Bill Clinton Agrees: Cycling Is Good Citizenship

14409740_306ff1290a.jpgFrom a Streetsblog tipster:

I was riding my usual route home from work, which includes a left turn from Broadway onto 17th St., when I spotted a medium sized crowd outside of the Union Square Barnes & Noble. I remembered that Bill Clinton was scheduled to appear there, and figured it must be him. I turned toward the crowd and was surprised I was allowed to ride right up to it and dismount. As I approached, I spotted that recognizable silver hair and ruddy complexion. He was making his way up and down the crowd, shaking hands. I tried to think of what kind of exchange I might get to have with the former President that would be more meaningful than a handshake. Happily, I remembered that I was displaying on my shoulder bag my banner that reads, "cycling is good citizenship." I held it up over the heads of the admiring crowd for Bill to see it. As he made his way past my spot, I saw him squint a bit to read the sign, and then, he said with a smile and a finger pointed at me, "I agree!"

Photo: dbking/Flickr

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

Citi Bike Stations Spotted in Fort Greene [Updated]

|
After the first Citi Bike stations were installed in Bed Stuy and Clinton Hill over the weekend, NYC DOT Policy Director Jon Orcutt told Transportation Nation that bike-share implementation will “be moving through the Brooklyn area and then into Manhattan over the next few weeks.” And it looks like stations have now been installed at […]

Speak Up If You Think Bike-Share Belongs in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill

|
Remember the Fort Greene residents who complained last year that bike-share stations don’t belong in their historic, landmarked neighborhood — even though you can find cobalt-blue Volvos and banana-yellow, late-model Beemers taking up the curb on those same blocks? Well, they apparently haven’t been convinced that public bikes belong on the street as much as […]

New “Shared Lane” Bike Route Design Spotted in Manhattan

|
New York City’s Department of Transportation is quietly experimenting with a new design for Class III bike routes on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Streetsblog tipster Jason Varone photographed the new, not-yet-finished bike stencils on Clinton Street between Grand and Delancey this morning. Often referred to as "shared lanes," Class III routes are put down in places […]

New Bike Markings on the Upper West Side

|
It looks like the City’s promise to build out the bike network is already bearing fruit. Streetsblog reader Alex Kahl sends along these photos of new bike lane markings being striped on W. 77th and W. 78th Street near Columbus Avenue. Unlike the new, Class III, "shared lane" markings spotted yesterday in the middle of […]