Cyclists have a distinct advantage in New Haven. It's easier and faster to get around on a bicycle than in a car downtown, and more pedestrians and cyclists reduce traffic.
Recently, High Street (one of our city's most classic streets) received an enhancement: double yellow lines. The nuance is that on one side, it's for bicycles.
From New Haven's Director of Transportation:
"Last year we legalized these types of bike lanes through SB502, this year we build them! Plenty of room in road." You can read more about the bike bill here.
"It's imperative for a true cycling city to provide 21st century cycling infrastructure in order to make cycling accessible and available to all," says Hausladen.
"people of color or those with low incomes all too often just don't have access [to bike share programs]. kiosks aren't placed in their neighborhoods, or the streets just aren't bike-friendly enough to want to use them. & most bike-share systems require a credit card or a several hundred dollar hold on one's bank account. one in twelve households in the U.S. are unbanked, making bike share — and the benefits of convenience, mobility, and health that come with it — immediately inaccessible to a large portion of the populace." - Elly Blue #bikenomics
Starts out with aerial footage of New Haven, CT. Goes towards Beast Mode as soon as rider takes the handlebars. A must-see.
Many lawyers would say this is just a lawsuit ready to happen. And they might be right. But the fact is, it's happening and there's really no way of stopping it. People might ride bicycles like maniacs all day long, flying down sidewalks, cruising backwards on one-way streets. This is much better.
Critical Mass, the awesome bike ride that takes place on the last Friday of every month, is happening today, because it's the last friday of October.
The best part of the October Critical Mass ride is the inclusion of costumes, on account of it being in close proximity to Halloween. So, if you like bicycles, and you have a costume (or if you just like bicycles) then come on down to the flagpole at 5:30 and the ride begins.
How soon? Very soon. Ryan Taylor, local musician, cyclist and now coffee shop owner is preparing to open his doors very soon. Take a look at some of the interior of his beautifully decorated coffeeshop by following his Instagram profile (@thecoffeepedaler on Insta). Nice job, Ryan!
The Mayor Johnny D has decreed that you should ride your bike to work tomorrow. Should you decide to take up this challenge, there will be breakfast at 151 Orange Street, in front of the Devils Gear Bike Shop.
CT Transit will be demonstrating how to use the bus to transport your bicycles. Video may follow.
Friday, May 17th - 7:30-9:30am Bike To Work 151 Orange St.
Register to ride, sponsor, or volunteer in the bike race at BridgesMilford.Org
Professor of Psychiatry at Yale University, Dr. Michael Sernyak, has many good things to say about cycling. "Right now I ride to keep my weight down," he speaks from personal experience. But from a clinical perspective, he says, "Regular exercise helps treat moderate to mild depression and anxiety."
Terri Eblen, an employee at Bridges Milford, who sponsor the "Folks on Spokes" ride, which happens this year on September 16th, says that one of the reasons she rides her bike is because "It keeps me in touch with what it feels like to be a child." She also says that riding helps her with diet flexibility.
Join Folks on Spokes this year for their 21st annual ride, and ride for mental health, both for yours and to benefit organizations which assist with the mental health of others. (Video)
Bonus Question:
Why do you like to ride your bicycle?
New Haven is a bike-friendly city with a condensed downtown. Families can bike to work or to school, as in the case of Sara and Peter and their three kids. They're part of several families who commute via bicycle to their school, Cold Spring.
Nhv.Org spoke to Sara and took the commute with her, Peter, and their kids. This is what Sara had to say:
Compared to driving?
"From us to ride from Edgewood to Fair Haven, it's 20-25 minutes, so really there is very little differential if you drove regularly, partially because there are red lights and such." Drivers pass you in a huff and then you end up riding right next to them at a red light, and you're stopped just as they are."
How do you feel about the safety of riding bicycles to commute during rush hour?
"Many people were supportive but people talked about it, and there was worry that it wasn't safe or something. But three years later, we've seen a real growth. A few weeks ago, we did our own little 'bike to school' day, and the truth is there are families at our school that can't because they live elsewhere, on the shoreline. We had 12 families do it, and that's great, that's local."
What about the kids riding versus being passengers?
"When we started, the older boys were 6 and we could haul all 3 of them on one bike! We knew that as the boys got older, the capacity to ride them changed. They're actually really proficient on their own bikes, and that's the question of safety. They can ride great themselves, and people think, 'why would you still be hauling your kids on a cargo bike?' They can ride often for recreation, but not always for transportation. We're just trying to make that move right now."
Hey #NHV? Anyone want to collaborate on a citywide cycling map? Let's share a Google Map and create one. Emailnhv.org@gmail.com subject: cycling map to collaborate.
Video Notes: Space Cowboy took it a little too far this time...
outdoors/environmental Corner of Orange St. and Cold Spring St.
The Rock To Rock bike ride event this Saturday went great, with perfect weather and amazing attendance. The Environmental community came together for the event, with tables encouraging people to volunteer for CitySeed. The Regional Water Authority was there to promote, well, water. The restaurant crowd was there, as well, including Jason from Caseus, Bun from Miyas, and other restaurants around the area.
art scene Corner of Orange St. and Chapel St.
Elsewhere on the same street (on the same day), local artists were celebrating Springtime with a festival of music and vintage cars. Local sculptor Silas Finch displayed his recently award-winning sculpture, made out of 99% bicycle parts. Rocko Gallipoli was there, too, showing off his refurbished VW collection and discussing his next art show at the tattoo shop and gallery in Westville, Keys on Kites, where on May 12th he will be displaying some of his latest stencil art, which is top notch, in my opinion.
Total Shout-Outs: 8
Nhv.Org is a connection of local past, present, and future events, all archived into a neat, consumable package that is acceptable for all ages. The past is captured in videos, released as close to the present as possible. The future is listed in the calendar system. Enjoy! It's supposed to help you be more familiar with your community as a whole, and I hope it's working.
Cyclists have a distinct advantage in New Haven. It's easier and faster to get around on a bicycle than in a car downtown, and more pedestrians and cyclists reduce traffic. 
