On Broadway!

Protected bike lanes will soon join bright lights on Broadway. Image courtesy David McLean on flickr.

The song goes, "They say the neon lights are bright. They say there's magic in the air." And although it may not rhyme, the DOT has just added to that venerable list of things "On Broadway" pedestrian amenities and a cycle-track.

On May 29th Manhattan Community Board 5 unanimously approved a DOT proposal to remove two travel lanes and create a seven-foot wide cycle-track accompanied by pedestrian amenities that encourage sitting and people-watching along Broadway from 42nd Street to 35th Street.

These formerly unremarkable seven blocks will now connect Times Square to Herald Square, and with a bit more work they could connect all the way to the redesigned Madison Square Park and create one of Manhattan's finest public spaces.

Williamsburg Walks

Williamsburg's crowded walkways will get much-needed breathing room on four Saturday's this summer. Image courtesy drayton in Brooklyn on flickr.

On July 19th, July 26th, August 2nd and August 9th, Brooklyn's Bedford Avenue, from Metropolitan Avenue to North 9th Street, will be closed to cars. From 11 am-7 pm, neighbors and visitors to Williamsburg's main street will be able to come together, shop, stroll, and socialize in an area unobstructed by traffic.

The exciting new program, called Williamsburg Walks, was developed by stakeholders in the North Brooklyn community with the guidance of Transportation Alternatives and overwhelmingly approved by the community board and the DOT.

Although it is only an experimental, temporary street closure, Williamsburg Walks bodes well for North Brooklyn residents and other livable streets supporters throughout New York City. Low cost, common sense car-free days like this one are a sure-fire way to show New Yorkers that not all street-closures are street fairs and that pedestrian promenades are a great way of invigorating an area.

If you have Williamsburg Walks programming ideas contact ccolvin@blenderbox.com.

If you want to learn how replicate this program in your neighborhood contact lindsey@transalt.org.

Albany to City Bus Riders: Drop Dead

Assembly Member David Gantt has once again condemned NYC transit takers to blocked bus lanes and slower commutes.

With the wounds of congestion pricing just starting to heal, Albany again attacked New York City's mass transit riding majority by sinking a bill aimed at improving bus commutes for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers.

The legislation, which would have created a bus lane enforcement camera demonstration program along the city's new Select Bus Service routes, was killed in committee by long-time enforcement camera obstructionist Assembly Member David Gantt (D- Rochester).

Bus lane enforcement cameras have proven themselves the world over. In London, the cameras have helped reduce the length of an average bus trip by ten minutes, decreased bus wait times have by 15%, increased bus speeds by 12.6%, and decreased bus lane violations by 60%, according to Transport for London reports.

Considering bus enforcement cameras' proven track record of success, the backing of scores of top-tier advocacy groups and a home rule message of support from the New York City Council, it is appalling, yet strangely predictable, that an Assembly Member from Rochester would find it appropriate to meddle in City affairs and sink a bill whose myriad time-saving benefits would have encouraged New Yorkers to commute more often by transit and leave their cars at home.

The Real Price of Parking

With the curb completely occupied, deliveries are made from a travel lane, endangering bicyclists, pedestrians and motorists alike.

Even if you don't own a car, you pay the price of parking in NYC. All New Yorkers pay for it. We pay in traffic congestion, dangerous double parking and air pollution from cars circling for elusive, under-priced curbside spots.

A new T.A. study, Driven to Excess (PDF), documents just how much one New York City neighborhood, the Upper West Side of Manhattan, pays for the 366,000 miles of needless driving done each year in search of parking on Columbus Avenue. Those are 366,000 miles-- about a one-way trip to the moon--driven by cars that have already reached their destination, and that total amount of miles driven produces about 325 tons of Carbon Dioxide, or 65,000 trees worth of offset.

To cut down on parking-related traffic congestion and reduce the real cost of parking to New York City neighborhoods, T.A. is pushing for higher metered rates during peak hours in order to reduce demand, and for running meters later in the evening. We've been encouraging the DOT to move forward with Performance Parking reforms and helping business and civic leaders push change from their end as well.

After Washington D.C. embraced similar reforms earlier this year, they almost immediately began reaping the benefits of less traffic, better business and safer streets. We can do the same right here in New York.

You can view the full report here: Driven to Excess (PDF)

Complete Your Street at the 2008 T.A. Summer Benefit

Design the 21st Century Street

T.A.'s "Designing the 21st Century Street" is an open design competition that asks participants to redesign the intersection of 9th Street and 4th Avenue in Brooklyn with a new conceptual and physical approach to public space in mind.

In rethinking how streets work, the competition will explore ways to make our city more sustainable from an environmental point of view and to reestablish the importance of streets in creating healthy, safe and prosperous communities.

The competition will conclude with an exhibit in a public place (to be determined) in December, 2008. A publication will also be produced to highlight entries with significant merit that may not have been included in the exhibition.

The competition is open to the public, and sponsored by Transportation Alternatives, with cash prizes ranging from $1000 to $6000.

All questions and communication regarding participation in the competition should be directed to Will Sherman at contact@21stcenturystreet.org.

Cycling Risk Assessment Study

The New York Cycle Club is conducting a survey to gather bicycling crash information. If you have had a minor or major crash, or observed one in New York or far away, please click here to enter a survey response.

The results of this ongoing world-wide survey will eventually be compiled, analyzed, and published by the NYCC.

For more details and contact information go to nycc.org/ras.

Volunteer for T.A. in July

Make friends, help out and have fun volunteering for T.A. this summer.

Sign up to help with the NYC Century
This July, we're gearing up for the 19th Annual NYC Century Bike Tour. The Century is T.A.'s biggest fundraiser, the only urban Century in the U.S., and cannot be pulled off without hundreds of volunteers. Visit nyccentury.org/volunteer to check out all the exciting volunteer opportunities. You can sign up for all sorts of fun pre-event tasks, to become a riding marshal or to work as a rest stop volunteer.

Sunday, September 7th and plenty of days before
All day long
All over NYC

Magazine Mailing
Come by to help stuff, seal and stamp T.A. membership and campaign materials. Snacks, pizza, soda and beer will be available! Come down and meet fellow volunteers and get to know the staff. Note: Mailing parties are generally held on the second and last Wednesday of every month, but July's off-schedule magazine mailings require extra help! Please send a note to Oksana at volunteer@transalt.org if you can come to the July 16th magazine mailing.

Wednesday, July 16th
6-9 pm
T.A. Office
127 West 26th Street, Suite 1002

Bicycle for a Day

Bicycle for a Day (BFAD) is a charitable foundation and a day of observance committed to the preservation of the environment. It is designed to inspire individuals, communities, governments and corporations to take a step towards solving current environmental issues. BFAD is a global initiative bringing together people who choose to ride a bicycle rather than use gas-powered motor vehicles. And on September 20th, BFAD is officially launching at Manhattan's South Street Seaport by asking New Yorkers to do one simple thing: choose to ride a bicycle.

Mark your calendars: Together we can make a difference.

For more information go to bicycleforaday.org

Register Now and Save on the NYC Century Bike Tour