12 JULY 29, 2021 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Safe pedaling for all
New Yorkers are riding bicycles
at a high rate, according to the
Department of Transportation.
Cycling surged during the pandemic,
and as the city reopens, the trend
doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
The expansion of Citi Bikes across
the city has made cycling a much more
attractive option for residents. The city
needs to implement more protected
bike lanes in an eff ort to protect cyclists.
Oft en, there are streets where
cyclists are forced to ride in the midst
of traffi c, which puts them at risk of
getting hurt.
There’s a contingent of drivers who
blame the bicyclists themselves for
breaking the law on the road. We get
the frustration, but at the same time,
not all drivers are angels on the roads
themselves — and getting hit by a driver
operating a speeding, 2,000-pound
vehicle is far more serious than getting
struck by a 200-pound person pedaling
a bicycle that weighs 40 pounds or less.
Bicyclists, therefore, need more areas
to safely pedal, and the city plans
to add 30 miles of protected bike lanes
by the end of the year. The increase
EDITORIAL
Photo courtesy of DOT
in cycling has, however, led to more
accidents, as there just aren’t enough
protected lanes in place yet.
E-bikes have been an issue in particular.
Citi Bike has increased its fl eet
of e-bikes and so have deaths in the city
involving e-bikes. In 2019, there were
only six deaths involving e-bikes. That
number jumped to 20 in 2020.
On the fl ip side, bicyclists, e-bikes
and e-scooters need to be better
regulated so that users of these modes
of transportation understand that they
also need to follow the rules of the road.
Brooklyn State Senator Simcha
Felder proposes a new state law that
would mandate that riders of bicycles,
e-scooters or e-bikes wear helmets. It
also creates a system where bicyclists
are required to get licenses to operate
a bicycle, register their devices and
purchase liability insurance.
These are good ideas, but the state
must be made careful not to add fi nancial
burdens for bicyclists — a number
of whom are low-wage delivery workers,
or otherwise cannot aff ord the
expenses of car ownership or even a
monthly MetroCard.
A lot has been done over the past
several years to make the city more
bike-friendly, but there is still plenty
more to do to make it safe for everyone.
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ESTABLISHED 1908
Co-Publishers
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JOSHUA SCHNEPS
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ZACHARY GEWELB
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Reporters
JULIA MORO
JENNA BAGCAL
BILL PARRY
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ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
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STORY:
Biden administration approves controversial
LaGuardia AirTrain project
SUMMARY:
The federal government has given
the green light for the $2.1 billion La-
Guardia AirTrain project in which a
light rail system will be constructed to
connect the airport to the Willets Point
transportation hub near Citi Field.
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