12/1 TA's Budnick Named to Board of Thunderhead Alliance, The Ride

11/24 Connecting the Lines: MTA studying links for plaza's transit, Daily News

11/18 Fare deals called way to go for TA, Daily News

11/7 Sea of bikers participated in 8th annual Tour de Bronx, Bronx Times Reporter

11/6 Mayor's tolls talk not swaying local politicians, The Villager

11/4 A Vow on Downtown Redevelopment: City says Olympic plans won’t hurt lower Manhattan, Newsday

11/2 Rumble Over West Side: Sides line up for stadium fight if city gets Olympics, Newsday

10/28 Olympic VIPs To Be Easy Riders, New York Post

10/27 Why Use the Park to Ease Traffic Congestion? New York Times

10/27 Where Big Rigs Roll, Howls of Dismay, New York Times

10/24 On Bridges, Raising Money but Not Blood Pressure, New York Times

10/23 East River tolls could float without Albany's OK, Daily News

10/22 Mayor Weighs Plan to Turn Over Bridges to Transit Authority, New York Times

10/20 An Old Idea, Still Rolling: Fewer Cars in the Park, New York Times

10/19 The free ride could be over: Mike talkin' tolls on E. River spans, Daily News

10/18 Big Apple Biking, The Savvy Traveler

10/13 Taking the Cross Out of Crosswalk: Bloomberg's new traffic ideas may have us dancing in the streets, Daily News

10/1 The Sum of the Parts, The Ride

10/1 NYC CityRacks Program in Gear, The Ride

10/1 The Activist: Ken Coughlin, Transportation Alternative's Car-Free Central Park Campaign, The Ride

9/29 How Traffic Lights Can Add to the Danger, New York Times Letters

9/26 Go Ride a Bike, Bronx Times Reporter

9/23 DOT Rejects Car-Free Park, Park Slope Courier

More Quotes...

Volunteer at the T.A. Holiday Party on Wednesday, December 4!

Come to the Volunteer Mailing Party, Wednesday, December 11th at 6 pm at the T.A. Office (115 West 30th, #1207). 

Paid Advocacy Internship/
Asst. to Executive Director

16 to 20 hours a week. Minimum commitment of one semester. Visit transalt.org/jobs for details.

Time on your hands? Eager to make a difference? T.A. needs folks who are retired, work part-time or between jobs to help our top-notch advocacy staff make the city a better place for bicyclists, pedestrians and transit riders.
Call 212-629-8080 or e-mail info@transalt.org.

Valet Bike Parking Volunteers Needed

Volunteer to provide valet bike parking at events throughout the year. Register online to express your interest in this opportunity.

T.A. still has two open internships: 

- Advocacy (work with T.A. program staff)
- Bicycle Advocacy

Please visit transalt.org/intern for more information.

Donations Wish List

Help cycling and walking and get a tax deduction. Donate to T.A. We need:

-Pentium II or better PCs
-Laptop computer (P 100+)
-Digital Camera
-Good chairs for conf. table or desks
-Computer Projector

Contact Matt: info@transalt.org

Do Your Part for Safer Streets!  Report:

Potholes and Hazards:
212-CALLDOT (hit 0 to speak with a human) or report them online at transalt.org/
hazard  

Sidewalk obstructions: Mayor’s Quality of Life Hotline at 888-677-LIFE/
5433

Read more about T.A.'s work to reduce street hazards at transalt.org/haz

Report Dangerous Cabs: 212-221-TAXI or report them online.

Read more about T.A.'s work to make cabs safer for pedestrians and cyclists at transalt.org/cabs

The T.A. Bulletin is a bi-weekly publication of Transportation Alternatives. The Bulletin has 23,000 subscribers.

Transportation Alternatives is a 5,000-member NYC-area non-profit citizens group working for better bicycling, walking and public transit, and fewer cars. We work for safer, calmer neighborhood streets and car-free parks. Join T.A. today!

Week of December 2, 2002

Commissioner Weinshall, Pedestrians Need Bollards!
Cabs Jump Curb--Again--Two Pedestrians Hurt

In NYC, cars jump the curb all the time. Over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, two cabs collided at 56th and Lexington and jumped the curb, striking two women, ages 31 and 41.

"The second cab stopped on the pavement near the southeast corner, its driver-side door was smashed in, with a deflated air bag visible on the seat and shards of glass and metal strewn in the street. The other cab was across the street on the northeast corner, its front end crushed after striking the metal barrier next to a fire hydrant. The accident jolted scores of pedestrians on the traditional first day of the holiday shopping season. One person who watched the accident unfold from a hair salon nearby said she heard screams and a loud crash, and then saw a woman's body thrown into the air." [read full text]

Interestingly, further pedestrian causulties were  prevented because one of the cabs collided with a steel bollard protecting a fire hydrant. In NYC, phone booths and fire hydrants are protected by bollards--pedestrians are not. Despite hundreds of curb jumping incidents a year, the Department of Transportation refuses to install bollards or other barriers in crowed pedestrian precincts with histories of cars jumping curbs: 14th Street to 60th Street; Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn; Roosevelt Avenue in Queens, etc. Only a year ago, on December 27, 2001, seven pedestrians were killed by an out of control van in Herald Square. Many were on the sidewalk. Unfortunately, it could easily happen again.

T.A. 12/28/01 as quoted in NY Times and NY Daily News:
"Nothing can stop a driver from going out of control. But steel bollards like those protecting City Hall, phone booths and fire hydrants, can stop out-of-control vehicles in their tracks."

At Deadline
Car Crashes into BX Post Office Killing Woman

A driver lost control of her Buick sedan and the car plunged 15 feet into the Clason Point Post Office. An 82-year-old woman was killed; a 14-month-old boy suffered lacerations to his head; a 31-year-old woman suffered cuts to the head; and a 47-year-old woman suffered injuries to her hips and legs. No charges were filed—they never are.

Install Bollards to Protect Pedestrians from Curb Jumping Killers

Fax DOT Commissioner Iris Weinshall and ask her to have sturdy bollards installed at dense pedestrian sidewalk corners--especially those with a history of vehicles striking pedestrians on the sidewalk. Use the easy form below. If your e-mail program does not support forms, simply visit this page online.

Subject:

Dear Commissioner Weinshall:

Please install sturdy bollards to protect pedestrians in Midtown Manhattan and other dense pedestrian areas that have a history of vehicles striking pedestrians on the sidewalk. On average, 10 pedestrians a year are killed and 200 injured by cars jumping the curb. Bollards are used to protect phone booths and fire hydrants. Please give pedestrians the same level of protection. Thank you,

Name:
Street address:
City:
State: Zip:
E-mail:  

Please include your full contact information so that your message will be treated as official correspondence! Your message will be faxed to Commissioner Weinshall and e-mailed to Transportation Alternatives. If your e-mail program does not support forms, please visit this page online.

Read more about T.A.'s work to reclaim the sidewalks.

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T.A. Poll: Menacing Cars

Are you menaced or bullied by motorists while walking or biking in NYC?  Every Day  A Few Times a Week  A Few Times a Month  Seldom  Never View Current Results

How often do you feel threatened by traffic in New York City? 

All polls are anonymous. If your e-mail program does not support forms, simply visit this page online to participate in this poll.

Read more about pedestrian and bicycle advocacy.

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- New northbound bike lane on Clinton St - Existing bike lanes on Clinton, Henry and Union

New Bike Lanes on Clinton Street & Avenue C

Last month, the DOT laid down new bikes lanes on Avenue C (between 4th & 14th Streets) in Manhattan and Clinton Street (from Hamilton Avenue, connecting to the existing bike lane at Joralemon Street, which extends to Cadman Plaza) in Brooklyn.

The Clinton Street bike lane is a key route from Red Hook, Gowanus, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights to Downtown Brooklyn and Manhattan. The lane runs up the west side of Clinton Street, defining safe space for cyclists, who sail past motorists stuck in traffic. At Joralemon, a dashed line leads cyclists diagonally through the intersection, where the bike lane continues on the east curb of Clinton Street. From Joralemon to Cadman Plaza there is no parking adjacent to the bike lane, and cyclists ride without the threat of being doored by a parked car. While the dashed line is a nice gesture, the DOT should consider moving the bike lane to the west side of the street between Joralemon and Cadman Plaza.

Unlike the Clinton Street lane, the Avenue C bike lane is less successful. The transit-deprived East Village has always been rich with cyclists and cycling culture. But the new Avenue C bike lane stops short of linking cyclists with either the Williamsburg Bridge or the East River Greenway at Stuyvesant Cove (19th Street). The Avenue C bike lane should be extended north of 14th Street and there should be a signed route between the bike lane and the Williamsburg Bridge bike/ped path. Bike lanes on either Avenue A or D, which are much wider than Avenue C, would serve more cyclists and make the street safer by narrowing the travel lane for motor vehicles.

Read more about bike lanes.

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NYC Comptroller Blasts DOT Pothole Fiasco

50% of NYC streets are unacceptably potholed

Last week, NYC Comptroller William Thompson blasted the DOT's failure to fix potholes, maintain smooth streets and monitor contractors [ read T.A.'s June 2002 E-Bulletin "Streets in Shambles"]. Citywide, it took the DOT an average of 57 days to repair potholes, though it took an average of 98 days in The Bronx and 73 days in Brooklyn. The audit revealed that 34% of the pothole repairs assigned had already been completed and 30% of repaired potholes were not recorded. According to Thompson the DOT "does not have adequate measures in place to ensure that potholes are repaired in an efficient and timely manner."

It takes an average of 98 days to fix a pothole in The Bronx

It's no surprise that the Fund for the City of New York's study "How Smooth are New York City Streets" found that half of the city's streets unacceptably potholed and hazard riddled. In contrast, the Mayor's Management Report rated 0.5% of streets in 'poor' condition.

Read more about T.A.'s work on street hazard reduction.

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Straphangers and T.A. Propose Fairer Fares

In mid-November, the Straphangers Campaign released the first-ever in-depth report on NYC subway and bus fare discounts and called on transit officials to adopt several new discounts.

• 5-day "flexible" MetroCard good for non-consecutive days of unlimited rides.
• replacement of lost or stolen MetroCards.
• 14-day unlimited-ride MetroCard.
• Lower the base fare from $1.50 to $1.40 by ending the 10% bonus $15 pay-per-ride MetroCards.

Promote TransitChek!: the report also called on state, city and transit officials to increase participation in "TransitChek," a program that lowers fares by saving workers $400 or more a year in transit tax breaks on their purchase of MetroCards. Only 23% of employed survey respondents say that their employer offers TransitChek.

The new discounts could be implemented without costing the transit system additional revenue and would make subways and buses more convenient to use, increase ridership and make MetroCard discounts more accessible to lower-income riders.

The 63-page report was based on a comprehensive telephone survey of 800 New Yorkers conducted in September 2002 that showed that riders are strongly interested in MetroCard improvements.

Currently, city riders can buy MetroCards good for one, seven or thirty consecutive days of unlimited rides, as well as get a 10% bonus for buying $15 or more on a pay-per-ride MetroCard. These discounts were introduced five years ago in July 1997 with the start of free MetroCard transfers between buses and subways.

The report estimated that the new discounts would be revenue neutral for the transit system through a detailed analysis of respondent's current travel and purchasing patterns and their likely commuting with the recommended new discounts. The survey was conducted for the Straphangers Campaign and Transportation Alternatives by Bruce Schaller, a widely-respected analyst who has worked for the New York City Transit Authority and the Taxi and Limousine Commission. The survey was funded through a grant from the J.M. Kaplan Fund.

Read more about T.A.'s work for better transit.

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DOT and Community Ignorance Puts Traffic Before School Kids
More Street Capacity = More Traffic
(Based on reporting in The New York Times.)

For 30 years, 84th Street between Madison Avenue and Park Avenue has been car-free while the St. Ignatius Loyola School was in session. But according to principal Grace Cavallo, the DOT is allowing motor vehicles back on the street both because of complaints from "influential neighbors" who have complained about traffic congestion and honking and a city study that found that many eastbound cars have been forced to make a detour north on Madison Avenue. DOT Manhattan Commissioner Margaret Forgione attributed the decision to the recent raft of complaints and the city's mounting volume of traffic. (Forgione and neighborhood car lovers are apparently unaware of the massive wealth of information, including the British Government's SACTRA report which shows that increasing motor vehicle capacity in an area of high driving demand increases traffic. More Roads = More Cars). According to DOT's Forgione "We feel that this school, especially because it is located in a critical place because of the traffic, should be treated as most schools in New York," she said.

Parents said the street would end up being a major thoroughfare for cars heading east as they spill out from a Central Park transverse road onto 84th Street. They said that when 84th Street is open, drivers accelerate to catch green lights on both southbound and northbound Park Avenue, which is divided by a traffic island. The school has history on its side. Two days after a barricade that had been used for years was removed from this spot in 1987, a 6-year-old girl was struck by a car, though not seriously hurt. The barricade went back up later that day and has been there since.

Principal Cavallo has promised to fight the closing by bringing parents and children to the DOT. You can help by visiting the school's Web site and participating in their letter-writing campaign. Please Cc the school and Transportation Alternatives on any letters you send.

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Fall 2002 T.A. Magazine  
This issue is being mailed to all T.A. members. It includes news on bicycle, pedestrian and car-free Central Park and Prospect Park, sensible transportation, features and much, much more! View the Table of Contents or request a copy!

MAD AS HELL?  DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Call the Mayor's Quality of Life Action Line (real people 24 hrs a day): 888-677-5433 or 888-677-LIFE.

POTHOLES, STREET HAZARDS GOT YOU IN A RUT?

Call DOT at 212-225-5368 and hit 0 to skip the message and speak with a human. You can also report them online at transalt.org/
hazard.

STAY SMART & INFORMED

Savvy transit riders get their lowdown on the subways here:

straphangers
.org
The ultimate source for bus and subway service changes, rider comments and complaints that produce action. Help yourself and T.A.’s favorite transit advocates. Check it out.

Sensible Transport Junkies:

Subscribe to the Tri-State Transportation Campaign’s e-weekly, Mobilizing the Region.  tstc.org

The daily Gotham Gazette

Bikes in Bogota? Car-Free Cartagena? Tel-Aviv by Train?

Go global at itdp.org!

Give on-line at transalt.org/join 

Check our maps page for links to NYC-area bicycle and transit maps.

RIDES AND WALKS

Friday, December 6, 10 pm. Central Park Moonlight Ride. Columbus Circle. Time's Up!

Saturday, December 7, 9 am. Queens Wildlife Center. Roosevelt Island Tramway. 5BBC.

Saturday, December 7, 1 pm. Long Island City to Greenpoint. 45th Road/Courthouse Square stop on the #7 line. Shorewalkers.

Sunday, December 8, 9 am. Nyack. Central Park Boathouse. Fast and Fabulous.

Sunday, December 8, 10 am. Frostbite Series #2: Flat Rock Nature Preserve. City Hall. 5BBC and NYCC.

Sunday, December 8, Noon. Over 4 Harlem River Bridges. Beneath the IRT #1 el-station 215th Street on the N.W Corner. Shorewalkers.

Tuesday, December 10, 10 am. TBA. Central Park Boathouse. The Weekday Cyclists.

Friday, December 13, 7 pm. Lights in the Heights Ride. City Hall, across from the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge (by Horace Greeley Statue). Time's Up!

Saturday, December 14, 9:30 am. Around the World to Filmore's. HI-AYH. 5BBC.

Sunday, December 15, 10 am. Frostbite Series #3: Xmas in the Cloisters. City Hall. 5BBC and NYCC.

Sunday, December 15, 9 am. Orchards. New York Side of the GWB. Fast and Fabulous.

Sunday, December 15, 11:20 am. Tottenville to Lemon Creek. Staten Island Ferry Terminal in Manhattan. Shorewalkers.

Tuesday, December 17, 10 am. TBA. Central Park Boathouse. The Weekday Cyclists.

Wednesday, December 20, 6:30 pm. Lights in the Heights. City Hall across from the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge. Fast and Fabulous.

Saturday, December 21, 9:15 am. Staten Island Chocolate Run. Chelsea Piers, 22nd St. & 12th Ave. 5BBC and NYCC.

Sunday, December 22, 9:30 am. On a Winter's Night. Cunningham Park. 5BBC.

Sunday, December 22, 10 am. Frostbite Series #4: Xmas Lights in Dyker Heights, Dim Sum in Brooklyn's Chinatown. City Hall. 5BBC and NYCC.

Sunday, December 22, 4 pm. Lights in the Heights Ride. City Hall, across from the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge (by Horace Greeley Statue). Time's Up!

Tuesday, December 24, 9 am. Central Park Boathouse. New York Side of the GWB. Fast and Fabulous.

Wednesday, December 25, 8 am. Christmas Tour of Manhattan. Central Park Boathouse. Fast and Fabulous.

Friday, December 27, 7 pm. Critical Mass. Union Square Park North. Time's Up!

Saturday, December 28, 9:30 am. Quick Spin Peekskill. Plaza Hotel. 5BBC.

Saturday, December 28, 10 pm. Riverside Ride. Columbus Circle. Time's Up!

Sunday, December 29, 9 am. Frostbite Series #5: Giuseppe & Alice. City Hall. 5BBC and NYCC.

Tuesday, December 31, 10:45 pm. New Year's Eve Ride. Union Square Park North. Time's Up!

More Rides and Walks...