Thursday, May 1st, 1pm, City Hall

On Thursday afternoon, New York City Council Member David Yassky (Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Vinegar Hill, DUMBO, Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill and Park Slope) will announce his recently introduced bill (Intro 458-2003) that would allow New Yorkers to bring bicycles inside the buildings where they live and work. Transportation Alternatives-NYC's advocates for cyclists, pedestrians and sensible transportation-will join Mr. Yassky.

Intro 458 would require all building owners and managers to make "reasonable provisions" for tenants, lessees or employees who wish to bring bicycles in their buildings. In most simple terms, it would require buildings to allow bike commuters the use of freight elevators to bring their bicycles to their offices.

The New York City Department of City Planning's 1999 Bicycle Survey Report cites the lack of secure bicycle parking as the biggest reason more New Yorkers don't bike to work. Over 50% of non-bicycle commuters who responded to the question, "What is your primary reason for not commuting by bicycle?" answered, "Nowhere to store my bike safely."

Council Member Yassky's bill would guarantee building access for bicycle commuters.

"Bicycles are no more obstructive than strollers, dollies or other carts people wheel into buildings everyday," said Council Member Yassky, "but building owners and managers routinely ban tenants with bicycles from bringing their bikes inside with them, even when storage space is available," he added. Bicycles are easy to store, and neither City nor State building regulations, nor fire codes prohibit people from bringing bicycles inside buildings. Allowing bicycles inside buildings does not effect liability or insurance or exact excess wear and tear on building interiors.

Bicycles are unobstructive and should be allowed on freight elevators and in buildings.

"Allowing tenants to bring their bicycles indoors is the most effective way to get New Yorkers to bike to work," said Noah Budnick, Projects Director for Transportation Alternatives. "The whole city benefits when buildings open their doors to bicyclists. Bicycle commuters help reduced traffic, noise and air pollution, and arrive at work energized."

• 45% of Manhattan office workers living within 5 miles of their job would bike to work if secure indoor bike parking was provided (NYC DOT, 1990).
• 51% non-bicycle commuters who responded to Bicycle Survey Report (NYC City Planning, 1999), sited "nowhere to store my bike safely" as the number one reason for not biking to work.

Bike Week NYC, presented by Transportation Alternatives and the NYC Department of Transportation, rolls from May 1-11. This is the twelfth annual celebration of cycling in NYC. The week-long celebration honors the bicycle as a convenient, quick, quiet, clean and community-friendly form of transportation.