T.A. StreetBeat


	July 15th, 2010

Prospect Park West's new bike lane has pushed some neighborhood residents past the point of reason.

Articles and Actions

The NIMFY Problem
Dot an I, Cross a T, Save a Life
A New Kind of March on Union Square

Events and Alerts

Harlem, Come out and Play...
We're hiring!
NYC Century

T.A. in the News

Paul Steely White, Executive Director of T.A., said the bill will be a critical step toward solving the problem of careless driving. He noted that more New Yorkers are killed from speeding and reckless driving than drunk driving. Senator Daniel Squadron credits T.A. as "the ones who really thought of the policy solutions specifically."

-The Epoch Times, 07/13

The NIMFY Problem

"Not In My Front Yard," they say, which is only part of PPW's NIMFY problem.

As a grassroots, member-supported organization deeply invested in community-based planning, we're all for friendly neighborhood discourse -- even the occasional furious disagreement -- but lately a group of Park Slope residents has embarked on a campaign of misinformation and slander that seems right out of Karl Rove's playbook.

"Not in my front yard!" they're screaming about the new Prospect Park West bike lane, while claiming it was forced down the neighborhood's throat, installed without warning and that it's a "danger to pedestrians and cyclists."

Yikes. Where to begin?

The Department of Transportation installed the two-way traffic-protected bike lane as a pilot project on Prospect Park West from Grand Army Plaza to 15th Street with the encouragement of 1,500 petition signatories, the local Community Board, two well-known neighborhood groups and both of the area's City Councilmembers. T.A. trumpeted the lane for months, and it received a good deal of media coverage long before this brouhaha, so if people were unaware or felt uninformed, it is more likely a product of their own inattention than some sort of malevolent cabal.

As for safety concerns, the DOT's study is still underway -- that's part of the pilot program -- but if other bike lanes around the city are any indication, the street will get a whole lot safer. On Manhattan's 8th Avenue, the installation of a bike lane reduced crashes by over 50 percent and reduced injuries for all street users -- cyclists, pedestrians and drivers, by 51 percent. Anecdotally, the rave reviews from cyclists, pedestrians, pundits, neighborhood cranks and motorists that have appeared on message boards, in local papers and on the wall of a quickly growing Facebook group indicate that the lane is doing its job. If it's not, the City will soon find out.

In the meantime, we urge you to join this Facebook group, sign this petition and contact Councilmember Brad Lander about the Prospect Park West bike lane. Tell the Councilmember what you think of the lane and be honest. Informed facts, hard data and community input are an essential part of any good planning process. Absent those, you've got yourself a NIMFY problem.

Dot an I, Cross a T, Save a Life

State Senator Dan Squadron stands with the mothers of Hayley Ng and Diego Martinez, two preschoolers killed by a van on a Chinatown sidewalk.

Police and District Attorneys may soon have a new law to charge and prosecute drivers who kill or injure pedestrians and cyclists -- Governor Paterson's pen is all that stands between a slap on the wrist and the Hayley Ng and Diego Martinez Law. This landmark legislation expands and creates new penalties for the reckless and careless driving that claims the lives of hundreds of cyclists and pedestrians each year. It passed both the Assembly and Senate in June. On Tuesday, T.A. joined with victims' families and elected officials to remind Governor Paterson he has a bill to sign.

But to be heard upstate and above the din of the budget crisis, T.A. needs your voice in the mix. We're urging all supporters of safer streets to set a louder alarm for Governor Paterson -- let him know you want safer streets.

"What we can do when we're here today is send a message to drivers that being careless in a car will now have consequences," bill co-sponsor Senator Daniel Squadron told the crowd at Tuesday's rally. Assemblymember Brian Kavanagh, who sponsored the bill in the Assembly, said the legislation "offers a significant, practical tool to make streets safer for millions of New Yorkers." As these legislative leaders urge Governor Paterson to sign the bill into law, T.A. needs you to speak up. We are just one John Hancock short of a New York State where drivers who are so careless as to injure or kill face real consequences; let Governor's Paterson know what that means to you.

Take Action: Call Governor Paterson and remind him that the Hayley Ng and Diego Martinez Bill awaits his signature.

A New Kind of March on Union Square

Rallying behind a new design for Union Square.

Union Square, historically a park of protest -- home to every rally from the fight for the weekend to the fight for the end of the war -- is about to see a return of marching masses. In the coming months, it'll be transformed from a traffic trap into a pedestrian paradise. What may be the DOT's most innovative street design to date -- an overhaul of the north side of Union Square, complete with car-free hours, a pedestrian plaza and New York's first contra-flow bike lane -- was approved by Manhattan's Community Board 5 last week in a vote of 24-1-1.

For months, Transportation Alternatives has been working with community leaders and residents to find a secure foothold for this bold design. We stood with some towering neighborhood institutions that supported the plan, from the Flatiron BID to the Union Square Greenmarket, and provided the fodder needed to win. Even a few of our esteemed board members spoke before the final vote.

Although some concessions were made along the way, the approved plan will introduce pedestrian plazas around the Square, extend the protected bike lane that flows from Broadway and make E. 17th Street a one-lane, one-way street westbound along the park, skirted by a revolutionary contraflow bike lane. T.A. will continue to support community leaders in their push to return the DOT's original proposal of a Union Square West traffic shutdown to the table and push for Broadway's protected bike path to extend past 15th Street.

The southern Union Square intersections of 14th Street also need major revision, and despite our wins in the park's north end, T.A. doesn't plan to let that issue slide.

Harlem, Come out and Play...

Harlem, the streets are your playground, at least until the end of August. The Police Athletic League's Play Streets Program just launched, and Upper Manhattan is covered in the car-free zones. Play Streets are closed to cars and open to fun, Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm, until August 20th. Check out all the locations at uptownflavor.com.

Come play with T.A. at the 104th Street Play Street this Thursday. T.A.'s partnered with the Harvest Home Farmers Market and the Strategic Alliance for Health to create a car-free place to play for the East Harlem community.

East Harlem Community Play Street
Every Thursday from July 15th to August 26th
10 am-2 pm
104th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues
Manhattan

We're hiring!

T.A. is looking for a few good advocates and some fresh creative minds to define the voice and design of your friendly, neighborhood transportation advocacy group. We're hiring a slew of community organizers to lead our transit campaign, as well as press secretary and a graphic designer with major web skills. Check out our job postings!

In seven days, the chance for a cheaper trip on the NYC Century rides away. Sign up today and save big money on registration for New York's most famous urban bike tour!