Good news for Bayside pedal-ers

Not many people are aware of it, but the Bayside Village shopping district just got bike-friendly.
As part of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s green-vision for the city, “PlaNYC 2030” the Department of Transportation (DOT) has installed tubular steel bicycle racks on the sidewalks along Bell Boulevard and adjacent side streets, from Northern Boulevard to 38th Avenue.
The program, called “CityRacks” involves installing 4,500 additional single or double racks city-wide, mostly at “transportation hubs.” The idea is to encourage people to take their bicycles, rather than gas-guzzling motor vehicles, to mass transit.
Unlike existing projects in Brooklyn, or the proposed installation near the Corona Plaza Station of the No. 7 train, no parking spaces were eliminated when the racks were installed in Bayside on the weekend of September 29.
According to a spokesperson for the DOT, anyone can request the racks by calling the city’s 3-1-1 contact line. “This installation was at the request of the Bayside Business Association,” he said.
The DOT said that as of July 12 of this year, more than 3,900 racks had already been installed city-wide.
The idea hasn’t quite taken hold. A recent inspection of the area found none of the racks were being employed for their intended use. Two bicycles were chained to street-light poles, directly across the street from one of the “M” shaped, multiple-bike racks.
“In some neighborhoods, it may take some time for the idea to take hold,” the spokesperson opined.
Cyclists who want to use the racks should remember to walk their bikes on the sidewalk when approaching or leaving the racks. It’s illegal for anyone over the age of 12 to ride a bicycle on the sidewalk.”
“We want to encourage safety above all,” the spokesperson said.