Lifestyle

Pedal pushing

Name: Paul Steely White

Job: Executive director of Transportation Alternatives, the nonprofit that promotes biking, walking and mass transit.

Named one of the New York Observer’s “Insurgents of 2010,” White, a blue-eyed, 6-foot-2-inch Matthew Modine look-alike, is at the center of what’s become a surprisingly volatile issue: Gotham’s burgeoning bike-friendliness. The installation of more than 250 miles of dedicated bike lanes has attracted tremendous attention — from supporters and detractors alike. With it the affable 40-year-old activist’s crusade has moved from fringe to mainstream.

Of the doubling of daily riders in NYC since 2005, White says, “New Yorkers are voting with their feet. We shouldn’t have to move to Mayberry for livable streets.”

Having shed an association with bike messengers and other fringe types, “Biking is the new golf,” he says. As if to emphasize the point, his collared shirt, striped tie and cropped strawberry-blond hair make him look like he plays the occasional round.

White’s Chelsea office buzzes with attractive 20-somethings in hip vintage tees darting about. The space has an open layout and no front desk, giving the impression the left-leaning advocacy group functions without much hierarchy. The organization employs 25 full-timers and rallies volunteers citywide to fight against car-clogged streets at community meetings. “We’re a many tentacled octopus,” says White.

The entire place, naturally, is chock-full of bikes — hanging, parked and tucked in every cranny.

Décor: Eco-chic meets ragtag. Corrugated metal sheets tacked against cork walls serve as space dividers. “Salvaged from a ‘Star Trek’ movie,” White jokes.

Once described as resembling “a money-losing political office,” the place is a labyrinth of cubes, with plants scattered throughout. White’s small space, tucked in the middle, is open to neighbors on three sides. Documents, newspaper clippings and sticky notes cover most surfaces.

“A neat space is the sign of a sick mind,” he jokes.

Desk: A beige, organic-looking slab made of compressed sunflower husks.

Commute: The Park Sloper commutes by bike some days, but he’s not as hard-core as you might think. He takes the F train a third of the time, using the precious minutes to catch up on work-related reading.

Routine: The news hound gets all the city papers delivered daily. Most days start with a staff meeting to debrief on the evening’s events and latest debates.

Sometimes he takes breakfast meetings with journalists or business bigwigs, hoping to encourage corporate biking programs and drum up support for bike lanes and pedestrian plazas.

White spends half his time out of the office, speaking on topics ranging from parking permits in Queens to bike sharing in DUMBO. Though he uses cycling as his main launching pad, it’s clear he has a broad vision tied to urban planning, health and the environment.

He used to work late nights, but with his 2-year-old daugher, Anna, now in the mix, he aims to make it home by 6:30.

Inspiration: A photocopied image of Woody Guthrie is taped to the desk. “He’s a hero of mine. He had a sense of justice.” An aspiring musician, White confesses, “I’m learning to play the guitar. Lullabies for Anna, mostly.”

An award for “Environmental Advocate of the Year” from the Natural Resources Defense Council hangs nearby. “When I’m having a tough day it reminds me I’ve achieved a few things.”

Detritus: Four pairs of footwear are tucked under the desk — boots, cycling shoes, sneakers, dress shoes. “For different biking and meeting scenarios,” he says.

A Brooklyn Brewery hat’s perched on a shelf. Steve Hindy, the brewery’s head, serves on TA’s board. A bar of Tom’s of Maine deodorant — the antidote to a sweaty ride — is in reaching distance, and a change of clothes hangs in a garment bag.

Coffee habit: Tired of being a slave to caffeine, White recently quit coffee. He now drinks green tea instead.

Philosophy: “We need to do a better job playing up the fun of biking. We say it has environmental benefits. We say it’s good for the pocketbook. But there’s also the sheer enjoyment people get from seeing parts of the city they’ve never seen.”