OK, back in Gotham after a long weekend in Boston, where a proposed T stop in Medford is dividing the old guard and the yuppies that want easy train access to Boston, a woman named Mimi T. Lai jumped on the tracks to save a man (she’s got a name like a Bond femme fatale, and apparently the mindset of one too), and there’s still a train station that combines two of my favorite things in no particular order (uh, Alewife).
Back here in New York, as the calendar suggests there might actually be spring weather on the horizon, thoughts turn to biking to work. An advocacy group called Westchester Biking and Walking Alliance has been formed to petition the county for better cycling conditions. (Editor’s Note: The route from the firehouse to Pop’s Deli along Elwood Ave. in Hawthorne is essentially one giant pot hole. Not fun for drivers, really not fun for cyclists.)
According to the NY Times, the group wants “new routes, lockers at train stations, racks on buses and other bike-friendly amenities.”
Notably, Rep. Nita Lowey and County Executive Andy Spano showed up at a bicycling summit at the County Center to voice their support for bike projects.
Reports Nicole Neroulias:
MORE people would commute by bicycle if municipalities, office parks and the Metro-North Railroad would install lockers, rather than just outdoor racks that leave equipment vulnerable to theft and vandalism, said David McKay Wilson, president of the Westchester Cycle Club, which has more than 1,000 members.
Some site owners have said lockers are too expensive to buy and maintain, take up too much space and create security concerns; Mr. Wilson said he hoped the alliance’s efforts would help change their minds.
“Bike commuting isn’t for everyone, but there are thousands of Westchester residents who commute less than three miles to their workplace or the train station, who with a little help might just get out of their car and onto a bike,” he said. “Currently, cycling in Westchester is by and large a recreational activity, but we believe it can be more a part of the way people actually get around.”
I ran into an old friend in Grand Central some time ago who told me she and her husband biked to the train station in New Rochelle, but they were tired of people stealing their helmets.
Sticking with that bike-to-work theme, the new bike blog Spokes on NYTimes.com says you might be eligible for a tax credit for cycling to work–though you may have to jump through a few hoops to get it.