Why Erin Rides

Here’s the sixth portrait in Streetsblog’s weekly “Why I Ride” series.

Photo copyright Dmitry Gudkov

I always like to see bikes like Erin’s – elegant, but clearly bearing the scuffs and scratches that come with regular use. I ask her how she likes it. “I love it. It’s a great city bike.” Erin lives in Brooklyn and on this day was heading to meet some family at the Museum of Natural History. She just graduated from law school and hopes to find work in public interest law, representing people of modest means.

A few years ago Erin was living in Manhattan. She had a bike but didn’t ride it all that often. Then, that bike was stolen and her boyfriend at the time got her this Trek as a present. He also showed her the ropes of city riding, and she was hooked. She has since moved to Bushwick and remains a daily bike commuter.

When I ask her why she prefers riding in the New York, her answer is simple: speed. “My bike gets me places faster than everyone else. It really is the quickest way for me to get around the city.”  When she’s not riding to school, she loves to explore Brooklyn by bike with her friends. In fact, cycling has become a big enough part of her life to affect the company she keeps. Most of her friends ride and, at this point, she admits, “I wouldn’t date someone who doesn’t ride a bike.”

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

Caption Contest: Not Commenting About the [Expletive] Bike Lane

|
This was the scene in Jackson Heights yesterday, where Mayor Bloomberg, Anthony Weiner, and the top dog on Prospect Park West, Senator Chuck Schumer, joined a bevy of other pols to contest the surprisingly low Census counts in Brooklyn and Queens. (That’s Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez between Bloomberg and Schumer.) During the presser, the Senator was […]

Caption Contest: Anthony Weiner on a Citi Bike

|
I don’t care if this is a carefully choreographed photo op. For one day, at least, we’re not going to run a picture of the Weinermobile in a post about Anthony Weiner. We’re just going to link back to the most recent post with a Weinermobile picture. And we’re going to turn this into a […]

Caption Contest: Chan Declares Bike-Obsessed Cop a Vision Zero Hero

|
Thanking @NYPD20Pct Officer Vincek for his dedication & commitment to community concerns & #VisionZero. #UWS pic.twitter.com/JHM79Fbsv9 — Chief Thomas M. Chan (@NYPDTransport) July 8, 2015 Joshua Vincek is the 20th Precinct officer known for ticketing over 1,200 cyclists during a 38-month period when the entire precinct summonsed just 331 drivers for speeding. That’s not a typo. […]

Caption Contest: Chuck Schumer Rides the Prospect Park West Bike Lane

|
Looks like protected bike infrastructure is growing on Chuck Schumer. High-powered backchannel NIMBY assault notwithstanding, New York’s senior senator apparently does enjoy riding the bike lane in his front yard, as you can see in this Sunday morning photo courtesy of fellow PPW resident Paul Steely White. So, when will the rest of Streetsblog’s 2011 April Fools […]