New York Times teaches us how to ride a bicycle

by Actual News Geezer | June 5, 2007 at 10:14 am

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TreeHugger.com, a passionate blog about environmental behavior, urbanity, and culture, points out how the New York Times has jumped on the bandwagon, with an article that teaches us how to ride a bike in the city.

The Times article is actually quite good, in fact, and points out the numerous ways a cyclist can come to grief. I'm curious about your near accidents and misadventures on two wheels. Please add them as comments and upload your fotos!

The number of bicyclists in New York City has doubled in the last 20 years, and there are a lot more cars around too. Nationally, deaths among cyclists are decreasing due to use of helmets and provision of bike lanes, but there are still 600 deaths and 46,000 annual injuries. The New York Times has published a useful guide for both drivers and bicyclists on how to mix cars and bikes on the same busy urban streets.

The rules listed don't take into account the increasing level of anger and road rage, as drivers get upset being stopped in traffic or bicyclists at drivers who are so busy talking on their phones that they are clearly not paying attention. Another new cause for disaster, as bicycle lanes get more common, is the stopped Fedex or UPS truck in the bike lane, forcing cyclists way out into traffic.