trail’s frequent state of disrepair, particularly following rain, I route around the Park, onto Webster or Broadway for the final leg.  Both high traffic alternatives to otherwise car-free rides. 

From a commuter perspective, the fully paved, multi-use Trailway links millions of residents in Putnam, Westchester and Bronx counties — and via subway to the Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.  It is the single most important piece of bicycle infrastructure in the tri-state area and it is therefore unconscionable that the final mile be completed in anything other than consistent manner.

On the contention that the replacement Trail be finished in crushed rock, I have ridden innumerable crushed rock paths in NY, NJ and CT.  Some are excellent, owing to diligent maintenance.  Others are quite hazardous.   And the Parks Department has flat out declared they will be unable to maintain a crushed rock surface.

All users who access the Trailway-Park have rights to a COMPLETE facility: serviceable to wheelchairs-cyclists as well as runners-hiker; durable in the face of extreme weather events; indifferent to benign neglect.    Thank you.  – Neile Weissman

Submitted by Paul Winkeller, NYBC Board President

This is the second time in, oh, ten years that I have encountered a turtle on New Scotland Road South, which runs between 443 and 85 in Albany County, yet another lovely upstate county in which to ride a road bike (actually mountain bikes, too).

This time, though, I was flagged down by a frantic women in a car who yelled PLEASE PLEASE THERE IS A TURTLE ON THE ROAD CAN YOU GET IT OFF THE ROAD PLEASE!!!!! And off she zoomed.

I must have encountered this particular turtle’s grandfather or grandmother that first time – and that one snapped at my bike shoe. So this time I used my front wheel to slide the little girl (or fella) off the road.

Hey, at least the woman wasn’t calling me names or questioning my presence on HER road!

We are making progress. And yes, the tortoise (bikers) always beats the hare (cars).

Right?

Please tell us about your strange on or off road bicycle / animal encounters!

On the heels of the Complete Streets Act signed into law in 2011 by Governor Cuomo, the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) has launched a website that outlines Complete Streets principles for citizens, government officials, and other interested parties.

New York Bicycling Coalition applauds this long-awaited first step towards implementing the Complete Streets Act across the state.  For many years NYBC championed the passage of this statewide law – persuading legislators to support the bill, negotiating with those concerned about the bill and mobilizing advocates across the state to speak up for the rights of bicyclists to safe and comfortable access to our roadways.

The new website highlights the many benefits of Complete Streets and provides detailed information on planning, funding, and design guidelines required for the implementation of complete streets in New York State.  Notably, the site links to several municipalities across the state – such as Bethlehem, Malone and New Rochelle – that have adopted their own local complete streets resolutions. These local policies often go above and beyond state-level requirements, and demonstrate the growing recognition throughout New York State that, wherever possible, roadways must strive to serve all users.

The creation of this website is an important step in conveying the importance and potential of this recent legislation, and will serve as a much-needed starting point for use in understanding the benefits of complete streets, as well as where the niche that Complete Streets occupy within the planning process.

The New York Bicycling Coalition is committed to supporting widespread and robust implementation of local and statewide Complete Streets policies.  NYBC recommends that local officials, advocates, and other concerned citizens utilize this website as a resource in their efforts to encourage the implementation of the State’s complete streets legislation in their own communities.

Making Complete Streets a reality in New York requires the participation of everyone who uses and relies upon the transportation system.  NYBC encourages everyone with an interest in bicycling and walking to provide DOT with your ideas for “Completing the Streets” in your community.  Check out our Bicycle Advocate’s Toolkit, which provides tools and resources for promoting Complete Streets in your community.   Then take action by sending your comments to DOT at completestreets@dot.ny.gov.

NYBC will continue doing our part by working with decision makers to ensure that the Complete Streets law is effective and advocating for equitable funding for Complete Streets with our partners in the New Yorkers for Active Transportation coalition.  Together we can work to increase opportunities for safe and convenient bicycling and walking in New York’s cities, towns and villages.