Local High School Students Create Bike Posters for the Lower East Side

To finish out the third summer of the Local Spokes youth ambassadors program, a bike-based curriculum for high school students from Chinatown and the Lower East Side, eight teenagers designed and printed posters about bicycling now on display in the neighborhood. The new posters join street signs designed by last year's participants encouraging local residents to explore the city by bike.

The posters are on display in the windows of Hester Street Collaborative in Chinatown, Recycle-A-Bicycle in the East Village, and Asian Americans for Equality on Pike Street. They range from the intricate detailing of "Girl on an Adventure" to the simple advice, "Keep your eyes open and on the road."

The multi-week program included bike rides over the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, and along the Hudson River Greenway. "They did a lot of bike riding," said Dylan House, community design director at Hester Street Collaborative. "We tried to build in more bike riding this year than we did in previous years."

The curriculum covered a wide range of topics, from river ecology to bicycle-inspired jewelry. The group was based out of Pier 42, where many of the partners behind Local Spokes are also involved in the planning process for a new park on the industrial pier.

The first phases of the Pier 42 park could begin construction in 2015. For now, the space is open for temporary art installations and other public events until the end of November, with another round of events and programming set for next summer.

Copies of the posters are on sale for $10 each. Contact dylan@hesterstreet.org to purchase one.