StreetFilms Cyclist of the Month



Cyclist of the Month: Petra Kirstein

A Streetfilm by Sean Clifford

Running Time: 3 minutes 50 seconds

When asked for advice for New Yorkers who don’t ride, Petra Kirstein says "New York is beautiful, and New York has beautiful weather. Just try it, its wonderful!" The former Transportation Alternatives staffer and life-long bike commuter rides each day from Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn to Columbus Circle in Manhattan. Her commute includes a stop at her son Magnus’ daycare and a jaunt over the Brooklyn Bridge. Send Streefilms an email and nominate someone you know for Cyclist of the Month.

  • This is really well done. I think Petra makes a pretty compelling case for commuting by bike.

  • Stu

    Heh. This is interesting. I just started commuting from Bed-Stuy to Midtown (57th and 7th), so we must have almost the exact same commute (I haven’t watched the video, being at work). Getting from the West Side Highway to work is the scariest four blocks I’ve ever biked, though.

  • SPer

    I hear you, Stu, on the difficulty of cross town travel.

    My bike trips into Manhattan are almost always to destinations below 14th, but every now and then I have to go to Midtown and it is always a really frustrating experience. There is simply no room in the streets for bicyclists — the cars fill the entire street from curb to curb.

    I think we need some “Thru Streets” for cyclists — a few crosstown streets that have protected lanes so that we can get across town!

  • ddartley

    Hey, I used to “steal” a spot on the Random House bike rack every day! (I work across the street. (Also close to Stu, apparently!))

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