Running for Your Life

Every year at marathon time, a whole lot of good articles begin to appear about healthy lifestyles and the people who benefit from it. This one is about NYC's own Dr. Thomas A. Farley, the city's health commissioner.

At BRBR, we're about pedal power, not running, but the lessons are still equally good ones.

Today is a day that a car is useless in Bay Ridge because the marathon route slices the neighborhood in half. If you are not running, take out your bicycle, ride over to 4th Ave and go watch the runners. (You can pass under the marathon at 4th Ave by using the subway station entries) Enjoy!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/nyregion/07farley.html?_r=1&hp

Vision 2020 - Comprehensive Waterfront Plan

Map of Opportunity Areas from the Department of City Planning

The Department of City Planning has released a draft report for public comment regarding the development and future planning for the entire length of the New York City waterfront. The entire plan can be downloaded for review and comments can be submitted until Nov 12.

Have a look and let the City know what you think - our neighborhood has the great benefit of being at the mouth of the New York Harbor with a bicycle and recreational path along the entire length. Of course, this makes Bay Ridge the envy of all NYC but there are some opportunities to make it even better.

Bay Ridge is in the area noted as "Reach 15".


Links for more info:

New York Times Article
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/realestate/07cov.html?_r=2

Department of City Planning, Visoin 2020
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/cwp/cwp_2.shtml?locate=3

RRR#4 - Election Day Workout

Here's a special Election Day submission - a voting workout! This rider submitted the readings from the bicycle computer. The flat line is the time spent at the Bay Ridge voting polls while the bicycle was parked, remainder of the jagged lines is commuting time to Manhattan.

http://www.brooklynveloforce.org/2010electionworkout.html

RRR#3: From the Rider's Survey

Continuing our survey of Real Rider's Routes, here's a sampling of some of your favorite places to ride around Bay Ridge and Brooklyn, and beyond. These replies were taken from our continuing online survey.


11 ave / 75 st to L & B spumoni gardens

from 92st down colonial to 69st pier onto bike path to bay pkwy, back to 100st , down 3 av to 92 st

Prospect Park, The Rockaways, or take the train into the city to ride Central Park or out over the GWB

Coney Island
Manhattan Beach
Prospect Park
In neighborhood below 3rd Avenue

bay ridge to sheepshead bay

Shore Road
Bicycle Commuting to/from Bay Ridge
Prospect Park
Floyd Bennett Field

Along shore road & the water.
Shopping on third avenue.
Toward prospect park.


Links to RRR#1 and RRR#2. Send us your favorite or most frequent rides!

Marty, I thought we were friends?

... well, at least we're still Facebook Friends.

Marty: Enough with the bike lanes! Brooklyn is not Amsterdam!





Well, that's a bummer, our Brooklyn Borough President has had his fill of bike lanes in Brooklyn.

Maybe he read our early blog roll-out and post about Amsterdam?

Technically though, he's correct: Breukelen is not Amsterdam. It's about 30km south.

CB10 Now Favors a Bike Lane (and Turn Lane)

Hi folks! We were back, but were away just long enough last week to miss the Community Board 10 meeting where DOT came to discuss bicycle lanes in Bay Ridge. Apparently, we missed a lot... read about it at the Brooklyn Paper:



“We’d be OK with a designated bike lane,” said Doris Cruz, chairwoman of the board’s transportation committee, which suggested that it would approve the lane if the city installed left-turn bays for cars between Third and Sixth avenues on Bay Ridge Parkway.

Read the full story here:
http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/33/43/br_cb10bikelane_2010_10_23_bk.html

One of our prior blog posts about Bay Ridge Parkway:
http://brbrbrooklyn.blogspot.com/2010/08/bay-ridge-parkway-quick-view.html

In the Neighborhood

After some time away for Labor Day, we're back!

If you've been around some of the shops and gyms in Bay Ridge in the past few weeks, you may have seen some of the blog flyers at the front desks or the register counters. Yes, that's us, getting the word out. We even handed some out one weekend afternoon along the harbor bike path and shore road. We also passed one to Councilman Vincent Gentile at the Bay Ridge Greenmarket.

Check in with us once in a while and don't forget about our ongoing bicycling survey.

Thanks!