Westchester County is reportedly throwing away $4,000 that could be used to better link cycling and transit.  Bike advocates tell MTR that a $1,500 bike lid (a unit that provides secure shelter for two bikes) was donated by bikelid.com at the Westchester Bike Summit last April, but is still collecting dust 10 months later at the Westchester County Center where the Summit was held.  And the Journal News recently reported that Westchester County DOT is not installing two bus-mounted bike racks it purchased for $2,500 as part of a pilot project, but is planning to sell them instead.

Former County Executive Andrew Spano supported both measures, but progress now appears to be stalled at the Westchester County DOT, which is responsible for bike rack installation and the County’s bus system.  The bike lid was slated for installation at the White Plains Metro-North station, but the County never picked it up despite reminders from bike advocates.  Sources tell us that the County is planning on donating it to a local municipality that is eager to have it.

The bike racks on buses is another disappointment for bicyclists and transit users alike, especially given the County’s early interest in the pilot.  DOT Commissioner Larry Salley cited budget woes, saying (in the words of the Journal News’ Ken Valenti) that “Testing the racks might not add to the department’s costs, but a successful test would only leave cyclists eager for racks the county couldn’t afford anyway.”

With leadership from new County Executive Rob Astorino or the County Board of Legislators, this decision can be reconsidered. Instead of turning away such opportunities, the County could build on them by requesting that NYSDOT use some of its federal funds to pay for bicycle parking and bus-mounted bike racks. A recent report indicated that between 2005 and 2008, New York received $5.6 billion in federal funds — nearly all of which can be used for bike and pedestrian projects — but spent only 1% of these funds on such projects.