T.A. StreetBeat

T.A. StreetBeat

February 18th, 2010

Change is coming to Manhattan's East Side. Image courtesy of jweiss3.

Articles and Actions

The East Side Revolution
Whack-a-Toll
The Office of Road Safety

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Events and Alerts

Vote Bike Buddy!
Bike Month NYC: Call for Events
Teachers, Students and Livable Streets
Ride with Team T.A.

T.A. in the News

"In their hunt for rules that would permit a crackdown on Critical Mass, the NYPD has seriously restricted the freedom and mobility of New York City's fastest-growing mode of transportation. I cannot think of a policy more at odds with the City's otherwise laudable efforts to increase bicycling. A group of bicyclists doesn't obstruct traffic any more than a group of motorists. Bicyclists ARE traffic."

Paul Steely White quoted in "Judge:'Parade Permit' Law Doesn't Violate First Amendment" Gothamist, 2/16

The East Side Revolution

Manhattan's East Side will soon see some transformative transportation changes. Image courtesy of jweiss3.

First and Second Avenues are about to get a whole lot better for bikers, walkers and transit takers.

In response to T.A.'s East Side campaign, the Department of Transportation has committed to building better bus, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure from South Ferry to 125th Street. Included in the agency's plans are bike lanes, bus lanes and improved pedestrian crossings that will not only make these notoriously congested avenues safer, but also better-performing.

Though the DOT has yet to identify the exact configurations it will use when construction begins this June, all of the possibilities are huge improvements over the order-less mess that now rules the roads in this part of Manhattan, and we commend them, as well as the Volunteer Committee members, community stakeholders, local politicians and countless activists who helped the plan come together.

To ensure that this wave of street reform doesn't simply splash on to two avenues and wash away, Transportation Alternatives is organizing an East Side Streets Coalition to help spread these changes. With the support of T.A.'s Volunteer Committees, citizens and civic organizations from East Harlem to Chinatown, the East Side Coalition plans to push for streets that reduce pedestrian and cyclist injuries and fatalities from vehicle crashes by 50% in the next decade.

Take Action

Visit the East Side Streets Coalition website to take an online survey about current conditions and future possibilities, find out about upcoming community workshops and join the Coalition.

Whack-a-Toll

This Dude may not be a State Legislator, but sometimes he sure acts like one.

Either animatronic rodents have long been extinct in Albany or State Legislators have yet to learn their invaluable lesson: no matter how many times you whack, a good idea always come back.

Certainly this is the case with tolling and road pricing as a revenue generator for New York City's cash-strapped transit authority. Despite two hard-fought campaigns to institute a charge on vehicles entering Manhattan – one proposed by Mayor Bloomberg and the other by a Blue Ribbon Panel of experts appointed by Governor Paterson – the State Legislature thought it could outthink the experts with a payroll tax, which has not only proved unpopular, but ineffective.

Now, with an $800 million gap in its operating budget, a $10 billion dollar hole in its five-year construction plan, talk of $100 unlimited-ride MetroCards, subsidies for school kids on the chopping block and service cuts around the corner, tolls are back.

We can only hope that Senators and Assembly members are finally ready to stop whacking the toll. It's time for them to make the tough choice, institute road pricing, fund transit and serve their constituents, instead of their own auto-centric interests.

If they don't, it'll be back. That's just the way the game works.

The Office of Road Safety

Read it and weep, troublesome traffic.

Last week, Councilmember Jessica Lappin introduced a piece of legislation that would create a multi-agency office focused on street design, education, research and enforcement.

The idea, which first appeared as a recommendation in T.A.'s groundbreaking study Executive Order (PDF), would not only bring together the Police, DOT and each District Attorney's office, who work as first responders to street troubles, but also the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, an agency known for rigorous analysis and forward-looking strategy.

As T.A. executive director Paul Steely White said to StreetsBlog last week, “Every time these agencies have sat around the same table, it has yielded huge gains for street safety. We need to institute and formalize this coordination."

Indeed, if an integrated Office of Road Safety were to become a significant part of New York City's transportation-policy culture, great things would come to pass, but if the office were shelved, underfunded or ignored, this exciting proposal will join the long list of amazing ideas born in New York and made better elsewhere.

Bike Month NYC: Call for Events

Tricycle race? Culinary bike tour? Beach ride? Repair class? No matter what you or you group has planned for this year's Bike Month, we want to know all about it, and make sure it's listed in the official Bike Month calendar.

The easiest way to register your event is with the online registration form at BikeMonthNYC.org. If you register before March 1st, your event will make the print edition. After that, it's online only, so fill out the form today!

Teachers, Students and Livable Streets

Livable Streets Education is starting up a brand new teacher-training initiative aimed at bringing Livable Streets issues into elementary, middle and high school curriculums. Using the streets outside schools as a laboratory, LSE develops K-12 inquiry-based lessons designed to weave pertinent ideas about urban livability with school day Learning Standards.

Teachers can attend professional development programs the evenings of March 9th, 10th, or 11th. Free dinner is included at each of the trainings and we will provide hands-on experience and step-by-step guidance to make it easy to bring these lessons to life with your students.

For more information and to register visit StreetsTeacherTraining.eventbrite.com