Tag: John Surico

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Show #671 – July 16, 2025

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Guests: Ed Blazina; John Surico

This episode of the podcast covers good news for cyclists in PA and a look at what’s happening in NYC – from the mayoral election to Central Park.

Post-Gazette writer Ed Blazina on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (Steve Mellon/Pittsburgh Union Progress)

Ed Blazina has been a transportation writer in Pittsburgh for over 20 years and is or was employed by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  I say is/was for a particular reason; he and his fellow journalists have been on strike for 2 ½ years! 

But that’s apart from the original reason I contacted him.  Apparently, bicyclists in Pennsylvania were NOT entitled to be on the road with other vehicles – until the state supreme court handed down a decision that said they were.

In July of 2021, Brendan Lindon was jra on a road in the Pittsburgh area when he was stopped and given a citation for impeding traffic.  Mr. Lindon decided not to back down and the case was off and running. 

Ed’s  story State Supreme Court affirms bicyclists’ rights to use roads with other vehicles – caught my attention

And that is the story we are going to talk about today.

In the second half of the show, I welcome back one of my favorite guests, NYC’s Professor John Surico.  Every month, I receive his informative newsletter, Streetbeat, and every month I have an extensive list of questions that come out of it.

But, since we don’t talk every month, I compile my thoughts and fire off the most relevant ones for our on-air conversations.

Today, we chat about NYC’s mayoral election, the presumptive and somewhat controversial Democratic nominee, Zorhan Mamdani, and the candidate’s thoughts on NYC transportation issues.  We also cover congestion pricing, the changes coming to Central Park, and more. As always, it’s enlightening!

As goes NYC so go many of the ideas for how cities might resolve some of their transportation, safety, and neighborhood issues. 

I want to add a bit of commentary about the Adventure Cycling Association and the ongoing saga of the board of directors’ unilateral decision to put the iconic headquarters building in Missoula up for sale.

I believe there may be a lot of reasons NOT to sell the building, chief among them that it won’t resolve the issues facing the organization going forward and may instead just sink it.

IMHO, there needs to be more transparency by the board and deeper explanations of what has been happening that has depleted the coffers and led to the decision to let go of most of the staff.

Yes, there are big changes in the demographic of the cyclist who rides his/her bike for adventure and travel.  If the board can’t figure out how to adapt to these changes and make better decisions about programs and products for that rider, they need to step aside and bring in new blood.

There is a petition, a commentary piece on my Substack, and a lot of information on FaceBook.  I’ll step off my soapbox now.

Transcript_July 16

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Show #663 – February 25, 2025

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Guests: John Surico; Paul Swift

My guests today are NYC’s Professor John Surico and the bike fitter’s bike fitter, Paul Swift.

John is one of my favorite repeat guests as those of you who are regular listeners know.   When I want to know what is happening in the Big Apple about sustainability, bike crashes, open streets, and anything else that has to do with urban life, Professor John Surico is my guy.  His substack blog “Streetbeat” is one of my favorite reads each month.

And go figure, this conversation was recorded exactly one day before the President put the kabosh on congestion pricing in NYC.

John and I had spoken last May about the project and how it was on again and off again and how he was looking forward to what it might do for NYC. The cameras went online in January and the immediate effects were pretty amazing.

Early in January, the long-awaited program to help ease traffic in NYC went into effect.  The cameras went on and lo and behold – traffic eased, Broadway saw a 20% increase in ticket sales, and crashes were down a whopping 30% – and that was in just two winter months.

But along with many other programs, the president decided he didn’t like congestion pricing and in the stroke of his marker, had the cameras turned off.  The legal wrangling that is going on is yet to be decided, but the day I spoke with John, things were looking pretty rosy.

Follow his substack journal, Streetbeat.  It publishes at the beginning of every month and is always an interesting and wide-ranging look at the urban world.

My second guest is Paul Swift – the bike fitter’s fitter and developer of many cycling related products that facilitate a better experience on the bike – whether on the ground or in the gym. 

Paul’s philosophy stems from observation, as well it should in my opinion.  He recognizes that sizing is not fitting, and that it takes many years and thousands of fits to see what you are actually looking at and before making the changes necessary to accomplish a comfortable and efficient position with great results.

Paul Swift has been developing his fitting techniques for decades.  He also sees things IN those fits that have led to a plethora of products from the wedges fitters might use under your cycling cleats to his line of saddles.

As he mentioned, you can find him on social media @askthefitter.  Check out his line of saddles at 90K.com or go to his website thecyclepoint.com and watch how he does what he does.

 

September 25_Transcript

 

 

 

 

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Show #650 – May 5, 2024

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Guests: Christian Sander; John Surico

Hello and welcome to TOC.  I’m your host Diane Jenks.  Thanks for tuning in today.

My first guest is Christian Sander, the producer and writer of Hard Miles, a full-length feature film starring Matthew Modine as Greg Townsend, a social worker who takes a group of incarcerated teenage boys on a 762-mile bike trip to the Grand Canyon.  It’s based on a true story – there really IS a Greg Townsend and he really has taken thousands of kids on this trip.  In fact, Greg was on set every day during the shooting of the movie!

Brian and I went to a local theater last weekend to watch the new movie Hard Miles and we LOVED it!  Unlike so many cycling movies that focus on competition, Hard Miles is about how the bicycle can be a vehicle of transformation, especially to kids serving time in a juvenile detention center.

Christian Sander has known about Greg Townsend, the central character in the movie, for quite some time and saw this story as a movie long before he was able to bring it to the screen.

Greg is played by award winning actor Matthew Modine along with 4 great young men who learn all about how difficult it is to ride a bike 8 hours a day! Cynthia McWilliams, who was the star of Real Husbands of Hollywood, plays the “keep-em-in-line” psychologist Haddie who grudgingly drives the SAG wagon.

The film lives up to everything Christian said and I’d highly recommend it.  If you can’t find a big screen in your area, it will be available streaming later on this summer.  

NY is about to pass a bill regulating eBikes and there has been chatter on some of the bike forums about it.  After hearing the statistics about eBikes in NYC, I think regulation is probably necessary.  There is also a new congestion fee going into effect at the end of June and the money raised will be used for some really important transportation issues.

With almost 700,000 daily cycling trips in NYC, John Surico estimates that at least half of these trips are on an eBike.

And with that kind of ridership, there are a LOT of issues that are beginning to affect transportation in the City.  So next step?  Regulation.  There is a bill about to be brought up for passage in the State legislature.

In addition to what that legislation might look like and who will be affected by it, John and I talk about congestion pricing that will charge cars being driven in Manhattan and how that money will be used to update public transportation among other things.

You can keep abreast of what John is doing by subscribing to his newsletter Streetbeat on Substack.  Even if you don’t live in NY,  John’s insights are most enlightening on a variety of topics.

May 5 Transcript

 

 

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Show #642 – January 20, 2024

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Guests: John Surico; Roff Smith

Happy New Year everyone!  I’m back for a new season of the show and today we begin with conversations with two guests we’ve spoken with in the past.

First up is John Surico.  John’s work is all about sustainability, safety, cities, and transportation.  He melds it all up on his Streetbeat blog on Substack and today we’re going to look back at some things from 2023 as well as look forward to his work in 2024.

In his latest Streetbeat newsletter on Substack, John Surico tells us about Hoboken, NJ, where there have been zero – none, nothing nada – traffic fatalities for 7 consecutive years.  What? Really?  Contrast that with 43 cycling deaths in NYC, just across the river.

We also look at what the Mayor is thinking, with a bit of “NYC can do that too,” and about the expansion of the East Coast Greenway in all 5 NYC boroughs.

Then, we review a new book from National Geographic by photographer/journalist Roff Smith.  Last time we spoke with Roff it was during the pandemic and he created some of the most beautiful and thought-provoking visions for us to gaze upon in a dark and difficult time.

Now, in his new book, 100 Bike Rides of a Lifetime, he offers up great options for every level of cyclist- from the novice to the pro.  It’s one of those books where you can flip to just about any page and say – “yeah, I want to do that!”

While he’s ridden many of the routes he details in the book, he depended upon seasoned riders to fill in the blanks on rides that he believes fit the description, but which he hasn’t done himself. 

The book is definitely a great addition to your cycling library and might just be the ticket for your next adventure.

I’ve also added a photo of his “narrow boat” that will be his home for the next project, as you heard in our conversation.      

 

 

 

January 20_Podcast_Transcript

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Show #626 – March 27, 2023

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Guests: John Surcio; Paul Tolme

My first guest is no stranger to TOC.  A couple of times a year, at least, I ask journalist and NYU professor, John Surico to join me and catch us up on what is happening in NYC.

The reason I look to him and to NY is that he’s got his ear to the ground on everything from climate and sustainability to walking, biking, and advocacy plus a lot more. I like the way he thinks and especially what he talks about on his substack pages, Streetbeat.

In our conversation, I ask him what his students might be thinking about the field of journalism as the editorial and reporting landscapes continue to shift and morph – with fewer print papers and magazines, more controversial news outlets, so much misinformation, and the need for focus on relevant problems – like climate, cities, sustainability, and more. We talk about “super sidewalks” in our conversation; here is a link to the video that explains it.

John just completed a year working with the Central Park Conservancy to help explore how to keep the iconic park healthy and relevant while studying the park to see what climate change is doing to the trees, grass, and general environment.  He talks about two of the programs he worked on and how they might impact the park going forward. His insights and observations always give me food for thought as I look at the issues facing NYC and how we mirror them across the country.

In the second half of the show, I welcome Paul Tolme, the communications manager and spokesperson for the Cascade Bicycle Club in Seattle,

Washington. Several years ago, I spoke with a young PhD candidate out in Seattle about the work he was doing along with the Cascade Bicycle Club to have an inequitable helmet law repealed in the city.  The initiative worked, the law was repealed, and helmet use didn’t decline – win X 3.

Today, I speak with Paul about the organization itself – its amazing number of club members – 10,000 – and the statewide programs and events it offers. In addition to the famous rides the club offers – the 44 year old iconic STP Ride (Seattle to Portland) and the RSVP – Ride from Seattle to Vancouver and Party,) as well as all the programs and tours offered,

I don’t think any single fact was more impressive than a 10,000 member club roster.  Even though the club is a statewide organization, 10,000 members is mighty impressive.

With that kind of support, it is no wonder that Cascade is able to influence local and state legislators and planners to improve cycling and walking in Washington, develop great educational programs, like the one that is being implemented in schools, and organize one of the most iconic and enduring events in the country – The famous STP – Seattle to Portland ride – that will be held July 15th and 16th this year.

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Show #559 – June 12, 2021

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Guests: David Bradford; John Surico

This week, we jump across the pond (as they say) to speak with David Bradford.  David is the fitness editor for Cycling Weekly and his article titled   “Why Is the peloton hiding its true colors?” is getting a lot of attention – in fact, it caught mine!

David spent a lot of time trying to find someone to speak with him about the topic of gay riders in the pro peloton.  Out of 968 competitors, the statistical probability that not one of these riders is gay is about one in a trillion – he called his mathematics buddy to establish the probabilities.

But, even after his article was published,  the response from male riders has been crickets.

Statistically, it’s beyond improbable that there are NO gay men out of the 968 riders David uses as his sample.  So, what’s going on here?

I wanted to know more and I also wondered whether women are more likely to just come out and tell it like it is – and, we find that they are.

Then, we meet up once again with journalist, teacher, and urban planning researcher, John Surico.

When last we spoke – back in April – we talked about what life was going to be like post-pandemic and how cities have and will continue to respond.

Now, his new piece for Bloomberg’s City Lab, “Greenway Stimulus Could Bring Boom In Biking and Walking Trails,” focuses on the possibility of a $10B – that’s billion with a capital B – boost for greenways.  From BIG projects like the ECG to your neighborhood connector to a local path, biking and walking are slowly making their way to center stage in legislation large and small all over the country.

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Show #549 – April 3, 2021

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Guests: Lynne Tolman; John Surico

This week, we take a trip east – first to Worcester, Mass to meet Lynne Tolman,  the president of the Major Taylor Association.

Most of us know who Major Taylor was and today especially, his life and achievements stand out as being most remarkable.

Arguably, he was the first black athlete to break the color barrier, and long before Jackie Robinson, Major Taylor was a cycling phenomenon. When he won the world championship back in 1899 though, it wasn’t here in the U.S. – his home country. He spent many years in Europe to escape the Jim Crow Laws of the day and was revered for his prowess on the bike.

Today, the Major Taylor Association in Worcester, Mass. is dedicated to keeping his legacy alive with programs for schools, rides, and much more.

Then, it’s down to NYC to speak with journalist, teacher, and urban planning researcher John Surico.

As we begin to inch our way out of the pandemic and back into what life will begin to look like, I wanted to speak with someone who has a particular interest in cities – both here in North America and in Europe – and how they are changing in response to the way we work, play, and live.

John Surico focuses specifically on issues of mobility, open space and sustainability. His articles in Bloomberg’s City Lab are of particular interest in these areas and one in particular titled In Covid-19 recovery, London Bets Big on Low Traffic (from June, 2020) caught my eye.