NYC's Bike Blues

Type, “Best cycling city” into Google Search and the first hit answers: Portland, Oregon. Based on a 2010 poll, Portland, Oregon is the best city in the United States to hit the pavement in. So what sets Portland above the rest? New York has publicly attempted to green themselves with increased bike paths, maps, and the like, but they fail to land a spot in the top ten. The answers appear all too familiar: money and demand.

In the fall of 2007, 19-year-old Tracey Sparling was killed by a truck while riding her bicycle in downtown Portland. The driver could not see Sparling in his blind spot and as he made a slow right turn, the girl was crushed beneath the truck’s massive tires. Sparling’s death rocked Portland’s tight knit bike community. “I had only met Tracey a few times, but her death was so emotional for all of us,” says rider John Hartman. “It’s really jolting to think that could have been anyone that day. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Sparling’s death followed a string of bike related fatalities in 2007. “I think it really affected people that she was so young,” says community member Haley Dermau. “It’s sad, but that’s the sort of thing it takes to spark change. And look, that’s what happened.”

And thus, the bike box was born. In late 2007, the city of Portland poured $150,000 into painting green “boxes” at the head of traffic lanes (see photo.) The boxes are designed to promote ultimate visibility for cyclists and drivers. Rather than waiting at the side of a vehicle (in a bike lane) at a red light, Portland cyclists are now directed to park at the front of traffic to create ultimate visibility for both biker and driver. The simple configuration of the box’s marking seeks to prevent accidents like Sparling’s from happening in the future.

In 2008, Portland had 0 bike fatalities.

New York City’s cyclist fatalities “doubled” in 2008, but sources failed to provide a concrete number.

Lack of information concerning New York’s bike culture was an early indicator of the importance the city places on alternative transportation. Nyc.gov only offered cyclist fatality stats for as recent as 2005. What’s more, all figures pointed to increases in fatalities over the years. “New York City just has so much land,” Says Brooklyn cyclist Trevor Bruggeman. “The physical concentration makes riding more dangerous, but also makes it hard to pinpoint improvement. I think the city has been holding back improvements because, it’s like, where do you start?”

But that’s not to say New York City Bike culture is at a standstill. While city officials may be lagging behind, New York’s cyclists do not lack enthusiasm. Bike clubs, cycling teams, recycleries, and even bike gangs (not always negatively co notated,) make up a new frontier of a bike friendly New York.

It would take a lot of work, and more importantly, a lot of money to get New York City in prime cycling shape. What it comes down to is the city’s willingness and interest in shelling out the funds. Portland felt the heat after their string of fatalities in 2007, and decided the money was worth it. But finances are always tight in the big apple and the small price Portland paid could easily escalate to the millions for a vast spread like New York.