New-York tribune., 1896-03-29
IN THE CYCLING WORLD.
THE w1NTRY WEATHER HAS HUNG ON
LONG.

srRrEr SIGNS AND oUIDEPosTs ARE GREAT
CONVENIENCE TO wHEELMEN-APPEoPR1A-
r,oNs FOR ASPHALT PAvING-AC-
CEssroNs TO TIE l.. A. W.
This tin,e q wear ago the streets and roads
were thronged with riders of the wheel, and the
,,aL.r. we're taking orders for bicycles which
they could not guarantee to deliver within sew
eral weeks Since early in February the
weather hereaboutss has been so villanous that
pleasant outdoor riding has been all hut impos-
sible EXCEPT at rare intervals. The cychs's
hope that the end Of March will see change IN
the weather, drying up of the roads and iots
of good sport ahead. One would think tha'
with the conditions as they have been lately the
cycling trade would have been affected consia-
erably but such does not seem to nave peeh
Tho case The local dealers are selling many
wheels and the output TO date Is far IN aoNahCs
of that of 1Ssa at this time. The deaiei' anu
the manufacturers ought to be able 10 gauge t,'e ~
situation correctly. and their confidence IN 'hs
future Is shown In the enormous nunipei oa,, ~
BICYCLES forwarded to this district every uay.
Every indication points to wonderiui c!ciiiiss
parade as as the frost is out OF the siounu .
and the veteran wheelmen are Wohdeiine tHoo~ ~
all the cyclists will ride as soon as the 0utuova
season sets in in earnest. 1t VIII be worth VIM Nii
TO take a trip to Sixtieth-st and the BouieNa @ ~
in BROOKLYN to the cycle Patn, 1n 'i is clear
Sunday or Saturday when the weatneI IL 80.
and warm and roads are good Inc cycHie
procession will be well worth seeing.
The recent articles in The Tribune about the
lack OF street signs in this city have met INC
earnest approval Of wheelmen. On Mammalian
Island 1t Is usually no great hardship 10 nave
TO search for the cross-street INTO WHICH YOU
want to turn, but i. is annoying 10 go peyo"u
your objective point merely because there "i'
no indications of the names OF the sueets oi'
lampposts or house-corners. But bey0nu nS .nS
Harlem the inconvenience is greater. Inc oiu
T~wenty-third ard Twenty-fourth warus nay
been part of the city now for generation. i a,,d
there is no good reason why the corners & snouu d,
not be marked with proper signs Inc uIo
tances are great up there and the streets anu
roads are not laid oLt regularly SO lnas ~ or 40
especially important that the wne.'" 70 be
other traveller know Just where ne ls. ~ nu
doesn't and goes beyond his destination, ne nc.
waste a lot of time. 1t is curious y, "a. 49, ;ts
the few signs along Aqueduct-aV11; 1oad a although
the change was made perhaps decaae ago
Closely allied to this subject is that OF guide
nosts throughout the rural districts. Clty
vhee,men make many complaints about the lack
=. tbese. every one WHO has done much touring
can testify personally to the difhcuities W".o"
arise from their absence. Here Is d heiu io'
agitation by bicycle riders, the law peihs s"0,'
that. with public sentiment only a h'tie aiou'0U
II is easy to secure a proper equiphen. oi So
boards In any township or county. Onie' w
sui l. B. Potter Is the father OF the H'gbwavs
Law. Under II commissioners oi ns,ntions ns
shall cause gudeposts with proper ms & hioh
10 he erected at the intersections OF suGn !h nIe
ways as they may deem necessary o,;tion
officials will do nothing OF thelr own n- twenty
Ewe resident taxpayers Of the town, or twensi
~ tho county may request the erection .. So So
signposts indicating the direct.on, ,.,as 70 or
and names of towns. villages Vi IStha cow
through which the highways rum II tne .oi,, -
missioner Of Highways refuses or nesieS Sa "a
comply with such request Tor slNay ua4 az he SET
subject to fine OF 80, tn,dnpneyds tne It is
+berefore only necessary that wheeline" iSohia
themselves at once; II they DO al tile M ,'.;th
roads Of the STATE VII De De Pnepyi ,he YEAR Compare
si.a,' little use seems to have been mace ol
th,s law up TO now New-York is woluay 0e
hind her neighboring states III 'i'''
The New-Jersey Legislature was
ronsiderate of the interests OF wheelmeh' Pasoe
eve laws which will directly add to the a''i"o.
t,ons OF that State from the cycHhs po'"'
view. The Francis measure VIII ehaple WI
,,.n ~ build cycle paths all over the state -
-,u.,,a ,,,u nrobably be made from Trenton
.e,shore bill introduced by Senator
- nrovid,ne for uniform municipal reg
uIations for bicycles, was also passed. is va mao
that of Mr. Skinner, authorizing tow"' Oo,ber
money for building macadam roaos, az ,,ose usjng
now law grants a rebate or taxes 10 'io'e LII
1wogons with tires four inches wide anu sun
another enables Boards Of Freehoders 10 20 ,he
any road destroyed by storm. ne ca6s measures
New-York Legislature on good roaos li,ea ,as, 70
e. IN N the present In lamentable contrast ~
this.
Cling Sing reports progress In the good ro"u'
movement. A meeting of taxpayers has peeh
called for Tomorrow night to consider 'iie que'
@,or of orcanizing a board Of street coInhs mn ~
sioners and bonding the village LOT Si'''O'' "
be expended in improving the stee''
All but four miles of the cycle path from
patchogue to Port jefferson. Long lslano' "aVo
been finished. and the rest. 1t Is hoped, VIII DC !"
readiness before long The wheelmen out '"ei0
now have the additional plan OF pain iroi"
pow Jefferson to Jericho a distance OF twenty
miles. In that part Of Long Island good roaos
connecting the north and south shores are W. W.,
fully lacking and these special thoroushiaies
for wheelmen are great boons. AT pIe1 80.
Rverhead has only one good road ru,iilii,s i,oo @
epproachable for wheelmen from the south Vi
west The path to connect 1t with Eastpor,' vi
the South Shore. 1t is hoped. Will be hnisheu ere
png work or it having already begun.
lust when the all-asphalt route downtown
,eemed in reach Of wheelmen change In the
mans OF the city authorities has delayed It's
.orpletion for several years. Commissioner
ro,,is had recommended that Eighth-ave. from
Thirteenth-st TO Hudson and Hudson from
1cighth-ave to Chambers be repaved with this
material The Board of Estimate and Appor-
tionment however laid this improvement over
for two good reasons. For one the present
payement is in fair condition, and for another
the Metropolitan Traction Company expects 10
construct a cable-road In the avenue and street
Uithin two years. Naturally these considera-
fions outweighed the desire for smooth paving
The Board last week, however granted money
FOR extensive stretches of asphalt, including
Tirst-ave, from Twentieth TO ne-hundred ed-and-
ninth-st; Madison-ave.. from One-hundred.and-
twenty -ffth-st. TO the Harlem River and the
cost aide of the boulevard. from Ninety-second
70 Observation-Disclosures. There Is still
considerable part Of the 100000 appropriation
for repaving streets In 1875 not yet appro-
priated.
Tho .rects Of the Cycle Show held fortnight