Volunteer Profile: Sung Bin Park

Occupation: Bookstore Manager
Age: 27
T.A. Member Since: 2003
Neighborhood: Greenpoint, Brooklyn
What volunteer activities have you done for T.A.? I've helped out with mailings, telephone surveys, loading trucks, phone banking, Hazard ID and most recently, I marshaled the 15-mile route of T.A.'s NYC Century Bike Tour.
Why do you help T.A. out? I've seen first hand just how hard T.A works to promote safer environments for pedestrians and cyclists and it makes my day to be a part of their team in some way.
How did you first find out about Transportation Alternatives? I picked up a copy of City Cyclist in my local bike shop and checked out T.A.'s Web site. I saw an ad for a volunteer mailing party and decided to go. I had never heard about T.A. before that point.
How many hours do you spend volunteering each month? I'm not sure, but I wish that it were more! In the beginning, I volunteered about once a week. Now, it's more like once a month or whenever an opportunity comes up.
What is your philosophy on volunteering? I enjoy being able to support something that will help others promote change for the better.
I understand that you were a super volunteer for T.A.'s recent bike tour. Tell me more! I don't think I'll ever forget the route; I've been over it so many times! I marshaled the 15-mile ride and helped with miscellaneous preliminaries, like Hazard ID along the route from Central Park to Prospect Park and calling all the volunteers the day before the ride to remind them to show up.
What was your favorite part of the ride? Getting to see all these people riding with you and having a good time. I especially enjoyed seeing families riding together.
What do you hope to work on for next year's ride? I would love to marshal again and also get more involved in even more aspects of the planning process.
If you wanted other people to volunteer, what would you tell them about T.A.? That T.A. is the best organization to volunteer for. The staff and environment really make it easy for you to work. And, of course, people should stop by one of their volunteer nights on the second and last Wednesdays of the month so that they can find out more about T.A.'s good work.
What are some issues that concern you as someone who walks and bikes in NYC? We need safer streets for walking and riding and fewer cars on the road. Developers have allowed cars to take over too much physical space in the city. It is such a battle to travel long distances on my bike; cars are always speeding and clogging up the streets.

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