The Bronx

A restored High Bridge will be open to commuting cyclists and pedestrians, but access time could be limited, officials said last week.

A tipster sends along this snapshot of the parking lot... I mean, sidewalk, outside the High Bridge Recreational Center prior to the meeting last night to discuss plans for the revitalized High Bridge. The talk inside, she says, "was much more encouraging" than the government employee parking situation outside.

This is a guest post by Susan Murray, author of the Urban Naturalist.

At a press conference today, a group of Bronx and northern Manhattan elected officials have signed on in support of Mayor Bloomberg's congestion pricing effort. They are:

In the early 1990's three and a half miles of the Grand Concourse, a major arterial roadway in the Bronx, was closed to cars every Sunday from July through November (kind of like Bogota Colombia's Ciclovia). The closures provided residents with much-needed open space to bike, walk, play and develop a sense of community with neighbors. Despite its popularity, New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani killed the program in 1996.

This was the scene along the Edward L. Grant Highway in the Bronx on May 27, where the southbound buffered bike lane near Jerome Avenue was being blocked by SUVs from Florida and New Jersey and assorted other vehicles. The bike lane markings here are worn out by the constant wear and tear of automobile tires. A complete lack of enforcement makes this bike lane inadequate for cycling and a great benefit for auto mechanics and double-parkers.

East 146th Street and St. Ann's Avenue, May 28, 2007.

The Bloomberg Administration is aiming to push its PlaNYC congestion pricing proposal through this session of the state legislature. That means the entire debate will take place within the next 36 days or so.

What a big weekend for public cycling events. This Sunday, more than 30,000 cyclists enjoyed perfect weather for the 30th anniversary of the Five Borough Bike Tour, a 42-mile traffic free ride through the city including a jaunt along the Gowanus Expressway in Brooklyn. It is the largest recreational cycling event in America.