If you're in the West Village or Chelsea today, swing by one of these happenings:
The West Side is Bumping Today!
Taxi vs. Bike: Bike Wins (Again!)
The guys at Transportation Alternatives ran their annual Bike Month NYC commuter race, in which a cab, biker, and pedestrian attempt to get from Brooklyn into Manhattan in the quickest possible time. Last year, the biker got from Juniors on Flatbush Avenue to Columbus Circle in just 27 minutes, beating the subway-rider by three minutes and the cab by 18 minutes. This year's race was from Grand Army Plaza in Park Slope to the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side, where the competitors work during the day. The results:
Clowns Take Back the Bike Lanes
If you noticed a bunch of clowns on bicycle giving cars tickets this morning, your eyes weren't fooling you. Today is a Time's Up! Bike Lane Liberation! ride, where bikers (dressed as clowns) issues tickets to motorists who violate NYC Traffic Rules § 4-08(e), "which explicitly prohibits stopping, standing and parking within, or otherwise obstructing, bike lanes." Of course, the tickets aren't real, but the warning is explicit - keep the bike lanes open and everyone will be safe. It's one of many events for Bike Month NYC.
Get Ready to Bike, New York!
May is the 14th annual Bike Month NYC, but there are activities that start before May is officially here. The events, sponsored by Tra nsportation Alternatives and Department of Transportation, can be seen on this calendar, and they range from viewing an exhibit of bike paintings at the Brooklyn Brewery to a blessing of bicycles at St. John the Divine, or a bike repair workshops and bike celebrations with Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. And, of course, this Sunday, May 1, it's the Five Borough Bike Tour - 42 miles without traffic!


