Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bicycle Parking

Why We Need the Bicycle Access Bill

So, I've done a lot of posts about the Bicycle Access Bill the past few months, and I try to include one or two nuggets of information every time that get at why the bill matters and what a big difference it would make. I never got around to posting a real good story about having one's bike rejected from one's place of work. Luckily, Reuters blogger Felix Salmon has that covered:

I did end up buying a folding bike this weekend -- a Montague DX -- and proudly carried it, folded in half, into 3 Times Square thismorning, after having been told by a security guard that folding bikeswere OK to bring in to the office. Except, it turns out, they’re not.The only way you’re allowed to bring a folding bike into the building,it turns out, is if it’s packed up into a bag. Otherwise, no dice.

I suppose my next hope is that NYC's bike-friendly newtransportation commissioner will install some permanent bike parking inthe acreage of Times Square she recently pedestrianized.

I'm sure the property managers at 3 Times Square have concocted some far-fetched safety-related pretense to explain why folding bikes have to be in a bag to get inside the building. But let's get real. This is about appearances. There's some notion of office building propriety that the mere sight of a bicycle would violate.

At this point, the best hope for Felix Salmon and other cyclists rests with the New York City Council, especially transportation committee chair John Liu and Speaker Christine Quinn. How much longer will thousands of New Yorkers have to wait before they can ride to work without worrying about theft?

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Wow, The Bedford Avenue Protected Bike Lane Is Really Happening

DOT will begin installing the long-awaited protected bike lane in Bedford-Stuyvesant in the next few weeks, officials said.

September 10, 2024

Walk this Way: Feds Finally Want Car Safety Standards to Apply to People Outside the Vehicle

In the midst of a two-decade rise, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed new rules to "reduce fatalities among pedestrians."

September 10, 2024

Hochul To Congestion Pricing Supporters: You Can’t Sue Me For Something I Haven’t ‘Done’

Hochul hopes her non-committal congestion pricing "pause" can shield her from state law requiring its implementation, according to recent court filings.

September 10, 2024

Tuesday’s Headlines: The Mayor is Sick Edition

Mayor Adams came down with Covid just in time to cancel his "town hall" meeting on the Underhill Avenue bike boulevard. Plus other news.

September 10, 2024

Monday’s Headlines: Far From the Madding Crowd Edition

Gov. Hochul skipped an event on Sunday because she was going to be heckled by congestion pricing supporters. Plus other news.

September 9, 2024
See all posts