The Oil Drum

NYC is in the process of a dramatic transformation of its streets to promote alternative modes of transportation to the automobile – walking, biking and mass transit. To the outside observer, this might seem like a natural evolution of streetscapes or merely based on the personal viewpoints of a few influential people. But in reality, this transformation, still in its infancy, is the result of a long and dedicated advocacy campaign by groups like Transportation Alternatives, Time's Up and the dedicated bloggers and vloggers on Streetsblog and Streetfilms that is finally seeing its advocacy work pay-off. Big time.

It has long been the dream of alternative transportation advocates to not only increase the number of on-street bike lanes for cyclists, but to make them safe enough for anyone to use them – children, elderly or just a casual commuting cyclist. Basically to make them safe and comforting to anyone that doesn’t want to deal with automobiles buzzing them. The ideal to many cycling advocates is the separated bike lane because it not only provides a safer ride, but also prevents automobiles from blocking them by double parking in them.

And New York is getting its first taste of on-street separated bike lanes on a small stretch of a Ninth Avenue leading into midtown.