If you are a NYC cyclist, here’s a list of some really useful twitter accounts you can follow. Some are people, some are local shops that do twitter discounts and promotions. The list was last updated in July 2009, and some of the accounts listed are not currently activated but seasonal (ie accounts set up for specific NYC bike races).

If I missed anyone, please @ me at http://twitter.com/ratherbebiking

NYC Bike Shops :

@nycvelo – 2nd Avenue (Manhattan)

@BicycleHabitat – Lafayette Street (Manhattan)

@sidsbikes – 34th Street and 19th Street (Manhattan)

NYC Bike Races :

@crca – Official Century Road Club Association twitter

@nyracereport – Updates on the status of the Floyd Bennett Field summer race series in Brooklyn, NY

@harlemcrit – Official Harlem Criterium updates (currently inactive)

@STATENCX – Official StatenCX updates

NYC Cyclists :

@gwhalin – Founder of nyc.mybikelane.com, etc.

@brooklynbybike - NYC bike commuter, ride information, Brooklyn based

@bomboloni – NYC bike racer

@joaoisme – Former / Current proffesional cyclist

@crihs – NYC bike courier, currently participating in 42Below promotional ride

@gabelloyd – NYC bike racer, runs Echappe wheel rental service

@campyrider NYC bike racer, cycling coach, crca / TNT organizer

@johnprolly NYC cyclist, blog feed / etc.

@bikeblognyc Mike Green, NYC cyclist, blog feed / etc.

Other :

@waffletruck – Promotes and sponsors NYC bike races

@streetsblog – NYC cycling news / Ped advocacy

@bikeandrollnyc – NYC bike rentals (west side, central park, etc)

@nycbridgereport – Transportation Alternatives account for east river crossing notices (useful during winter months, etc).

@bikingrulespsa – Transportation Alternatives account for promoting their biking rules PSA contest

@BikeLaneSpeakUP – Transportation Alternatives account for bike lane awarness and CB meetings

@pedicabdrivers – Appears to be run by a NYC pedicab driver (mikhail?)

@parkingdaynyc – Transportation Alternatives account for Parkingdaynyc

@nycbikepolo – NYC bike polo updates

@ridethecity – Updates on the great, ridethecity map app.

@5BBC – The Five Boro Bicycle Club

@nycbikemaps – nycbikemaps.com account

@bikewatchnyc – Stolen bike updates

@NYBikeJumble – For the bike jumbles around the city

@NYVelodrome – group working on getting a real velodrome built in metropolitan NYC

Yeah it does. And forget about them responding to your emails.

@thomasatups wrote again to let us know that if you’d like to file a complaint against a UPS vehicle blocking a bike lane, you can email

upsfeedback@ups.com

Here’s a prime example of a situation to email UPS about – a Fedex delivery vehicle parked safely and clearly out of the bike lane, while a UPS driver has his truck dangerously angled in blocking the bike lane. Seen on Chrystie street this morning in Manhattan.

(The FedEx truck is partially visible on the left)

Jerry Ross, from UPS customer relations, posted this message to help you streamline any information you send (with a photo) to UPS :

I am more than willing to ask that our Customer Relations Team here at UPS headquarters immediately forward these photographs to our operations people in NYC with a view to helping maximize everyone’s safety. However, I’m not certain that the photo on the blog page is one that you wish to have me follow up. If it is, can you possibly help me out with a location, a time, and — if your original photo permits — a plate number for the truck?

Update June 11th 2009 – A customer service rep named Jerry Ross has given some helpful information for cyclists in NYC reporting UPS drivers illegally blocking NYC bike lanes. Read more here.

From thomasatups (a UPS rep who handles all twitter communication for the company) :

Basically, we do our best to be as expeditious as possible when making deliveries in NYC. However … if you encounter a driver parked in a bike lane for an extended period of time , please send us his/her vehicle number. With your help, we will talk with individual drivers who are parking in NYC bike lanes for an inappropriate amount of time.

UPS has finally released an official statement on it’s repeated violations of NYC traffic code that put cyclists in harms way every day. This response leaves questions unanswered, and fails to acknowledge how irresponsible it is to leave 20 ton truck parked in bike only lanes at all. How long is too long to leave a massive truck blocking a bike lane?

Parked here for over half an hour, with plenty of parking space avail. the whole time

Most NYC cyclists who have to deal with these trucks would probably say anything longer than a minute is dangerous and excessive, so call away! Don’t forgot to continue logging UPS violations at http://www.nyc.mybikelane.com Shame on UPS for deciding that it’s OK to block a bike lane and force cyclists into traffic, even for 5 or 10 minutes at a time.

Hey, @thomasatups :

If I have to go around it, it’s been parked too long.-commenter

Update II : Update from @wholefoods nyc twitter account : http://blog.cyclosity.com/?p=840

Update I : Still no comment from Whole Foods beyond this : http://blog.cyclosity.com/?p=827

On Thursday, May 14th, a Whole Foods NYC [bowery location] van was spotted hastily parked in and blocking the Lafayette Street Bike lane infront of 153 Lafayette. There were plenty of legal spaces nearby. Both the Whole Foods and Whole Foods NYC twitter accounts were notified via messages that included an image of the violation. No response.

Then, Friday morning (NYC Bike to Work day) I saw this rather ironic message from the @WholeFoods account :

I reminded them, again, of the violation yesterday and the irony of their most recent update. Got this response : @RatherBeBiking I sent a message over to @WholeFoodsNYC about that. I’ll see if I can get them to respond to you today. Thanks.

Hopefully NYC cyclists can read a response from a WholeFoods account today – as for UPS, who promised a response on their bike lane issues in NYC over 3 months ago…. well, we’re still waiting on that one.