City Council

After months of negotiations and fine-tuning, the Bicycle Access Bill was expected to come up for a vote in the City Council this afternoon. Despite the support of Mayor Bloomberg and 29 co-sponsors, that's not going to happen. For many thousands of cyclists, riding to work will remain an unappealing option due to the lack of a secure place to lock up.

This email alert from Transportation Alternatives just hit our inbox. The Bicycle Access Bill (Intro 871, sponsored by David Yassky), is scheduled for a City Council committee hearing tomorrow and possibly a floor vote if it can get that far. Despite the support of the mayor and 29 co-sponsors, we're hearing rumblings that the City Council might snatch defeat from the jaws of victory on this historic piece of legislation:

Never one to pass up a moment in the spotlight, City Council transportation committee chair John Liu delivered some choice theatrics at this morning's hearing on the Bicycle Access Bill (Intro 871). At a committee meeting ostensibly devoted to easing the way for New Yorkers to commute by bike and bring their rides to work, Liu seemed more intent on confronting DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan. There was no vote, leaving some to question whether the bill, which enjoys the support of 29 co-sponsors and Mayor Bloomberg, would become law before the City Council's summer recess.

On Monday, the City Council transportation committee will hold its second hearing on the Bicycle Access Bill (Intro 871). There's a lot at stake: For many would-be bike commuters, the lack of a secure place to lock up is what keeps them from riding to work. A law that requires landlords to let bikes inside if a tenant requests access would go a long way toward eliminating that barrier.

The City Council is considering a bill to keep excessively loud motorcycles from stopping, standing or parking on city streets.

Without a secure place to put your bike, riding to work is a lot less appealing. In fact, as multiple studies have shown, fear of theft is the number one factor that keeps New York City cyclists from commuting by bike. So you could say there's a lot riding on the Bicycle Access Bill (Intro 871), which would make it much easier for cyclists to bring their bikes inside the workplace.

Itching to tell DOT what you think of recent changes to Lower Manhattan streets? You can tonight at 6:30, when the second installment in Alan Gerson's "Traffic Town Hall" series gets underway at Old St. Pat's Gym (near 275 Mulberry Street).

Spotted in the Working Families Party candidate questionnaire (hat tip to Liz Benjamin) -- the influential third party is asking 2009 City Council hopefuls to support dedicated lanes and automated enforcement for Bus Rapid Transit: