Oliver Campbell Drawings: SSMidtermdrawings (1)-11l1g76
Sustainable Systems
Midterm
10/7
Bike Hunt
Bike lanes and bike ways (like the Greenway on the westside) have brought tremendous environmental and economic benefits to Manhattan. Vehicles create emissions, noise and traffic. Bikes on the other hand create none of this while burning calories. A midsize car produces 1.3 tons of CO2 a year during a 5 day, 10 mile commute. The Citi Bike initiative has made a great impact on promoting cleaner travel. With around an average of 60,000 riders a day in warmer months Citi Bikes provides transportation for a lot of people. But, I think that New York needs more riders. The benefits are staggering. In Minneapolis, a study of Nice Ride system finds correlations between how bikeshare activity increases with the number of food-related businesses within a ⅛ mile walk of a bike share station. In addition, bicycling to work decreases risk of mortality in approximately 40% after multivariate adjustment, including leisure time and physical activity. In a trafficky city, biking cuts down on travel time. In New York time is everything, time is money. Projected total travel time savings for the users vary from 185 hours per year saved per average station in Jersey City to around 1000 in Brooklyn and around 2000 hours saved for each station in Manhattan (which is consistent with the general understanding of the density of those areas). The positives of more bikers and bike shares calls for a cleaner and quieter New York. Cars introduce so many hazardous emissions in an already crowded city. Bikes emit nothing, can be recycled in a closed loop system and do not require fossil fuels. Increased biking is a great way to start weaning off from fossil fuel dependency. Soon enough we will not even be driving gas dependant cars.
Cities such as copenhagen have always had biking cultures and infrastructure to support bike traffic. These cultures help to promote cafes, parks and restaurants. Not only are the cities benefiting from the environmental aspect of biking but, from a larger and warmer social community. Biking promotes talking to others. Without having to hide in a car or sit in the subway with headphones on, you have to pay attention. More bikers would bring New York a much needed friendliness. Everyone is so connected to their phones and work but with a simple change in commute we could see much greater communication.
The growth of programs such as Citi Bikes is promising. But New York needs to work towards a greater normalization of biking. One major aspect holding people back from biking is fear. The traffic in New York is scary even in a car! To encourage more bikers we should make bike lanes safer. Some have fence like barriers which should be implemented on all lanes. In addition, lanes are painted green or red. Sometimes they even look like bus lanes which are usually red. By painting all bike lanes green there would be a lot less confusion. Paint and Barriers are two easy steps in creating a safer environment for bikers. Image 1 is a perfect example of a lane already being implemented in Queens. My first time driving in the city I almost hit a biker because the bike lane looked like a turning laine.
Another solution to make biking more approachable is an instructional app called “Bike Hunt”. The app would contain a codex of different rules, laws and tips that are vital to biker rights and safety. In addition to these rules the app would include a biking scavenger hunt. The hunt would be a fun way to become comfortable riding bikes and to explore the city. Points on the scavenger hunt would include yummy places to eat and nice outdoor spots to unwind, take pictures and have fun. On the scavenger route there would be signs so you wouldn’t get lost. Additionally, there would be audio directions, similar to your phone map. All you would have to do is check out a bike, start the directions on your phone, put it in your pocket and then start biking! The app would also include spots to rent bikes and find Citi Bike docks. The route would include some quieter spots and neighborhoods so that beginners could keep up and stay safe. One issue with the app is that it could be difficult to hear the directions over traffic. Hopefully a positive that comes out of this would be increased stops to stay focused and energized. Hopefully the app would make New Yorkers feel safe on a bike, it is almost like a quick training.
The app would create a fun day without emissions or gas money. The scavenger hunt would also help bring business and visibility to the areas on the map. Hopefully, the app would bring biking to all classes. Most upper and middle class office workers look down upon biking because it is thought of as “dirty” or “poor” especially when these workers can afford a car, taxi or uber. When the only person riding a bike to the office is “the guy from brooklyn” it’s usually looked down upon. I want this app to help break stigmas around biking. A big part of american culture that would be difficult to tackle with this project is consumerism. Everyone wants the newest car or nicest uber and they want to show it off. Hopefully as biking becomes more popular it will help break this down. America needs to a take a shift towards their environment and away from their pride.
Stepping away from the monstrous problem of american consumerism, I think that promoting biking and bike shares is an easy way to help the environment, nourish local business and reduce traffic. By making biking safer and fun “Bike Hunt” would help bring biking to all walks of life, slowly turning New York City from an island of honking to an island of bell rings, one ride at a time.
Works Cited
“Environmental Benefits.” Bike to Work Day. Accessed November 05, 2018. https://youcanbikethere.com/environmental-benefits/.
Wang, Lindsey, Schoner, & Harrison (2012). Modeling Bike Share Station Activity: Effects of Nearby Businesses and Jobs on Trips to and from Stations. Journal of Urban Planning and Development. 142 (1)
Sutton, M. (2009). Health and fitness converting more cyclists. Bike Biz.
Sobolevsky, Stanislav. “Impact Of Bike Sharing In New York City.” https://arxiv.org/pdf/1808.06606.pdf.
Miller, Stephen. “Eyes on the Street: Vernon Boulevard Gets Bike Lane Barriers.” Streetsblog New York City. June 16, 2015. Accessed November 05, 2018. https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2015/06/16/eyes-on-the-street-vernon-blvd-gets-bike-lane-barriers/.
