Rollerblading against the flow

By Justin Rocket Silverman, amNewYork Staff Writer | jsilverman@am-ny.com

April 9, 2007

Conventional wisdom suggests it's safer to travel down city streets with the flow of traffic rather than against it. But our latest extreme commuter, Ingrid Tarjan, who has been rollerblading the avenues of Manhattan for more than 15 years, says skating the wrong way is the best way.

"It's definitely easier to see what's coming at you when you skate against traffic," she says. "It's unsafe not knowing what's behind you, especially the buses. The new ones are almost silent and can sneak right up on you."

Ingrid's typical commute takes her from her Stuyvesant Town apartment on Avenue C to the Equinox Fitness club in Columbus Circle, where she works as a personal trainer.

Car traffic is not an issue during the first stretch of her 3.5-mile, 30-minute trip, as the East River bike path is directly outside her front door. But the path comes to an abrupt and unceremonious end at 34th Street, dumping zero-emission commuters like Ingrid onto the barely controlled chaos of First Avenue.

City officials have talked of extending the bike path north, but security concerns with the United Nations and other issues have blocked progress.

So Ingrid finds herself surrounded by speeding cars and, for what she considers her own safety, opts to skate right toward them.

"Rollerblading is probably considered dangerous to some," she says, "but I've been doing it so long that it just feels natural. I don't consider this dangerous at all."

She also rollerblades to Pace University and Mt. Sinai Medical Center, where she teaches yoga.

Ingrid's biggest challenge, other than stormy weather, is the less-than-ideal condition of some city streets. She decries potholes as adamantly as a seasoned cab driver, and likens some streets to "gravel pits."

Still, she admits that after years as an extreme commuter, the benefits of open air and exercise have made it impossible to imagine getting to work any other way.

"Rollerblading lets me have fun and helps me keep my sanity," she says.

"It's a great point of departure for whole day."

The Extreme Commuter can be anyone who takes more than the average ride to work. Whether it's a complicated bus and subway transfer, an extra long ride, or just something that requires the person to get up really, really early, amNewYork wants to hear about it. Email your suggestions to jsilverman@am-ny.com

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Related topic galleries: Physical Fitness, Roller Skating, United Nations

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