Book

On bicycles : a 200-year history of cycling in New York City

Friss, Evan, author

Overview

\"In its most recent ranking, Bicycling Magazine named New York the number one American city for cycling. But long before the Citi Bike era, New York has stood out as an important city in the history and development of cycling--as a pastime and a mirror of the city's shifting social, economic, and structural developments. In Bicycles and the Boroughs, Evan Friss traces the storied history of bicycling in the Big Apple, from the bicycle-like \"draisine\" in 1818 adopted by a small number of enthusiasts; to New York's ascent to the capital of the cycling world in the 1890s, which among other things triggered increased female mobility and corresponding conversations about the propriety of women cyclists; to Mayor Koch's bike ban of 1987 after the stock market's collapse, which shed light on the ways bankers, lawyers, and other professionals relied on this labor force and the immediacy of the information they delivered. Finally, the history shifts to Michael Bloomberg's Citi Bike initiative, the largest bike sharing system in the country, in an effort to make New York a \"greener\" city. But even in the wake of the program's mass adoption, Friss brings to light ongoing public debates over the location of bike lanes, the dangers of biking in certain areas, whether the program's financial model is sustainable, and the ways in which cycling will continue to shape and be shaped by the city\"-- Provided by publisher.

• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Subject: Cycling Social aspects New York (State) New York. / Cycling United States History. / Cycling New York (State) New York History. / Urban transportation New York (State) New York. / Bicycle commuting New York (State) New York History. / Bicycle sharing programs New York (State) New York History. / Cycling Government policy New York (State) New York.
• ISBN: 9780231182560

Item info:

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Holdings :

Call Number	Copies	Material	Location
HE5737 F753 2019	1	BOOK	GENERAL