 |
|
A few lawmakers stand between you and a sensible subway fare. Take action.
|
Articles and Actions
Events and Alerts
Seven State Senators to Raise Fares and Slash Service
|
|
This weekend, hundreds of New Yorkers took action to save transit. Have you done your part?
|
Based on the track records of Albany and the MTA, it's often hard to guess whose monkey-wrenching has sabotaged transit, but this time around it's plain as day. Seven State Senators--four from Brooklyn and three from the Bronx--are sticking it to millions of straphangers despite everyone else's best efforts.
Democrats Carl Kruger, Ruben Diaz, Pedro Espada, Kevin Parker and Ruth Hassell-Thompson are breaking with their party because they can't understand why drivers should pay their fair share. They refuse to work with the Governor, the State Assembly, the MTA or their constituents. And Republicans Martin Golden and Frank Padavan, two usually-independent-minded politicians, refuse to break with their party leadership and do the right thing because they're suddenly afraid to rock the boat.
For weeks, Transportation Alternatives has been in Albany and on street corners trying to make sure that State Senators listen to their transit-taking constituents, but these seven won't. In the past few weeks, T.A. organizers have hit the streets and convinced more than 900 New Yorkers to send handwritten letters to their State Senators, but these seven don't care.
Sadly, at this point, they're looking like lost causes. So it's up to State Senate leader Malcolm Smith to do everything in his power to find the votes he needs to make sure that these recalcitrant seven don't raise fares and slash service for eight million straphangers.
In the meantime, you can help.
Take Action!
If you've been frustrated with Albany lawmakers dragging their feet on funding transit and stopping the pending fare hikes and service cuts, join your fellow New Yorkers on Wednesday, March 18th in a day of action in our state's capital. We'll meet face-to-face with New York City lawmakers and you'll have a chance to tell them, "Fund transit now!" A bus will leave from Manhattan in the morning and will return in the early evening. Go to ga3.org/campaign/albany_2009 for details.
If you can't make it on Wednesday, you can take action right now by sending a message to Governor Paterson and your state representatives.
If you have time to send an even stronger message, pick up the phone, call State Senate leader Malcolm Smith at 212-298-5585 and tell him that he's responsible for shepherding this bill through the State Senate.
If one of these seven irresponsible State Senators represents you, be sure to give them a call and let them know how you feel about funding the MTA.
Blood on the Streets, City Asleep
More than one month after preschoolers Diego Martinez and Haley Ng were killed on a Chinatown sidewalk by a delivery driver who neglected to put his van into park, their families and friends rallied at the Manhattan District Attorney's office to demand that Robert Morgenthau convene a grand jury to fully investigate the case.
Scattered throughout the crowd of about 70 people were signs asking, "Where's the justice?" Indeed, where is it?
This high-profile tragedy is just the tip of the iceberg. Every 36 hours one New Yorker is killed in traffic and 300 more are injured. Worse still, those who are tasked with keeping streets safe by enforcing the law refuse to take action. That's why we're asking you to get involved and sign-on to this letter to the editors of the New York Daily News.
From the NYPD's enforcement efforts and investigatory tactics, to the internal policies of each borough's district attorney's office, to the laws that govern our streets issued from on-high in Albany, there are countless changes that could be instituted to help counter dangerous driving and people need to know about them.
Other cities around the country have more sensible laws, better policies and smarter technologies that save lives and foster a community of safety and respect on the streets. New York City needs to take notice and make changes, and you need to help.
Take Action!
We've drafted a letter to the editors of the New York Daily News explaining why enough is enough. We want you to sign on and forward it to your friends and family. The more signatures we get, the clearer it will be that street safety is an important issue for New Yorkers: one the Daily News ought to follow and that the City needs to take seriously.
Many Seniors Left Out of City Safety Efforts
|
|
Since 2003, T.A.'s Safe Routes for Seniors campaign has worked to provide the elderly with more time to cross the street and stronger measures to slow cars down.
|
Just over a year ago, Mayor Bloomberg announced the City's Safe Streets for Seniors program to bring safety improvements to streetscapes in senior-rich neighborhoods. It should be a familiar concept to T.A. members; our five-year-old Safe Routes for Seniors initiative gave the DOT a good roadmap to follow.
A new T.A. report, Walk the Walk (PDF), highlights what the City is doing right, and where their efforts are falling short. The report shows some disturbing cracks in how the Safe Streets for Seniors target areas are selected. By focusing only on intersections and streets where seniors have been injured or killed by motor vehicles, huge areas where seniors actually live have been omitted.
On the Lower East Side, some of the densest concentrations of senior citizens in the city have not been included in the nearby Safe Streets district, a trend repeated at locations across all five boroughs.
T.A. will be working closely with senior citizen activists and the DOT to better target improvements, and make sure areas where seniors live and walk in large numbers get their fair share of this vital new program.
Friday Night: Queens Boulevard Bike-Pool
|
|
Join us on Friday for some advocacy enroute. Image courtesy Joshua Lott for The New York Times.
|
Tired of taking Queens Boulevard by yourself? On Friday night, join T.A. and a dozen-or-so cyclists for the Queens Boulevard Bike-Pool.
It's a great event that calls attention to the need for safer cycling facilities along one of Queens' most heavily-traveled streets. You can meet some fun people, send a message and get home safely all in one after-work ride.
Queens Boulevard Bike-Pool
Friday, March 13th
6:30 pm
Base of the Queensboro Bridge, Queens Side
March 23rd Member Drinks: A View from Amsterdam
|
|
At the next Member Drinks, Henry Cutler of WorkCycles will share some insights from Amsterdam.
|
Talk, learn and be merry! At the next Member Drinks, Henry Cutler of WorkCycles will lead a short discussion on how to get the other 99% of New Yorkers on bikes, bringing insights from Amsterdam and exciting ideas on how to make bicycles a regular part of everyday life.
Henry Cutler is a New Yorker who has been living in Amsterdam for most of the past decade. He is a longtime cyclist and the founder and director of WorkCycles, a firm specializing in the development, production and sales of special utility bicycles for commercial, family and individual use. See Henry's blog at bakfiets-en-meer.nl.
Admission is $10 and drinks are on us! Member Drinks is open to all T.A. members. Not a T.A. member? Join at the door at a discounted price! As a special bonus, Crumpler will offer 40% off merchandise for T.A. members at the event.
Space is limited, so please e-mail membership@transalt.org to RSVP.
Discussion with Henry Cutler
Monday, March 23th
7:30-9 pm
The Crumpler Store
49 8th Ave (between Jane St & West 4th St)
Manhattan
Meet the TEAM T.A. All Stars
|
|
Meet one of the first members of the inaugural TEAM T.A., Carolyn Braff!
|
Carolyn has been a cyclist since the day her father put her in a bike seat. She figured, "I can do this!" and the rest is history. Born in Philadelphia, where she continues to cycle with her father on occasional weekends, she is now a resident of the East Village and has been a proud T.A. member since 2004.
Although she splits her time between biking and marathon training, cycling will always be her first love, and the NYC Century Bike Tour is one of her favorite rides. She has completed the full Century a handful of times and expects to do so again in 2009. She joined TEAM T.A. to raise T.A.'s profile among her peers, and just as importantly, to help raise funds to secure a fruitful, green future for New York City.
Why don't you join her on TEAM T.A., get a great jersey and help us raise money at the NYC Century Bike Tour.
Block Party NYC Applications Available!
|
|
Click here to watch a StreetFilm about last year's Block Parties.
|
Block Party NYC is coming back for its second summer of mini-grants to neighborhood parties, and this year we're focusing on neighbors who are already working to improve their street.
If you're a New York City resident involved in an effort to transform your street into a livable place and would like the assistance of a professional Urban Planner and the T.A. staff, fill out an application today!
Block Party NYC Applications Available!
Monday, March 16th
10 am
blockpartynyc.org
Register your Bike Month NYC Event
May is Bike Month. Got a great Bike Month NYC event to share? A waterfront tour? A high-hill climb? An adventure unthought of? Or something else entirely? The easiest way to register it is online at BikeMonthNYC.org/register.
Share your Bike Month NYC fun with the world!
2009 Bicycle Film Festival Call for Entries
Mark your calendars. The Bicycle Film Festival will be in NYC from June 17th-21st. If you have a bike movie and want to show it, why not submit it? They've extended the deadline to Tuesday, March 17th, 2009.
Check out the website for more info and the entry form:
bicyclefilmfestival.com
"Pedaling Revolution"
Join Jeff Mapes, author of Pedaling Revolution, Aaron Naparstek of StreetsBlog and Paul Steely White of Transportation Alternatives for a lively conversation about cycling and the advocates across the country who are trying to improve American cities for cyclists.
"Pedaling Revolution"
Friday, March 13th
7 pm
Housing Works Bookstore and Cafe
126 Crosby Street
Manhattan
NYCBridgeReport on Twitter
So what if the snow's over (it is over, right?) Follow T.A.'s NYCBridgeReport on Twitter to find out about construction, detours and other bike-commute-clogging circumstances.
twitter.com/nycbridgereport
