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:
And the winner is…Amy DeSalvo, who biked from Brooklyn to Manhattan in 25 minutes. Steve Long came in second riding the subway, at 32 minutes, and taxi rider Anissa Graham came in third at 40 minutes.
“Clearly, the bicycle is the fastest way to get around New York City,” DeSalvo said. “ Plus, I burned some calories and saved some money in the process.” The bicycle commute was free, while a subway ride costs two dollars and the taxi trip from Brooklyn to Manhattan cost over thirteen dollars.
To be fair, today's race was only 3.7 miles, compared to 6.4 miles for last year's race-- so the 2005 competitors were actually quite a bit faster. Perhaps rain played a role?
