But not all is well for Big Apple two-wheelers. NYC DOT -- without notice -- recently erased a segment of the bike lane along Manhattan's South Street, saying it was not an "official part" of its "bike lane network." The current edition of Transportation Alternatives magazine calls the City's bicycle program "disjointed and ineffective," citing ponderous execution of projects for which considerable funds are available and the bogging down of much of the bike staff in creation of an extensive bicycle lane and path network -- on paper. While City Transportation Commissioner Elliot Sander deserves credit for pushing the projects mentioned above, T.A. faults Sander for failing to infuse a more pro-cycling ethic at DOT that could eliminate much of the red tape and nonsense often encountered by requests to meet basic cycling needs.

City cycling advocates hope to use the increasing efficacy of the Mayor's Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Council (BPAC) to light a fire under the City bike program. The Council is a 10-member group equally divided between appointed advocacy group representatives and officials from the Departments of Transportation, Parks and City Planning. The Council was formed last year by the Giuliani Administration to promote cooperation between advocates and city agencies, and is chaired by Deputy Mayor Fran Reiter (soon to be succeeded by Rudy Washington) and staffed by the Mayor's Transportation Office. The group is encouraging DOT to consider a visionary plan for improving bicycle and pedestrian access to the Brooklyn Bridge and helped fast-track several traffic calming "demonstration" projects. The most important item on the group's agenda is ensuring that the $61 million in federal funds NYC has secured for bicycle and pedestrian projects is spent quickly on tangible improvements. This means getting real projects on the ground and putting often-irrelevant long range planning in the back seat.