As leaves fall, traffic-protected bike lanes are springing up all over Manhattan.

A National Anthem for Livable Streets

Build for America is taking T.A.'s agenda to Washington.

T.A.'s agenda is going national. For years, neighborhood groups, local advocacy organizations and municipalities have been leading the charge for more livable streets and following the age old adage "think globally, act locally," but with energy costs soaring, infrastructure crumbling and the economy in trouble, transportation planning and spending have gained a more prominent place on the national stage.

Last week, a broad-based coalition of elected officials, policy makers, transportation agency leaders and many more gathered to announce the start of the Build for America campaign, which is committed to modernizing the nation's transportation infrastructure.

Build for America's website proclaims: "Our next President needs to get our economy moving with a bold agenda to fix our roads and bridges; build high speed trains; invest in public transit, streets safe for biking and walking and green innovation."

Transportation Alternatives couldn't agree more. Although we've been involved in the fight for smarter federal transportation policies for many, many years, we're heartened by the new-found attention that our long-held beliefs are now receiving in the national arena. We are committed to fighting for better federal funding for biking, walking and transit in the next transportation bill and every bill to follow, and we will be keeping our readers and members abreast of what they can do to help in the coming months.

Manhattan Gets Mo' Better Bike Lanes

DOT brass checking out their latest designs.

The Department of Transportation's Bike Program has unveilved three more traffic-protected bike lanes in Manhattan.

On 9th Avenue cyclists are already using the cycle-track extension from 23rd Street to 31st Street. Picking up in busy midtown and traveling 17 blocks to 14th Street, one feels magically transported to Amsterdam or Copenhagen. Since the completion of the cycle-track's first section last year, the stretch of 9th Avenue that it spans has seen a 50% decline in total injuries, a 41% decline in total crashes and a 36% decline in crashes involving pedestrians. Other traffic-protected lanes will, undoubtedly, have similar results.

The perennially parked-in bike lane on Grand Street from Varick Street to Chrystie Street will be transformed into NYC's newest cycle-track (PDF) by the end of this week. Rather than dodging and weaving on this vital, cross-town connection, cyclists will now ride along the South curb on the inside of parked cars. Motor vehicles will be confined to one travel lane, virtually unable to double park. Designated commercial loading zones will benefit the many businesses along this stretch at the heart of Little Italy.

After riding east along Grand Street on the parking protected bike lane one will eventually hit Chrystie Street, a truck route and main artery to and from the Manhattan Bridge. By the end of this week Chrystie Street will also undergo a massive makeover to benefit the walking and biking majority traveling along it. A key piece in the Manhattan Bridge Bicycle Access Network (PDF), the north-bound portion of the Chrystie Street bike lane will run curbside from Grand Street to Stanton Street.

According to a recent study done at Portland State University, cyclists are more likely to use routes with bike lanes, even if this means riding off the most direct course. The study demonstrated that even though only eight percent of Portland's streets have bike infrastructure, 51% of bike trips were on those streets. This bodes well for NYC's newest bike routes. If you are looking for the safest and most fun places to ride your bike in NYC, head over to 9th Avenue, Grand Street or Chrystie Street and take a traffic-protected spin with hundreds of other safer cyclists.

Stay tuned--8th Avenue will be NYC's next cycle-track: nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/8thave.pdf. (PDF)

Off-Street Parking in Your Backyard

If you build it, they will come.

It has happened to all of us. One day you're peacefully reading in your apartment, and the trucks pull up next door. Then the work starts. There's crashing, hammering, dust, traffic jams and trash. Just as the air clears and the scaffolding comes down, the final blow is leveled--the new building next door has suburban-style car parking. Your street is now home to a building full of folks tacitly encouraged to drive.

How could this happen in an age of traffic reduction and sustainability? Ask the Department of City Planning. Since the 1960s, they have required off-street parking in new residential buildings--as much as one space per unit. While this practice seemed like a good idea during the urban exodus of the 1960s, it's clear that 40 years later, with a million more New Yorkers on the way and an administration with an eye towards reducing traffic, improving air quality and becoming a model of sustainability, policy reform is overdue.

T.A., along with a coalition of Environmental and Planning groups, are hard at work on a new campaign to help City Planning develop a new parking strategy. The campaign was launched with "Suburbanizing the City" (PDF), a report by University of Pennsylvania planning professor Rachel Weinberger. This report mapped NYC parking requirements and found that these requirements will likely add 170,000 new cars to city streets by 2030. The second report, "Guaranteed Parking, Guaranteed Driving" (PDF), also by Professor Weinberger, reveals how the availability of a private parking spot at home encourages people to drive.

Tales of the Tour de Bronx

Watch the StreetFilm to see four thousand Tour-de-Bronx smiles.

Last Sunday, 4,000 New Yorkers joined Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión, Jr. and Transportation Alternatives for the 14th annual Tour de Bronx.

The morning was cold, but by midday, sunshine, smiles and lots of cycling had warmed everyone up. We'd like to thank everyone who helped make the ride possible, including our amazing volunteers and ride marshals, The Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation and the NYPD.

If you missed it or just want to remember the good times, check out the StreetFilm.

Adopt-a-Bike-Lane on Delancey

To draw attention to the need for a protected bike lane on Delancey Street, local activists and Williamsburg Bridge bike commuters will host a commuter bike-pool with the support of Transportation Alternatives, tomorrow evening!

Bike-pools will leave from Bowery and Delancey at regular intervals between 6-7 pm on Friday, October 24th. There will be an after-party at the City Reliquary in Williamsburg from 7-9 pm.

Click here or email bike@transalt.org to find out more about organizing an Adopt-a-Bike-Lane event in your neighborhood. See you tomorrow night!

Adopt-a-Bike-Lane
Friday, October 24th
6-7 pm
Delancey Street (from Bowery to the Williamsburg Bridge)

Click for Better Bike Parking

Lack of secure bike-parking options is the number one reason that New Yorkers do not commute to work by bike.

Bike Stop NYC, a small start up company, wants to hear from people who commute to work by bike, as well as those who would like to, in order to support their efforts to raise capital necessary to bring better bike parking options to NYC.

Take the survey at bikestopnyc.com and pass it on!

Vote!

If you're interested in how the presidential candidates might shape transportation policy in New York City, this article is a pretty good primer.

Regardless, please don't forget to vote on Tuesday, November 4th.