Syracuse adding new lanes for bicyclists – NewsChannel 9 WSYR

The new bike lanes are in on S. Salina from Dorwin to Seneca Turnpike.  Here’s a brief article about it:

Syracuse adding new lanes for bicyclists – NewsChannel 9 WSYR

NYPIRG Clean Energy Bike Ride

It was cloudy and chilly, but not raining, today for NYPIRG’s Clean Energy Bike Ride that passed through Syracuse today on its way to NYC (I think).  There was press conference, during which our own Don Hughes talked about Syracuse’s Carbon Footprint.  Here are some photos from the event.

Bicycle Safety and Maintenance Workshop 7/12/08

Grab your bicycle and helmet, or just simply join in, as young and old are invited to a free bicycle safety and basic maintenance workshop to be held Saturday, July 12th at the Soule Branch Library.  The library is located on Springfield Rd, across from Le Moyne College, and the event will run from 2 – 4:00 PM.

Children are encouraged to bring their bicycle to learn basic bike maintenance and how to change a flat.  Learn why wearing a helmet is not only smart, but cool as well (low cost helmets will be available on a sliding-scale basis).   Find out from the experts:
What traffic laws apply to people riding bicycles
Can a cyclist ride on roadways or is riding restricted to shoulders?
What are the proper hand and arm signals?
Do riders under age fourteen have to wear protective headgear?
Are there legal limits on carrying “things” on a bicycle?
The event will take place rain or shine so come on out and join the fun!

This event is made possible through the generosity of the Bike Loft and the partnership of Onondaga County, the City of Syracuse, the County Libraries and the Onondaga Cycling Club.

BikeCNY Members In the News

Don Hughes and fellow BikeCNY Organizing Committee member John Murray were featured in the Feb 9, 2008 Post Standard’s Progress 2008 “Lead Green” section. See the P-S article about Don’s commuting here, including a wonderful video of interview.

Also in the same issue:
The P-S Cycling Survey, an interview with John Murray, and an interview with SU professor Richard Breyer. All three of them commute to their work by bike almost every day, even in the winter!Way to go, guys!

Photo Gallery

You can see photos of the Syracuse bike lanes and even more lanes, paths, signs, and traffic lights for Europe on Flickr.com.

When you get there, do some exploring. Clicking on any image brings it up larger, with a description if one is written. There is a box to the right of the image that will let you navigate to others. And below that box there is a section where you can see the image in various sizes, or even see it’s exact location on a map. A number of the Heidelberg, Germany photos are mapped at this time.

To see the photos, click here.

Proposed Syracuse Bicycle Grid Revealed

As you may know, one of our goals is to create ways to get across the city safely on a bicycle from wherever you are to wherever you want to go. Small neighborhood roads need not be signed, but larger roads and strategically placed routes benefit from bike lanes and marked routes. The hope is that they will encourage cyclists to use those routes more often and also make it obvious that motorists can expect to see more cyclists in those locations. Here’s a link to a Google map of the Bicycle Grid we have proposed to the City of Syracuse.

Bike Lanes Now Open on East Genesee Street!

You may have seen them (unfortunately, I don’t have a photo of them yet), but the State DOT installed bike lanes on E. Genesee St. from East Ave. (near Nottingham High School) to the Dewitt city line.  You will see one traffic lane in each direction, a center turn lane, and a bike lane on each side.  Very nice.  There is still a need for signage to indicate the bike lanes and, perhaps that the center lane is for left turns only.

Next step:  The city indicates it intends to continue the same layout from East Ave. west to Cherry St.  That will get folks who wish to continue west the ability to get over the hill and past Westcott St., a stretch which is currently completely uninviting for cyclists.

24 Hours of b.i.k.e.-Syracuse… June 9–10

The “24 Hours of b.i.k.e.-Syracuse” is a charity ride to benefit the inner city children of Syracuse. The event is looking for riders to bring in pledge money and volunteers for staffing.

For those who are unfamiliar with b.i.k.e.-Syracuse, it is a non-profit “inner-city bike club” that mentors children from the ages of 8-14 through a program that provides academic support, bicycle outings and mentoring to children who live in an area of Syracuse that is plagued by poverty, crime and high unemployment. Using bikes to capture the hearts of these children, the program works with the Syracuse School District and others to build self-esteem and a supportive environment that is focused on empowering these at risk children towards a better future.

For more information about the event and how you can get involved please visit the event website.

In addition, checkout this writeup in the Syracuse Post Standard as well.

This write-up was reproduced from an email written by Wayne Miner to the Onondaga Cycling Club mailing list. Thanks, Wayne.

News Coverage of Bike to Work Week Proclamation

John Frantzen, who is a frequent commenter on this blog, who was also present at the yesterday’s proclamation at City Hall, brought this news release to my attention. You can read it below. But if you’d like to also see a video of the event, go to the News10Now Site.

“Bike CNY” encourages pedaling to work
5/9/2007 7:13 PM
By: Staff

A Syracuse group is offering its solution to high gas prices. Pedal to work!

It sounds obvious, but “Bike CNY” says making the shift will reduce pollution and improve the health of those pedaling to the office each day. Still, they say some additional steps are needed from the city.

A Syracuse group is offering its solution to high gas prices. Pedal to work!

“If we can establish safe routes within the city that are designated as bike routes with bike lanes where we need them, more people will bike. I mean, there are studies that indicate that there are lots of people in this area who have bikes, and they just choose not to ride them because they don’t feel it’s quite safe enough,” said John Allen, of Bike CNY.”

City Hall said it’s working on designating more bike routes to help encourage more riders.

Bike to Work Week Proclamation

Today at 11am, Syracuse Mayor Matt Driscoll proclaimed May 14 through 18, 2007 as Bike to Work Week.

Both John Murray and John Allen spoke during the presentation.

John Allen also spoke with two reporters representing local TV stations , as can be seen in these dramatic photos.