The sun sets behind a cyclist in a bike lane on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, Monday, May 8, 2023. Credit: AP/Carolyn Kaster Remember the freedom you gained when you got your first bike? The fear you felt when you biked to your friend’s house for the first time? When you almost got run over going to the grocery store? Is it worth the risk?
For the safety and wellbeing of our youth, we need to make suburbs more bikeable with protected bike lanes.
I live in Syosset, a typical Long Island suburb with a train station, shops, restaurants and parks. These are great places to spend time. However, they are not easy to get to without a car. As someone who didn’t have a license until October 2022, it put the burden on my parents to drive me everywhere.
In 2020, 322 bicyclists were killed or injured in Nassau County, an increase of 0.9% from 2019, which makes it the highest-risk county in the state outside of New York City, according to New York’s 2023 Highway Safety Strategic Plan.
The report also notes that 27% of bicyclists killed or injured in crashes are between 14 and 24 years old, with an additional 27% being between 25 and 34. Being just 17, I am in the former group, putting myself at a higher risk.
I enjoy biking on my own, but I rarely go outside my neighborhood because I don’t feel comfortable on major roads with no separation from cars. However, a few years ago, […]
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