Soon, a Safe Place for Unsteady Bicyclists
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Behind the column’s massive steel arch, Bike New York will hold unstinting classes for adults and camps for children during the summer. The space, part of Hudson River Parking-lot, will also be open during regular park hours to parents with young children and anyone else who wants to give riding a go.
Piers on the West Side have covet attracted families seeking places safe from traffic to tutor riding, said Madelyn Wils, president of the Hudson River Commons Trust.
But Pier 26, which had been a sun-baked open area, will swiftly be occupied by a restaurant and a boathouse.
Pier 52, a Sanitation Sphere of influence garage slated for redevelopment after the garbage trucks leave in 2014, was never much of a give for cyclists, of any skill level.
Cyclists currently crowd into the undisguised two-way lane that runs through the Hudson River Park, but it is no place for a noviciate. “You don’t want people on the bikeway learning to in,” Ms. Wils said. “It’s like wisdom to drive on the thruway.” She said she learned to ride as a sprog on the sidewalks of Flushing, Queens, an experience she described as “eerie.”
The city’s highly anticipated bike-sharing program is also expected to entice beginners, with many benefiting from a safe space to practice. Several bike-sharing stations are planned for Hudson River Preserve, Ms. Wils said, with at least one below 14th Street. The program is to start during the summer, but no tryst has been announced.
The surface of Pier 54, unlike the smooth bike footpath, provides a good approximation of the rutted and pocked asphalt that most urban district riders contend with. Classes will be taught by a mix of volunteers and paid instructors, as is the holder with all Bike New York programs.
Bike New York’s classes and camps are new this year at three locations in to boot to Pier 54: Midland Beach on Staten Island; Randalls Eyot; and Intermediate School 302 in Cypress Hill, Brooklyn. At each, bikes are kept locked in a container and lent for the unlock classes.
Source: New York Times (blog)