In an effort to promote bicycling as a viable means of transportation and recreation, Paumonok Bicycling of Long Island is planning an island-wide family bike ride to be held on May 2. And, citing Farmingdale as a pedestrian and bicyclist friendly town, the group's president has chosen the community's railroad station as the starting point for Nassau County.

The ride, called Bicycle Long Island 1999 will take place from 8 a.m. to 12 noon, rain or shine. The starting point for Suffolk County will be the John L. Barry Police Headquarters in Yaphank. An approximately 65-mile route is planned.

According to William L. Eisenreich, president of Paumonok, participants are invited to cover as much of the course as they wish, and to make the event, which is free, a safe morning of family recreation. "You don't have to ride the whole thing - it could be 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 miles - your choice," he said recently as he continued planning the event.

From Farmingdale, the course will follow the Long Island Expressway Service Road out to Yaphank and will return on a new Class 2 bicycling route. The route, which extends from Farmingdale to Riverhead, was just marked last year using a federal transportation grant. Seeking to publicize the path, and bicycling as an alternative mode of transportation, Paumonok is hoping the New York State Department of Transportation will dedicate the new route during Bicycle Long Island 1999.

"The Nassau County Traffic Safety Committee will be sending out 5,000 mailings to schools and PTAs, and they're going to promote May as bicycling safety month, and so we're hoping that they get involved in this." Eisenreich said. "We're just going to promote good bicycling, dedicate the route, promote bicycling safety and have fun. It's going to be free. We just want a lot of people to enjoy themselves that day."

Eisenreich added that he has invited several local elected officials, and expects to draw about two thousand people. "We're going to put Farmingdale on the map that day," he said. "May is bicycling safety month, and it's on the same day as Bike New York, which is a big event in New York City, so this should be a good media publicity day."

Parking is also free in Farmingdale, according to Eisenreich, who noted that the village has granted him permission to use the railroad parking lot for the event. A tent with safety literature will also be set up at the start point.

Because the route follows the Long Island Rail Road line, he noted that people who have a bicycle pass for the train can use the locomotive as a shortcut if they get weary. He added, "That's why we developed the bike route along the railroad line, as well, so that people could commute to the railroad station via bicycle."

Paumonok Bicycling is a federation of Long Island's five major bicycling clubs, including the Massapequa Park and Huntington bicycle clubs, whose purpose is to encourage the development of safe roadway conditions and courteous driving behavior. The organization also sees this bike ride event as a tie into the centennial celebration of the historic Mile-a-Minute Murphy bicycling event that took place in Farmingdale in 1899. The Farmingdale Village Historians are planning to hold the Mile-a-Minute Murphy centennial celebration, which marks Charles Murphy's record-breaking bike ride behind a train at the Farmingdale Railroad Station, on June 26.

Eisenreich noted that he chose Farmingdale as the Nassau start point for several reasons. "It's centrally located, and it's on the railroad line. Also, Farmingdale is a very bicycling and pedestrian-friendly community - very pro-transit orientated development. I don't know, it's like the perfect place," he said. "Also, the Bethpage multi-use path goes through there. So, people can come up from Massapequa on the path to Farmingdale." Cyclists can also hook up to the large, islandwide route from the bike path that runs through Bethpage State Park, down to the railroad station via Quaker Meeting House Road and Bethpage Road.

Eisenreich noted that he is seeking involvement and support from all aspects of the Farmingdale community - including merchants, who he said could harness the event for increased business that day, and parents, who he said could use it as an educational, fun ride for their children.

He also asked that participants take such safety precautions as tuning up their bicycles, wearing a helmet, and bringing tools to fix a flat, a spare tube, an air pump, money for emergencies and a bottle of water.

Editors Note: For more information on Bicycle Long Island 1999, one may write to Paumonok Bicycling of Long Island at Post Office Box 7159, Hicksville, New York 11802, or on the Internet at www.bicyclelongisland.org.