NYC Century Bike Tour
15, 35, 55, 75 and 100 mile routes
Sept. 7, 2003

Register online today and save $15! Regular registration discounts end August 23rd.

Experience the world’s greatest city! Ride the 14th Annual NYC Century Bike Tour on September 7, 2003. 

Featuring a selection of distances (15, 35, 55, 75 or 100 miles) and magnificent views of New York's bridges, neighborhoods and parks.

NYCcentury.org

Come to the Volunteer Mailing Party, Wednesday, August 27th at 6 pm at the T.A. Office (115 West 30th, #1207)! Free beer, soda, snacks and scintillating conversation. 

8/13 344M may aid Gowanus despite its road to ruin,  Daily News

8/10 In Brooklyn, Gridlock About Gridlock Spells Anger, The New York Times

8/10 City's got light stuff, Daily News

8/8 Segway 'Outlaws' Roll On, New York Sun

8/7 Daisy Chain Is Almost Done: 40-mile bicycle trail will link Coney Island, Fort Totten, Newsday

8/3 Fighting Words on a Bike Path: 'Go Slow', The New York Times

7/27 Honk, if you like haikus, The Staten Island Advance

7/22 Unmitigated Joys of Valet Parking Experienced by Bicyclists, Covered by BikeTV, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle and Daily Bulletin

7/21 The Truck Stops Here, The Brooklyn Skyline

7/20 The Breeze in Your Face, the Screech of Your Brakes, The New York Times

7/16 Interview: Aaron Naparstek discusses dealing with road rage by writing honku, NPR

7/15 Dump the decibels? The Morning Call

More Quotes...

Graphic Designers

Transportation Alternatives is seeking designers for a number of brochures and newsletters. Projects include making a template for a simple, double-sided b/w newsletter; designing a folded 8½” x 14” brochure with color cover; and designing other flyers and forms. Each of these publications will reach a wide audience ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 people. To apply, please send resume, cover letter, payment expectation and samples (or a link to samples) of your work to Annie Hart at info@transalt.org.

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!

August 19, 2003

Growing Call for 8th Avenue Bike Lane

In July resolutions, Manhattan Community Boards 4 and 5 joined T.A.'s call for a north bound bicycle lane on 8th Avenue, between 14th Street and 60th Street in Manhattan. The 8th Avenue bike lane would fill the gap between the popular Hudson Street bike lane to the south and the well used Central Park West, Frederick Douglas and St. Nicholas bike lanes to the north. When it is complete, the lane would stretch most of the length of Manhattan from Duane Street in Tribeca to 168th Street in Washington Heights. In Midtown, it would offer a much needed alternative to the sub-standard 6th Avenue lane.

The DOT considered an 8th Avenue lane in the 1990s, but efforts stalled because of the problem of how to stripe the lane adjacent to the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Both T.A. and the community boards have urged the DOT to move ahead with the lane, even if it means not putting down lane markings next to the bus terminal. A DOT analysis performed after the Hudson Street lane was completed showed that a five foot wide bicycle lane can be installed on 8th Avenue without taking away a lane of motor vehicle traffic.

Please send an automatic postcard to DOT Commissioner Iris Weinshall asking for an 8th Avenue bike lane by filling in your name and address and clicking the button below. (You can modify the text of the card if you wish.) We will print, address, stamp and mail the information you submit below.

Manhattan D.A.'s Message to Motorists: "It's open season on bicyclists"
TV Anchorman Cafferty hits cyclist and flees scene, gets no jail time and small fine

The Manhattan District attorney has sent yet another strong message to motorists who hit bicyclists, and it's the wrong one.

Cafferty

Cops charged Cafferty with leaving the scene of an accident along with misdemeanor charges of reckless driving, assault and harassment. If convicted, Cafferty could have served more than a year in jail and have had to pay thousands of dollars in fines.

But the Manhattan District Attorney let Cafferty off with a $250 fine and 70 hours of community service after he plead guilty to leaving the scene of an accident.

The Manhattan D.A.'s message to motorists: "It's open season on bicyclists."

At Deadline: Bicyclist Maldonado has filed a $10 million lawsuit against Cafferty for reckless and gross negligence in leaving the scene of an accident.

Please send an automatic fax telling the Manhattan District Attorney to get tough with motorists who hit bicyclists and pedestrians: 

Community Demands Safer Grand Army Plaza Crossings

At the epicenter of the pedestrian disaster called Grand Army Plaza is the intersection of the Plaza and Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn. The intensely busy crossing consistently ranks as one of the most dangerous in New York City, averaging more than 200 crashes of all kinds a year. Unfortunately, crossing hazardous Flatbush Avenue at that intersection is unavoidable for the many people walking from the main Brooklyn Public Library to Prospect Park or from Prospect Heights to the park.

Mike Dowd and his group, the Prospect Heights Parents Association, have joined with T.A. to do something the atrocious conditions at the Flatbush Avenue crossing. In July, the groups gathered 1,500 signatures in five hours on a petition demanding a safer crossing for pedestrians. The DOT says it is listening. The agency promises to change traffic signals to give pedestrians more time to cross and to build up the pedestrian island at Flatbush Avenue.

According to T.A. activist Jeff Prant, "Grand Army Plaza is the culmination of 50 years of city planning that puts automobiles first." Fixing the historic mistakes made there will take time, money and political will.

Los Angeles Bus Rapid Transit Winning Raves
NYC's Doesn't Exist 

New York City buses are the slowest in the nation, averaging 7.5 mph. But in car-clogged Los Angeles, the three year old bus rapid transit system (BRT) moves faster than traffic and is drawing people out their cars. According to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, bus ridership has grown 40% in three years, and as many as 8,000 people have gotten out of their cars and onto the bus. LA BRT uses the global positioning system to track buses and change traffic signals to move BRT buses 25% faster than regular buses. The system also informs people waiting at bus stops exactly when the next bus will arrive. Thanks to the great success, LA intends to significantly expand the system by 2009. Meanwhile, where is the "Surface Subway" BRT Mayor Bloomberg called for on First and Second Avenue in Manhattan?

Read more about transit issues.

Global Warming Alert 

Yes, while Americans buy ever larger vehicles, consume ever larger amounts of gasoline and produce ever larger amounts of carbon dioxide, global warming remains real. The very staid World Meteorological Organization recently issued a startling report detailing record extremes in weather and climate that have occurred all over the world in recent weeks, from Switzerland's hottest-ever June to a record month for tornadoes in the United States--and linked them to climate change.

The Geneva-based body, to which the weather services of 185 countries contribute, believes that the weather events this year in Europe, America and Asia are so remarkable that the world needs to be made aware of them immediately.

The extreme weather the organization documents, such as record high and low temperatures and record rainfall and storms in different parts of the world, is consistent with predictions of global warming. Supercomputer models show that, as the atmosphere warms, the climate not only becomes hotter but much more unstable. "Recent scientific assessments indicate that, as the global temperatures continue to warm due to climate change, the number and intensity of extreme events might increase." The WMO said that it is possible that 2003 will be the hottest year ever recorded. The 10 hottest years in the 143-year-old global temperature record have now all been since 1990, with the three hottest being 1998, 2002 and 2001.

Online source: http://www.wmo.ch/index-en.html  http://news.independent.co.uk/world/
environment/story.jsp?story=421166 

Letters

A small sampling of the e-mail T.A. receives

Stop Signs on the Hudson River Greenway

My wife Robin and I , both T.A. members, were riding on the Hudson Greenway just north of the 23rd Street piers the morning of August 12, 2003 when we were stopped by a park person handing out instructions to stop at all stop signs along the path. We were told that starting on the 15th, park personnel will begin to ticket bikers for not stopping at the stop signs.

Thank you,
Jeff F.

T.A. Response: Thanks for the heads up. T.A. recently filed a lawsuit against the State Department of Transportation asserting that the stop signs are illegal. We will try to stop the Parks Department from moving forward with this ineffective and aggravating enforcement action and, instead, urge them to crackdown on reckless cyclists and skaters.

Bicycling on Sidewalks 

If your organization is really concerned about "pedestrians", then why don't you confront the issue of bicycle riding on sidewalks, which is both illegal and dangerous to pedestrians. Anyone who walks in NYC knows that the main culprits are delivery persons, not recreational cyclists, but to mention this fact is politically taboo. Commercial cyclists should be licensed and take a mandatory safe cycling course. Let's see some discussion on these topics. Also, why don't you add an area where members and visitors can post their own comments--uncensored.

Sincerely, 
Submitted anonymously

T.A. Response: T.A. shares your concerns about pedestrian and bicyclist conflicts. Pedestrian-bicyclist conflicts on sidewalks and park and multi-use paths are long-time concerns of T.A. and problems we regularly work on.

We are currently working with the NYPD, City Councilmembers and Community Boards to educate businesses that employ cyclists about pedestrian and bicyclist safety. If you have specific suggestions for restaurants, delis or other businesses that we should contact, please let me know or contact your local police precinct.

Here are some recent articles from our magazine and e-bulletin:
transalt.org/press/askta/030529.html#w 
transalt.org/press/magazine/024Fall/
12sidewalks.html 

Please see our Give Respect/Get Respect page for more information, transalt.org/campaigns/bike/giveget.html .

We have a discussion board on our Web site where anyone can post comments. Please see: transalt.org/takeaction/discuss.html 

Cars Do Not Yield on Hudson River Greenway

Cars aren't yielding to pedestrians on the Hudson River Parkway. Whenever I have the right of way (the walk sign) they still come speeding around off the highway without looking. This is quite dangerous, especially for children. Shouldn't these people get tickets or something?

Thanks, 
Submitted anonymously

T.A. Response: They should get tickets. You can contact the Hudson River Park Trust (www.hrpt.org) and the NYC Parks Department and ask them to crackdown on dangerous drivers speeding and recklessly turning across the greenway and failing to yield to greenway users.

Robert Balachandran
President/CEO, Hudson River Park Trust
2nd Floor
Pier 40 at W. Houston St.
New York, NY 10014

E-mail: info@hrpt.state.ny.us 

Adrian Benepe
Commissioner
NYC Department of Parks and Recreation
The Arsenal
Central Park
830 5th Avenue
New York, NY 10021

E-mail: nyc.gov/html/mail/html/maildpr.html 

Please copy T.A. on any letters or e-mails: Transportation Alternatives, 115 West 30th Street, Suite 1207, NYC 10001; info@transalt.org 

Requesting a Speed Hump 

I was wondering how to file a petition for having speed humps installed on East 5th Street between Avenues M and N in Brooklyn. There are so many children in this neighborhood and the speeds at which cars travel are ridiculously high. Even when drivers are backing up to retrieve a spot, they zoom backwards down the street with excessive speeds. Many of our neighbors have expressed an interest in these speed humps and elected me to find out the procedure for obtaining them. I would appreciate your prompt reply as we have been lucky thus far and no one has gotten hurt. Thank you for your attention in this matter. 

Sincerely, 
Donna K.

T.A. Response: The best way to get speed humps is to get your community board and city councilmember to request them separately. The best way to get your community board to request them is to get a big list of neighbors signing a petition asking for them. Then write your community board a letter explaining the situation and asking for their help.

Call the community board office and explain what you want. They might not say you need the petition--but we think it is worth doing anyway since it shows a high level of support for speed humps.

Motorized Scooters

What is the TA's position on motorized scooters (sidewalk and street, helmet and no, grown-ups and children)? As of last year they had practically taken over Sunnyside, and since I have moved back to Greenpoint, they are proliferating. Are there ANY laws?

Submitted anonymously

T.A. Response: Electric and gas scooters (which are different from mopeds and Vespas) are illegal to operate in New York City and New York State. They cannot be registered with the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles, and thus cannot be legally operated on streets, highways, sidewalks, bicycle and pedestrian bridge paths and multi-use bicycle and pedestrian paths. Additionally, NYC Traffic Rules Section 4-07 expressly prohibits motorized vehicles from being driven on sidewalks.

We have asked the Police Department to heighten its enforcement of illegal scooters, especially on sidewalks and bicycle and pedestrian bridge paths and multi-use paths, where the motorized scooters endanger bicyclists and pedestrians and compete for already scarce and crowded space.

You can find your local precinct's contact information at nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/pct/psb.html.

These scooters are heavy air and noise polluters. Their two-stroke engines put out more pollution than cars, and their noise degrades the quality of life for all.

Spring 2003 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!

State Legislature Dilutes NYC Red Light Camera Request--Speed Cameras Dead for Now

Pols Act on T.A. Call to Ban Car Alarms

Include Indoor Bike Parking in Zoning Regulations

City Councilmember Yassky Introduces Bikes in Commercial Buildings Bill

City Should Help Cyclists Get Building Access, Not Hinder

Electeds Call on DOT to Make Brooklyn Side of the Manhattan Bridge Safe

Disabled Group Says Williamsburg Bridge Bumps Violate Federal Law

Re-Mark Safety Symbols on the Brooklyn Bridge

Cyclists Get Some TLC

T.A. has many volunteer opportunities.  Please visit our site to learn more about how you can help.  Come to the Volunteer Magazine Mailing Party on Wednesday, August 27th at 6 pm at the T.A. Office (115 West 30th, #1207)! Free beer, soda, snacks and scintillating conversation. 

Dear Friend,

I hope you enjoy Transportation Alternatives' free E-Bulletin.

As a T.A. E-Bulletin reader, you know T.A. delivers results for cyclists and pedestrians. You read about T.A. winning bike paths, traffic calming, safer streets and smart transportation that puts people and neighborhoods before traffic. You also read about us fighting bad ideas that increase traffic and degrade the quality of life.

Help give cyclists and pedestrians a bigger voice at City Hall. Join T.A. today.

It's this simple: If you want your rights as a bicyclist and pedestrian respected, join T.A. If you want car-free parks and safe streets, join T.A.

When you join T.A., you get all the personal benefits of Transportation Alternatives membership—
including tons of discounts and our award winning magazine and much more—while also boosting better bicycling and walking and cleaner air.

Join T.A. today. It matters.

John Kaehny
Exec. Director

Join T.A. today to start receiving Transportation Alternatives Magazine, our members-only in-depth quarterly magazine—
just one of the many personal benefits of T.A. membership!

TAKE THE TOUR!
NYC Century Bike Tour

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

Thursday, August 21, 9 am. Piermont. Loeb Boathouse. The Weekday Cyclists in NYC.

Friday, August 22, 7 pm. Cyclone Ride. City Hall, across from the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge. Time's Up!

Saturday, August 23, 8:30 am. Sandy Hook IV. Plaza Hotel. 5BBC.

Saturday, August 23, 9:30 am. Bathe in Bayville XVI. Cunningham Park. 5BBC.

Saturday, August 23, 11 am. The Grand Harlem River Park's Manhattan Shore. Northeast corner of 125th St. and Lexington Ave. Shorewalkers.

Saturday, August 23, 10 pm. History, Mystery, Murder & Money Tour. Manhattan entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge (southwest corner of Chambers and Centre Street/Park Row). Time's Up!

Sunday, August 24, 8:30 am. Rock Around the Rock. City Hall. 5BBC.

Sunday, August 24, 9:15 am. Queens Meets Kings: Beach Bum Blowout Rendezvous. Kew Gardens. 5BBC.

Sunday, August 24, 10 am. Bicycle Beach Bums #8 (Blow-out-kite festival!). Grand Army Plaza entrance to Prospect Park. 5BBC.

Sunday, August 24, 10 am. Flushing Bay to East River. Main St. & Roosevelt Ave. in Flushing (last stop on #7 line). Shorewalkers.

Tuesday, August 26, 10 am. TBA. Loeb Boathouse. The Weekday Cyclists in NYC.

Thursday, August 28, 10 am. TBA. Loeb Boathouse. The Weekday Cyclists in NYC.

Friday, August 29, 7 pm. Critical Mass. Union Square Park North. Time's Up!

Saturday, August 30, 8:30 am. Sandy Hook V. Pier 78 NY Waterway Terminal (38th St. & 12th Ave.). 5BBC.

Saturday, August 30, 9:45 am. Cradle of Aviation Museum. Cunningham Park. 5BBC.

Saturday, August 30, 10:45 am. Leg 4 & 5 of the Batt to Bear Trail. GW Bridge Bus Station, 178th Street and Broadway (take #1 train to 181st Street, or A train to 175th Street). Shorewalkers.

Saturday, August 30, 8:30 am. Croton to Teatown Circular. Grand Central Terminal to take 8:54 Metro North train. Shorewalkers.

Saturday, August 30, 10 pm. Riverside Ride. Columbus Circle. Time's Up!

Sunday, August 31, 8:30 am. Manhattan Perimeter. City Hall. 5BBC.

Sunday, August 31, 9 am. Greenwich. Boathouse in Central Park. Fast & Fabulous.

Sunday, September 7, 6-8 am starting times. New York City Century Bike Tour. Central Park Loop at Adam C. Powell Boulevard. Transportation Alternatives.

More Rides and Walks...