Moins de Voitures, Plus de Vélos

 A new study confirms an impression I formed during my most recent visits to Paris.

According to L’Institut Paris Région, 11.4 percent of all trips in the City of Light are made by bicycle.  In contrast, only 4.2 percent are made by car.

Perhaps even more encouraging for members of the Institut and cyclists, in the banlieues (suburbs) are 14 percent and 11.8 percent respectively. I say “more encouraging” because even though some of those suburbs, especially the ones that border on the city itself, have more access to mass transportation than some major American cities, they still don’t have as much as Paris, where no point is more than 500 meters (about .3 miles, or the equivalent of five or six NYC blocks) from a Métro station.

That availability of trains (and buses) in the central city is reflected in the 30 percent of trips made on them.  That the remaining 53 percent are on foot is also  not surprising, given Paris’ (deserved) reputation as a “walkable” city.

Still, some believe that mayor Anne Hidalgo—who has done more than any of her predecessors to promote cycling and reduce auto traffic—could have done even more.  And, to be fair, she plans to do so, especially with the upcoming Olympic Games, which some see as a showcase for “green” technology in a similar way to how the Exposition (Worlds’ Fair) of 1889 highlighted the technological advances made possible by the “Expo”s centerpiece: the Eiffel Tower.

Really Going Dutch

 Probably the first “normal” thing—besides cycling—I did during the COVID-19 pandemic was to visit the hospital Metropolitan Museum of Art just after it reopened.

Of course, there were restrictions: Visitors had to wear a mask and have their temperatures taken. And, of course, we had to follow social-distancing protocols.

But one thing I loved—along with the Japanese exhibit I went to see—was a service that was provided:  a bicycle valet.  That person parked your bike in a nice safe spot in the parking garage and gave you a ticket, just as if you had checked a coat or backpack.

Now another venerable institution—actually, annual event that’s been held since 1929–is offering a similar convenience. Cyclists can ride to the event, check their bicycles with a valet, and spend the day exploring, not only a museum, but a large part of a town.

The town in question is holding its festival—Tulip Time—from the 4th until the 19th of May.  And, since tulips and bicycles sound so very, very Dutch, you might think that town is in the Netherlands.

Well, it’s not. Rather that town is the Netherlands—or, more precisely, Holland. And it’s located, not among canals, but amidst lakes.

The Holland in question is in the Great Lakes State, i.e., Michigan. Not surprisingly, it was founded by immigrants from the eponymous nation and the Tulip Festival features, not only the colorful flowers, but all things Dutch.

What better way to get there than by bicycle—especially when a valet will park it safely?

T Time

 Yesterday’s ride, though short (about 40 km) was interesting. I had previously ridden most of the streets as segments of other rides. Until yesterday, I didn’t realize how close or connected some of them are.  They will, of course, become strands I will weave into new itineraries.

One strange part of the ride began next to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. (Don’t you feel smarter just reading that?) There begins this street:

A few blocks later, it runs along the Amtrak and Metro North rail lines and becomes this:

So how did Sackett lose one “T”? Did he/she/they not show up for the 4 p.m. ceremony? Or did the railroad’s builders need a “t” to turn a rack of land* into a track?

The street continues along its way beside the railway and, at Hering Avenue in Morris Park, regains its previous identity:

So how did Sackett regain its second “t?” Hmm…The neighborhood, Morris Park, has been an Italian enclave for more than a century. One thing I know about my people is that we drink coffee. (Growing up, I heard, “Tea is for sick people.”) So I imagine it wouldn’t have been difficult to get at least one of us to give up a “t.”

Anyway, I had coffee before the ride. I probably didn’t need it:  The sunshine and brisk breezes woke me up!

*—That, I imagine, is how the two sides of land might look with the trench, but without the tracks, running through them.