"we usually only let him ride his bike as far as the local park where he can be on the sidewalk the entire way and only has to cross one street. But the car-free streets of Summer Streets encouraged us to let him go as far in either direction on the route as he felt comfortable - just stop and turn around when he wanted. He ended up riding all the way to Midtown - five miles from home - and returned positively beaming."
"So the next time, I left our apartment on in Morningside Heights and biked all the way to the MetLife building [the entrance to the Park Avenue Viaduct at 46th Street, near Grand Central Terminal]. I thought I was only going to go to where the Metro-North tracks started [at 110th and Park Avenue], but then I decided to keep going."
"I didn't feel unsafe, except when a bus came onto the street. But that was the only time. No one asked me where my parents were because they didn't care (not that they needed to because it was so safe). We were all having an experience together. There were a lot of bike bells and music. And I did get water from someone. I noticed I was thirsty when I got to the MetLife building, and I looked for someone at a tent with water."
The family lives uptown along the Summer Streets route. On the second weekend the parents allowed their nine-year-old son to ride his bike alone. After a successful short first outing, the parents told him he could go as far as he wanted. He rode from Morningside Heights to the MetLife Building on Park Avenue, about five miles each way, and returned beaming. He reported feeling safe except when a bus entered the closed street. The route featured bike bells, music, volunteers handing out water, and a communal atmosphere. He stopped at the MetLife Building because conditions became chaotic farther south.
Read at Streetsblog
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