DANA RUBINSTEIN03/20/2020 03:51 PM EDT
With New York City residents increasingly turning to bikes and their own two feet to navigate city streets, Council Speaker Corey Johnson on Friday urged the city to close certain streets to traffic to give more room to pedestrians and urged the state to declare bike shops “essential” businesses that can operate during the coronavirus lockdown.“You don’t want people crowded into a park,” Johnson said Friday in an interview with POLITICO. “You may be able to deliver more social distancing if you pick certain streets that could be shut down.”
He said he has a call into the mayor’s office to talk about the issue. A spokesperson for the mayor had no immediate comment.
At the same time, Johnson and bike advocates on Friday urged Gov. Andrew Cuomo to declare bike shops essential businesses that continue operating during the state’s shutdown.
“Many people are getting their bikes out of the closet and trying to get them back on the street, and that means they may need a tune-up or an overhaul,” said Jon Orcutt, Bike New York’s communications director.
Officials have been urging New Yorkers to avoid the still-operational subway and bus system, so that those who must ride it can maintain a safe distance from each others.
They’ve also urged New Yorkers to ride bikes instead, and many have heeded the call.
On Friday, when Cuomo ordered the shutdown of all non-essential businesses, the order excluded pharmacies, grocery stores and auto shops, but not as Streetsblog noted, bike repair shops.
San Francisco had declared bike shops essential businesses. So has Philadelphia.
Johnson thinks New York’s making a mistake.
“Bike shops should be deemed essential services and allowed to stay open during the #coronavirus crisis,” he tweeted Friday. “Our delivery workers will need them, as will essential workers who choose to commute by bicycle.”
A spokesperson for Cuomo had no immediate comment.
Council speaker calls for closure of some streets, declaration of bike shops as ‘essential’ – Politico
DANA RUBINSTEIN03/20/2020 03:51 PM EDT With New York City residents increasingly turning to bikes and their own two feet to navigate city streets, Council Speaker Corey Johnson on Friday urged the city to close certain streets to traffic to give more room to pedestrians and urged the state to declare bike shops “essential” businesses that… [Read More]
