Articles and Actions
Events and Alerts
T.A. in the News
- "Yesterday, I biked the first-ever Tour de Queens. It was a hot, humid tour of the northwestern corner of New York's biggest borough. A victory lap for city cycling and, on a personal note, a ride down memory lane."
--Laura Silver, National Public Radio's Bryant Park Project 6/09
How to Reduce Car Traffic in Harlem
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Central Park's loop road pulls traffic off of high-volume perimeter streets and onto the neighborhood streets of Northern Manhattan, a new study shows.
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According to a new T.A. study,
closing Central Park to car traffic over the summer will not only
benefit park-goers (PDF), but also area residents by reducing traffic congestion on local streets adjacent to the park.
The report, Harlem's Traffic Magnet: How Allowing Cars on Central Park's Loop Drive Exacerbates Traffic Congestion in Harlem (PDF) details how the loop drive entrances on 110th street at Malcolm X Boulevard and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard act as traffic magnets, pulling drivers off the FDR, the Harlem River Drive and the West Side Highway and onto neighborhood streets north of Central Park.
T.A.'s research shows that many of the polluting and dangerous vehicles clogging Harlem streets only enter the neighborhood because the Park drive is open. T.A.'s own research is consistent with NYC DOT's February 2007 park closure report, which concluded that at least 3,107 private vehicles would likely be removed from Harlem streets each week during the morning commute if the drive was closed.
Armed with this new information, T.A. and its tens of thousands of Car-Free Central Park Campaign supporters are ready to again call on the Mayor and City Hall to support a trial car-free summer in the park. Just last month Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer lent his voice to the cause (PDF) with a letter to Mayor Bloomberg.
June may be out, but July, August and the lovely September are perfect months to provide cyclists, runners, walkers and all park users with a safer, healthier and truer park experience. We're also proposing that car-free weekend hours be extended through Friday year round, adding another day to the weekend's respite and keeping the pressure on and the wins coming.
You can read the full report (PDF) and learn about how closing the Central Park loop to cars can ease traffic congestion and its attendant ills.
DOT to Build Several New Bike Lanes
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DOT was talking the talk at this year's Greenway Summit.
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At Transportation Alternatives' 3rd Annual Greenway Summit on May 27th, the DOT announced several exciting bike infrastructure projects that will make riding safer and easier for New York City's soaring number of commuter and recreational cyclists.
The agency pledged to install:
- Bike lanes in Western Queens from Long Island City to Astoria Park
- Bike lanes on Kent Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
- Traffic calming measures and other improvements to East River Greenway connector paths
- An extension of the 9th Avenue cycletrack to 33rd Street
- A cycletrack on 8th Avenue between Bank Street and 23rd Street
- Bike lanes connecting Van Cortlandt Park to the Broadway Bridge in the Bronx
- Shore Parkway access paths at 157th Avenue in Brooklyn
The agency is also planning bike lanes on 106th Street on the West Side of Manhattan and is working to improve Manhattan Bridge access as a result of T.A.'s organizing and our membership's and readership's turnout at key meetings.
Thanks to the DOT for working hard and making pledged lane-miles appear on the ground, and thanks to the hundreds of T.A. members and volunteers who fought for these lanes with their tireless advocacy. Striped bike lanes are a good start and we'll continue to raise the bar to upgrade them to physically-protected lanes.
In the coming months and years, T.A. will be working hard to make sure bike lanes not only appear where they're easiest to install, but also where they're needed most. We look forward to working with the DOT and all of our supporters on these efforts.
NY/NJ Bike Route Gets Car-Free Connector
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A path between the George Washington Bridge and Palisades Interstate Park will change cross-Hudson bike trips in a big way. Image courtesy John Trotter.
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The thousands of cyclists that cross the George Washington Bridge each week on their way to the beautiful views and low-traffic roads of Palisades Interstate Park have a treat coming their way. After years of T.A. advocacy, the Palisades Interstate Park Commission has begun installing a two-way off-street bike path that will eventually connect the bridge exit to the park entrance.
This improvement will not only encourage more cyclists to enjoy the beauties that Palisades Interstate Park offers, it will also keep riders safer on the formerly hair-raising descent and the often uncomfortable climb that framed cycling trips across the Hudson for so many years. Thank you Palisades Interstate Park Commission.
Queens Gets its Due
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Click here to watch the Tour de Queens Streetfilm.
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Move over, Tour de Brooklyn. There's a new ride in town. This year's first annual Tour de Queens showed riders the best of the Borough of Villages. Last Sunday, 500 riders took to the streets of Western Queens and began a new cycling tradition.
Riders began their day at beautiful Flushing Meadows Corona Park. They were welcomed by our friends the Queens Museum of Art who traced the route of the Tour on the famed panorama model of New York City and gave riders an air-conditioned respite. There were many great moments, but the first Tour de Queens will forever be remembered for the garden hoses. As 500 cyclists weathered the 95-degree heat, they met the overwhelming hospitality of Maspeth and Middle Village residents who broke out the hoses en masse to keep riders cool.
Free cycling events like the Tour de Queens help raise the profile of cycling, and build the bike community we need to advocate for safer streets and more bike lanes.
The Tour de Queens would not have been possible without the generous support of Queens Borough President Helen Marshal, the Queens Museum of Art, Tom Cat Bakery, NYPD and hundreds of Transportation Alternatives volunteers and riding marshals. And as with many T.A. traditions, it was the tireless campaigning of a volunteer that sparked this event. Thank you Queens Committee!
Get Your Seat to Complete Your Street: T.A. Summer Benefit, July 15th
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Image courtesy Kathleen Cain.
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On Tuesday, July 15th, T.A. will host
Complete Your Street
its fourth annual summer benefit at the Village Restaurant. This year we will take a moment to look back on our most successful year ever--a year when more T.A. supported projects were put on the ground, more T.A. designed programs were embraced by City Hall and more T.A. members and volunteers saw the start of the city they want.
This year Transportation Alternatives will honor activist Mary Beth Kelly with the David Gurin Award for Improving Biking and Walking in New York City.
Randy Cohen, who writes The Ethicist column in the New York Times Magazine, will deliver the keynote address.
There will be a cocktail hour courtesy of Brooklyn Brewery.
Chef Steven Lyle and the Village Restaurant have put together an exquisite seasonal menu. Vegetarian options will be available.
For ticket and table prices, please contact rebecca@transalt.org.
Tuesday, July 15th
6:30 pm Cocktails, 7:30 pm Dinner
Village Restaurant
62 W. 9th Street (near 6th Avenue)
Manhattan
Beyond Bike Lanes
Head to Governors Island this Saturday to hear a talk about bike sharing and other livable streets enhancements by Tom Angotti, Director for the Center for Community Planning and Development at Hunter College, titled "Beyond Bike Lanes: Retrofitting the 21st Century Metropolis for Bicycles and Pedestrians."
Saturday, June 14th
12:30 pm
Pershing Hall
Governors Island
A short ride around Governors Island will follow the talk.
Visitors can bring or rent bikes (they are free on Fridays) for $5 for 30 minutes.
Manhattan CB4 to Talk Cycletracks
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Speak out for more West Side cyletracks on Wednesday, June 18th.
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On June 18th, Manhattan Community Board 4's Transportation Committee will hear from the DOT about plans to extend the 9th Avenue traffic-protected cycletrack to 33rd Street and to build a complementary cycletrack along 8th Avenue from Bank Street to 23rd Street.
This kind of north/south protected lane pairing would be a huge boost to Manhattan's cycling infrastructure. It also provides a template replicable on other bi-directional high volume corridors that the DOT could roll out elsewhere.
If you live, work or frequently cycle on the West Side and can make the meeting, we strongly urge you to attend.
Wednesday, June 18th
6:30 pm
The Holland House (Piano Room)
351 W. 42nd St. (between 8th and 9th Ave)
Manhattan
Town Hall Meeting for Safe Streets in Harlem
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With changes underway in Harlem, safe-streets should be a top priority. Image courtesy wallyg on flickr.
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This Friday, Community Pride of Harlem Children's Zone is hosting
Safer Streets and Sidewalks, a town hall meeting for the Central Harlem community, to voice its pedestrian safety concerns to the Department of Transportation. The event is open to all Central Harlem residents and will take place:
Friday June 13th
6:30-8 pm
PS 197, John B. Russwurm School
2230 5th Ave (between 135th & 136th Streets)
Manhattan
Childcare and Spanish translation will be provided.
CB9 Transportation Committee on Monday, June 16th
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Drawing of Ocean and Parkside Ave intersection with curb extensions, bollards and a raised median to make crossing safer and easier for pedestrians.
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Do you live in Prospect Lefferts Gardens or Southern Crown Heights? Do you want safer, easier access to Prospect Park? On Monday June 16th, PLG Public Works will present a traffic calming proposal for the intersections of Ocean Avenue and Parkside Avenue, and Ocean Avenue and Lincoln Road, to the Brooklyn Community Board 9 Transportation Committee. Since DOT is currently studying these intersections in conjunction with the Park's planned Lakeside Center, this is a great time to ask for improvements that increase safety for pedestrians and cyclists entering the Park.
Monday, June 16th
Community Board 9 Transportation Committee Meeting
7 pm
890 Nostrand Ave (between President Street and Carroll Street)
Brooklyn
Select Bus Service Community Forum
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New York City's first "Select Bus Service" route opens along Pelham Parkway and Fordham Road at the end of June.
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In order to promote the June 29th launch of Select Bus Service, NYC DOT and New York City Transit have been holding community meetings along the soon-to-be-speedy BX 12 route.
The agencies have already presented to Bronx CBs 6, 7, 10 and 11 and will present to CB 5 on the 18th. If you can attend the meeting, be sure to speak out for bus priority and service upgrades in the Bronx and citywide.
Wednesday, June 18th
6 pm
The Davidson Community Center
2038 Davidson Avenue (just off Burnside Avenue)
The Bronx
Cross Bay Bridge Temporarily Closed to Bikes and Peds
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Image courtesy Richard Drdul on flickr.
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The
Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge, which connects Broad Channel, Queens to the Rockaways, is temporarily closed to cyclists and pedestrians due to construction that is anticipated to be complete by late summer 2008. During construction the MTA is providing shuttle service for bicyclists and pedestrians. The shuttle operates from 7 am-9 pm, making two trips an hour from each side of the bridge, generally leaving Broad Channel on the hour and half-hour and leaving the Rockaways 15 and 45 minutes after the hour.
Cyclists and pedestrians may wish to take the Marine Parkway Bridge during construction if their trips permit.
Brooklyn Greenway Initiative Summer Benefit
Join the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative at their summer benefit on Wednesday, June 25th for cocktails, hor d'oeuvres and live music as the sun sets over New York Harbor.
Wednesday, June 25th
6-8 pm
The Terrace at 1 Brooklyn Bridge Park
Furman Street and Joralemon Street
Brooklyn
You can purchase tickets at brooklyngreenway.org/gala08.htm.
If you have any questions, Contact Brian McCormick at bmccormick@brooklyngreenway.org or 718-522-0193.
Job Openings at America Bikes and UPROSE
America Bikes, the coalition of national bicycling and trail advocacy groups working to boost federal government investment in cycling, is seeking a well-organized, experienced professional to serve as its Campaign Director. The position will be based in Washington D.C.
You can find the full job description and application details here.
UPROSE, the United Puerto Rican Organization of Sunset Park, is now hiring for an Environmental Justice Policy Analyst/Deputy Director. Please see their website for a position summary.
Skyscraper Classic
This Sunday, June 15th, head to Harlem for the 35th Annual
Skyscraper Classic Criterium. It's always an afternoon of world-class bike racing and this year will be no different. Children and community races start at noon, amateurs at 1 pm, pro women at 2 pm, messengers at 3:30 pm, and pro men at 4 pm.
Sunday, June 15th
Marcus Garvey Park
120-124th Streets (between Madison and Fifth Avenues)
Manhattan
For more info go to harlemrocks.com.
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