Please come to a DPW Committee meeting to give support to the proposed Euclid Bike Lane plan. The meeting is this Tuesday, July 11th at 5pm in the Common Council Chambers, on the third floor of City Hall, 233 East Washington St. 13202

Members of BikeCNY were given an opportunity to review the current plan and were pleased. We believe it will create a much safer cycling experience and is an acceptable compromise with those who believe that parking must be maintained.

We can expect that there will members of the loyal opposition in attendance, making their position known.  A strong presence by bike lane supporters will help the plan move forward.  

 

Cycle in the City

The June Cycle in the City rides will be on Father’s Day, June 18th, beginning at 9 a.m. at the Creek Walk trailhead on Jefferson Street near the M.O.S.T.

The rides are a variation of a ride we did last year that, for the long ride, includes the Bear Trap Creek trail that runs next to 81N. While there are some hills on the routes there are no steep hills.

In May we had enough people on the longer ride that it would have been better to have divided into two separate groups. If anyone is interested in leading a group on the upcoming long ride, let John Allen (john.allen1@verizon.net) know and he will send the map so that you have time to become familiar with it. He expects that he would lead the second group and probably ride a little slower than the first group.
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Setting Our Focus for the Coming Year

Our September BikeCNY meeting is scheduled for this coming Tuesday, September 15th, at 5:45 in the upstairs meeting room at Beauchamp Library.  Beauchamp is on E. Colvin Street at the corner of S. Salina.

As a group whose purpose is to advocate for improvements in cycling infrastructure, we see much work to do. The focus of this meeting is to prioritize our activities and set goals for the coming months and, possibly, years. Some of the issues before us are–

• more bicycle infrastructure, including bike lanes for Euclid, connecting existing bike infrastructure, Creek Walk phase 2, Canal Trails
• increased safety through better infrastructure, such as adding bike boxes, bike traffic lights
• education of bicyclists and other road users, including news editorials, bike rodeos, bicycle commuter training
• Bike Month 2016 events
• be an advisory committee to the new city transportation planner and DPW/traffic planning
• assist the city in applying for Bike Friendly City status
• collaborate with other groups who are promoting bike safety, bike infrastructure, etc.

You may have other ideas. Please join us to share your thoughts and concerns.

Ride Leaders and Support Riders Wanted for Cycle in the City

The city of Syracuse and Onondaga County Health Department sponsors monthly Sunday morning group rides during bicycle season. The schedule for the 2015 Cycle in the City rides can be found below.

CYCLE IN THE CITY SCHEDULE FOR 2015

Sunday, May 17

Sunday, June 21

Sunday, July 19

Sunday, August 16

Sunday, September 13

Sunday, October 4

The rides are a lot of fun and a great way to meet and network with fellow bicyclists.  The rides also provide a safe ride for  less experienced riders and help them to gain confidence in their ability ride on the city streets and town roads.  My hope is that eventually the less experienced riders will ride more and more on their own on the city streets and town roads.  This will help every one because more  bike riders will lead to more attentive drivers and safer rides for everyone.

The Cycle in the City rides start at 9:00 am.  The rides begin and end at Armory Square at the Onondaga Creek Walk Trail Head – on West Jefferson Street near the Sound Garden and the MOST.  The rides are free.  Every month there are different routes that wind through different parts of the city and adjacent towns.   In the week before the Cycle in the City ride, the ride routes are posted on the Onondaga County Health Department web page.  There are printed copies of the map routes available at the start of the ride.

The hope is to have 2 different rides.  One ride is approximately 10 miles long and the other ride is approximately 20 miles long.  In order to to heve 2 rides, we need volunteer 6 ride leaders for each Cycle in the City.   We would like 3 leaders each for the 10 mile ride and the 20 mile ride .   One ride leader is at the front end, one at the rear end and one in the middle of the pack to try to keep the riders  together.

We would also like one person for each ride to be a support rider. This support rider would ride with his or her bike tool / tire patch / frame pump kit and ride towards the rear of the ride.  They would help less experienced riders that have flat tires or minor mechanical issues, to continue the ride.

If you are  able to assist as a volunteer ride leader or support rider for one or more of the scheduled Cycle in the City rides, send a message using the contact form and it will be forwarded to the appropriate person.

Thanks.

Euclid Bike Ride Cold and Fun

Gathering Before the Ride

Despite the 18 degree temperature, 16 brave soles (hah hah, I meant “souls”, though our soles were brave, too), including 2 children!, came out for Saturday morning’s (3/21) ride in support of bike lanes on Euclid Ave.  That’s only slightly less than 1 cyclist per degree fahrenheit!  Wait until it gets warmer. Starting at the corner of Euclid and Westcott, we rode west on Euclid, following the cycle track that begins at Comstock down Waverly and University, and continuing on the bike lanes on E. Genesee to Almond St., where we turned around and retraced our path back to the start.  Some of us then joyfully commiserated over hot drinks and snacks at the Mello Velo Cafe. Members of BikeCNY were among riders from BikeEuclid, SEUNA, WNA, and ESF who also came out to show their support.

Agenda for March 17 BikeCNY Meeting

Please join us for another rousing meeting. 7:00 – 8:30pm at Mello Velo Cafe, 556 Westcott St. This Tuesday, we will be addressing the following topics: Portable Bike Racks; the University Cycle Track; a recent WRVO Interview; the Lake Front TNT Escrow Project Bike Rack; Onondaga Creek Walk Phase 2; Bike Safety Press Release; Euclid Ave. Bike Lane Press Release; MovingDewitt; how best to include other local cycling, transportation, and advocacy efforts; and more. Come be a part of making Syracuse a better place to get around on your bike.  We look forward to seeing you.

Agenda for Upcoming BikeCNY Meeting – February 17, 2015

Please join us in one week, on Tuesday February 17th at 7pm for the monthly BikeCNY meeting. 

Topics up for discussion include:

• Review the 1/28/2015 Common Council DPW Committee meeting on the University Hill Bike Network Project.
• Work on press release for public Service regarding bike safety in April or May.
• Progress on Portable temporary bike racks for events?
• Update on opening the University Avenue cycle-track in the bookstore block.
• What can be done to move the Euclid Bike infrastructure forward.
• Report on Moving DeWitt meeting on Feb 11.
• Report on Active Transportation Advocacy Day in Albany on Feb 2.

We will be meeting at Mello Velo Cafe.  Click here for directions to Mello Velo.

We look forward to having you join us.

Moving DeWitt

Moving DeWitt is hosting discussions that began in January to gather information about ways to make the Town more pedestrian and bicycle friendly.  Bike CNY and other Syracuse groups are planning to contribute to the process.

Bike Boxes in Rochester – YouTube

Hearing on University Hill Bike Lanes Project

Many of us already know that there is a hearing scheduled by the Syracuse Common Council Public Works Committee for Wednesday, January 28 at 5:30pm in the Common Council Chambers to hear comments from the public. We have the following additional information about the current funding in question and the full scope of the project. Here it is:

Authorize – Consultant Agreement with C&S Companies for Scoping and Preliminary Design Services for University Hill Bike Network Implementation Project, PIN 3755.26, in an amount not to exceed $141,000 from Account #107.01043.0.000. To be paid on a time and expense basis for all services required. City is to incur all initial costs with subsequent 80% reimbursement from the Federal government.

PIN 3755.26 – The University Hill Bike Network Implementation Project will reduce the number of vehicles lanes and incorporate a cycle track or road diets along South Crouse Ave, Waverly Ave and Comstock Ave from East Genesee St to Euclid Ave. It is currently scheduled for a February 2016 Contract Award and Construction is set to be completed by June of 2016. The programmed construction cost is nearly $1 million. Most of its cost will come from Federal and State Funds.