Cyclist Matthew von Ohlen was tragically struck by a motorist on Grand Street in Williamsburg over the July 4th weekend—the vehicle did not stop, and police had reason to believe the driver may have struck him on purpose. Continue reading
Greenpointers, get your helmets ready. The bicycle share company, Citi Bike, is doubling in size and Greenpoint is one of the first places on the list to receive the new bikes.
6,000 bikes will be added at 375 new locations by 2017. The expansion will begin in 2015 with station installations happening in northern Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Long Island City, and Bedford-Stuyvesant. 1,000 new bikes are expected to be in service next year.
While popular, Citi Bike hasn’t been without it’s share of problems since it’s inception in May 2013. The initial rollout was delayed a year because of software issues and damage to bikes after Hurricane Sandy. There have also been complaints of broken docks and kiosks as well as cracked seats. A lawsuit has even been filed about the bike designs. But none of this stopped 100,000 people from signing up for the ride-share program and riding 14.7 million miles in it’s first year.
Stroll through McCarren park on any given day and you’ll see sun worshipers, book readers, parents and kids tossing Frisbees, even an occasional Dust Devil. What most of us don’t expect while we’re soaking up the greenery is a professional thief in action, taking off with your bike and your kid’s seat. Continue reading
This past Saturday, I spent 1 hour stationed on Franklin and kept tally of how many bikes passed me by. The weather was a bitchin’ 60 degrees and the good people of Greenpoint ditched their salty snow gear for tees and floppies (flip flops, as people tend to call them).
The awesome dudes of Silk Road Cycles have donated a $70 tune-up to the lucky Greenpointer who can guess how many bikes passed on Franklin in the span of, I’ll say it again, 1 hour.
HINT: This hour occurred from 12-1pm.
Leave your answers in the comment section by this THURSDAY 5/8 at 11:59 pm and we will announce the winner (the person who comes closest to the correct number) on FRIDAY. Good luck, Greenpointers!! May the best man/woman/child win.
Ladies, do you find that all bike accessories for girls are just boys stuff in pink? Featured Valentine’s Market vendor one*two*three*speed makes handmade accessories for classy cyclists with the motto “stick a bow on your helmet.” It’s about time we can look cute on our bikes and be safe! Continue reading
With the ongoing gas shortage and damage and delays to our public transportation system caused by Hurricane Sandy, do your fellow New Yorkers and yourself a favor and bike!
In an effort to encourage biking in Greenpoint, Silk Road Cycles (76 Franklin St) is offering a special to Greenpointers readers with 15% off the purchase of bikes and accessories and 10% off labor for the month of November.
So get a bike or dust off the beater, get tuned up and hit the road!
Silk Road Cycles will join Affinity Cycles (616 Grand St) for a Rockaways Food Delivery Ride. To join the ride: meet at Affinity Cycles on Saturday (11/10) at 9:30am with “batteries, cleaning supplies and food,” to be delivered to the Rockaways on your bicycle.
Contact Jason: info (at) infinitycycles.com
Ride safely, Greenpoint!
I am usually regarded as the “Hipster Defense Council” and am a self proclaimed bicycle advocate but come on people, when the Pulaski Bridge is packed with stranded G train commuters, don’t be dicks, walk your bikes! The Pulaski Bridge is already too narrow to accommodate as much foot and bicycle traffic it gets on a normal day.
During rush hour last night, it was treacherous to bike. The only option was to slowly weave in and out of rows of people, some elderly, some toting kids and it was not safe.
It doesn’t take very long to just walk the bike over. Do it! We are all in this together.
I won’t even get into how ridiculous the line of cars waiting on the Pulaski Bridge to full up gas tanks was.
Walk your bike when you are in a mob of confused people. We are all trying to get home after miserable commutes post #sandy.
Be safe and smart Greenpoint.
While walking up Franklin I stopped in to say hi to our friends at Silk Road Cyles. The boys were wearing these awesome logo t-shirts, which my cat seems to enjoy, too. As I was begging for a t-shirt I realized one of my TO-DOs is to get bike lights.
Bike lights are essential to safe night riding and THE LAW, but they are easy to lose and when you throw them in your bag the switch is easily pressed and the light goes on and drains the battery. Those darn watch batteries that most bike lights have are really expensive, not to mention environmentally UN-friendly. Because of these shortcomings, I sometimes find myself riding lightless, which is just stupid.
My two requests for the perfect bike light: they don’t turn on if I breathe on them AND they are rechargeable. Of course Silk Road Cycles had what I needed.
As opposed to those wrap around silicone lights, these Knog “Blinder” Lights are a pretty penny, at over $45/light, but can we really put a price on safety? These are our lives we are talking about, people!
You have to hold them to turn them on and they charge with USB. Check and check. And in the long run they are eco-friendly and wallet-friendly since we no longer need to buy those expensive and toxic watch batteries.
Ride safe, Greenpoint!
While there was no choice to opt out of “CITI” branded bike-share locations in Greenpoint altogether, we voted and here is a draft map of where they will be placed in the neighborhood.
Locations:
• India St Ferry Terminal
• Franklin & Java St
• Freeman and Manhattan
• India & Manhattan
• Milton & Franklin
• Meserole & Manhattan
• Bedford @ Lorimer
• Eckford & Driggs
• Russell & Driggs
• Nassau & Sutton
• Norman & Humboldt
• Richardson & North Henry
Gotcha!
Stop into Brouwerij Lane (78 Greenpoint Ave) to see my Greenpoint street photography in-real-life, (until April 22).
Follow my tumblr blog: http://www.willstarphotography.com
