Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields Celebrates Cycling in NYC

Advocates Award BP with 'Friend of City Cyclists' Award

May 5, 2003

Monday, May 5th 5:15-6:15pm
1 Centre Street Courtyard (Municipal Building)

On Monday, Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields will receive the "Friend of City Cyclists" award from Transportation Alternatives. Borough President Fields will also host an after work Bike Week celebration with food, drink, bike bells, lights and maps.

Bike Week NYC, presented by Transportation Alternatives and the NYC Department of Transportation, is the 12th annual celebration of NYC cycling. The week-long celebration honors the bicycle as a convenient, quick, quiet, clean and community-friendly form of transportation.

"I am honored to be receiving the 'Friend of City Cyclists Award,'" said Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields. "I have been an advocate for a continuous bike lane all around Manhattan. We have run into road blocks along the way, but will keep at it until the island bike lane is complete. I will not accept the never-ending delays and excuses offered by various agencies that treat bicycling like a second-class mode of transportation. Its time we take full advantage of the natural benefits of living in Manhattan."

"Every day 105,000 cyclists ride in New York City-nearly 50,000 in Manhattan alone. Manhattan is a perfect place to ride a bike because it is flat and compact," says Transportation Alternatives' Projects Director, Noah Budnick. In the past year, cycling in Manhattan has improved by leaps and bounds-the Hudson River Greenway is complete from Battery Park to the George Washington Bridge, City DOT built a new bike path on the Williamsburg Bridge, there is new bike lane on Avenue C and the City installed 128 new, strong bike racks in the borough. "Cycling in Manhattan has come a long way, but there are still important improvements that would make cycling safer and more convenient," Budnick added.

Transportation Alternatives calls on the City to:

  • Complete the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, making improvements to existing sections and connecting new parts with bridges and bike lanes and paths.
  • Make the Manhattan side of the Queensboro Bridge safe and convenient for cyclists and pedestrians.
  • Provide on-demand building access for cyclists who work in City-owned buildings and wish to bring their bicycles inside during the workday.