Events and Alerts
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| Congestion Pricing Clears Another Hurdle | ||||||
The Congestion Mitigation Commission issued its final recommendation last week. After hundreds of hours of testimony and dozens of public meetings, the jointly appointed panel of experts voted 13-yes, 2-no, 1-abstain and 1-absent in favor of congestion pricing as the best way to reduce car and truck traffic and improve mass transit.
Now the City Council and then both houses of state government must review the plan and vote on it before March 31st or else risk losing $354 million in federal transit aid. In brief, the plan that will be voted on would raise a half-billion dollars annually for transit by charging motorists $8 to travel into Manhattan south of 60th street between 6 am and 6 pm on weekdays. Trucks would pay $21 to enter the charging zone. The money raised by the charge would go into a "dedicated transit account" for funding the MTA capital plan, which is scheduled to be released before the end of March (the sooner, the better). To ease concerns about potential parking problems in the charging zone and on its perimeters, the commission recommended an increase in meter rates inside the area and residential parking programs for the neighborhoods on the zone's periphery. Funds raised by these programs would go to "additional transit, pedestrian, bicycle, and parking management improvements." For an in depth look at the commission's report check out Streetsblog's coverage here.
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| When the Cars Are Away... | ||||||
Every Sunday, more than a million people crowd the streets of Bogotá, Colombia to bike, walk, skate and celebrate. Starting shortly after dawn, residents and visitors have the run of a 70 mile network of streets that span the city. There are activities for people of all ages and inclinations; everything from a two hundred person cardio session to food vendors hawking savory treats. What is it? It's called Ciclovía, and it's catching on around the world.
More and more, cities are embracing Ciclovía-style temporary street closures as a simple way to make public spaces and communities amenable to healthy lifestyles and happy neighbors. And New York isn't missing a beat. T.A. and Adolfo Carrión, the Bronx Borough President, reintroduced car-free days on the Grand Concourse two years ago. This year that tradition will continue with a Ciclovía-style street closure on May 18th 2008 along Crotona Parkway in the Bronx. The event has attracted many new community partners, sparked excitement in the neighborhood, and is shaping up to be a huge success. Also, this summer will mark the inaugural season of BlockPartyNYC, a new NYC Streets Rennaisance program that will award up to 30 mini-grants to bring a whole new kind of party to streets around the city. In addition to allowing neighbors to get to know one another and enjoy their street car-free, BlockPartyNYC will help residents imagine what a safer, greener, more livable block might look like, and then tell them how they can make it a reality. For more details, and to apply for a BlockPartyNYC mini-grant, make sure to check out blockpartynyc.org. If you have ideas for other car-free programming, or are interested in helping out with these types of events, email Nathan John at nathan@transalt.org. |
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| Let's Get Presidential | ||||||
Although the nation is one super-duper step closer to a new President, it is still far from electing a real livable streets candidate, primarily because there isn't one out there, or so it seemed last Thursday when T.A. and the NYU's Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management hosted "Moving America Forward?: A Presidential Candidates' Forum on Transportation and Infrastructure." Campaign staff from the Clinton, Gravel, Kucinich and Obama campaigns talked about their candidate's stances on mobility in America.
Even though the forum was in New York City--the transit capital of the country--there was no mention of the key role that biking, walking and transit play in addressing the environmental, economic, health, foreign policy and security issues that face our country. Every representative agreed about the need to come up with new money to invest in transportation but all had much more to say about how to spend it than how to raise it. Every staffer talked about investing in transit and intercity rail, and, when asked by League of American Bicyclists' staff if they supported federal funding for bicycle projects, all four representatives answered yes. Everyone talked about reducing our dependence on foreign oil, but no one said how we would do that. There was little interest in increasing the gasoline tax to pay for transportation. With the federal transportation funding bill (SAFETEA-LU) set to expire in 2010 and the Highway Trust Fund anticipating bankruptcy before then, our nation's infrastructure needs and how we pay for them should be at the top of our next president's agenda. The density and increasing draw of urban areas makes them innovators for developing infrastructure and programs to promote green, healthy and safe transportation. It will be essential for Washington, D.C. to support our cities with funding that encourages smart transportation. You can see a webcast of the forum on the Rudin Center's website. If you want to learn more about the National campaign for livable streets be sure to check out reconnectingamerica.org and smartgrowthamerica.org |
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| A New Transalt.org | ||||||
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TransAlt.org, your go-to source for action alerts, resources and news about bicycling, walking and public transit in NYC, will be fully upgraded next week. The new site will be easier to use and filled with more ways to get involved in the issues that matter to you.
To go with the website we're also introducing a new logo and a new look for our magazine. The time is right for a modern, memorable representation of Transportation Alternatives that allows us to stand out--because better visibility means better advocacy. When we seek out new allies and members, respond to press inquiries or strive to influence policy makers, our image now matches our reputation for bold and progressive work. Transportation Alternatives turns 35 this year. We're proud to celebrate three and a half decades of advocacy with changes that set the stage for even more. |
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| Congestion Pricing Community Presentations and Volunteer Opportunities | ||||||
PlaNYC representatives have been presenting on congestion pricing at Community Boards around the City for sometime now. If you live in a neighborhood represented by Bronx Community Boards 3 or 4, Brooklyn Community Board 7 or Manhattan Community Board 7 and you want to learn more or speak up about congestion pricing, we encourage you to attend the appropriate meeting.
Volunteer Opportunities: T.A. is launching a blitz of community newspaper ads supporting congestion pricing, and we're going to match our ad buy with on-the-ground flyering. We need dozens of volunteers to get our message out during the morning rush hour. If you can join us on one of the days and locations this month, email wiley@transalt.org or call 646-873-6008.
Tuesdays, February 12th, 19th and 26th
Wednesdays, February 13th, 20th and 27th
Thursdays, February 14th, 21st and 28th |
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| Better Parking, Saner Streets | ||||||
If you live in the Bronx, we urge you to attend the upcoming PlaNYC Neighborhood Parking Workshop at Hostos College and advocate for parking policies that will improve streets for cyclists, pedestrians, mass transit users and anyone who breathes.
Please take a look at this fact sheet (PDF) if you plan to attend.
Wednesday, February 13th |
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| The Queens Greenway: How to Get it Built the Right Way | ||||||
Spend an evening with Milton Puryear of the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative as he shares the valuable lessons he's learned as a community activist while working with government officials, real estate developers and funders over a ten year period. The last half hour of the meeting will be spent strategizing about the challenges presented in the proposed Queens East River Greenway and how to get it built the right way. The time is ripe to make a difference!
Thursday, February 21st |
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| Bicycle Film Festival 2008 | ||||||
The Bicycle Film Festival is a celebration of bicycles through film, art and music and it's fast becoming one of BikeMonthNYC's most memorable events.
The event organizers are currently accepting entries for films with a strong theme or character of bicycles. If you have something that fits the bill or want to get more info about the event, be sure to check out bicyclefilmfestival.com for all the necessary information.
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| T.A.'s Former Director Wins Top Honor | ||||||
T.A.'s former Executive Director Jon Orcutt is the recipient of the 2008 Civic Leadership in Transportation Award. The prestigious award, given by the NYU Wagner Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management, will be bestowed tonight at NYU's Kimmel Center at 6pm.
During his long and impactful tenures at T.A. and the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, Jon won many improvements for bicycling, walking, and transit, including the restoration of bike access to the Queensboro Bridge and fairer funding for bike and pedestrian safety. Last year he joined the NYC DOT's "dream team" with Bruce Schaller, Dani Simons and other stalwarts of livable streets.
Thursday, February 7th |
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| Cities as Sustainable Ecosystems Book Launch | ||||||
Transportation Alternatives, the NYC DOT and the MTA are co-hosting a book launch for Cities as Sustainable Ecosystems: Principles and Practices, a forthcoming book by Peter Newman who coined the phrase 'auto-dependance', and Isabella Jennings which shows how city residents can embrace their environment, and how cities themselves can be planned with ecological sustainability in mind.
The event will on Tuesday, February 19th at 6:30 pm. Space is limited, so if you are interested in attending email info@transalt.org for availability and more information. |
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| T.A. in the News | ||||||
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NYPD Cuts Cops' Parking Permits, New York Daily News, 2/6
Helping Old New Yorkers Get Around Town, Gotham Gazette, 2/6 Blank Stares and a Friendly Garage Owner at LIC Parking Event, StreetsBlog, 2/4 'Clogged Arteries' $$ War Rages, New York Post, 2/4 Congestion Pricing Plan Includes a "Livable Streets Lock Box", StreetsBlog, 2/1 While Crossing Delancey, Woman Fatally Struck by SUV, gothamist, 2/1 A "Vision Zero" for New York?, StreetsBlog, 2/1 Cyclist Death Sparks Fund-Raising for Transportation Alternatives, New York Daily News, 1/31 Queens Has Mixed Reaction To Congestion Pricing Plans, Queens Chronicle, 1/31 Parking Plan Would Change Prices on Upper West Side, New York Sun, 1/28 New York and Chicago Groups Receive $15,000 REI Grants to Improve Bicycling, Corporate Social Responsibility Newswire, 1/28 Silver Signals Support for Traffic Pricing, Downtown Express, 1/25 Disconnect Between Pols and People at Brooklyn Traffic Hearing, StreetsBlog, 1/25 Proof That Congestion Pricing Supporters Do Exist in Queens, StreetsBlog, 1/25 Your Opportunity to Change New York City Parking Policy, StreetsBlog, 1/22 Streetfilms: Street Star Christine Berthet, StreetsBlog, 1/22 Kimora Lee Simons, Inside Edition, 1/22 Transportation Alternatives is a member-supported non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Join T.A. today! |
