Articles and Actions:
Events and Appeals:
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| City Hall's Split-Transportation Disorder | |||
New York is a tough city to manage. The Mayor can be forgiven if sometimes one agency does not know what the other is doing. This fall, however, when it comes to transportation, the City's inconsistencies are downright clinical:
* Official bike racks are in short supply; there is only one for every 33 bicyclists
** This is especially egregious on Sixth Avenue, where riding in the narrow, substandard bike lane is dangerous due to double-parking and opening car doors
Other examples of transportation schizophrenia abound, from the Mayor's recent 180 on road pricing to the DOT's continued inconsistent application of pedestrian safety standards. Particularly as competing cities like London, Chicago and Paris are acting with one mind to effectively encourage walking and bicycling, New York's transportation disorder will ultimately lead to the erosion of economic efficiency and the flight of potential investors. There is much City Hall could do to deal with the disconnect. For starters, the Mayor should outline a coherent second-term transportation agenda that includes hard targets for reducing the number of car trips and increasing biking, walking and transit trips. |
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| Gehl Gives Key to City | |||
Two weeks ago New Yorkers were introduced to Jan Gehl, the visionary urban planner from Denmark currently working with London on a citywide walking, bicycling and public space blueprint. Hundreds turned out to several events where they tuned in to Gehl's take on NYC streets and found out what they can do to reclaim streets from cars. Gehl passionately decried the fact that "Automobiles have invaded our cities and squeezed everyone else to the side," and encouraged New York to follow the example of Copenhagen and London to "re-conquer streets from the motorcar."
At a special morning event in Times Square, Gehl commanded a select group of 150 city leaders, including business leaders from nearly all of the city's 51 Business Improvement Districts, several elected officials and Iris Weinshall and Amanda Burden, the commissioners from the Department of Transportation and City Planning respectively. All were intrigued by Mr. Gehl's recommendations to create pedestrian priority zones and bike lanes separated from car traffic. And most attendees agreed with Mr. Gehl's assessment, that the key to winning these improvements and more is empowering our politicians to find the courage to "deter" traffic because "when you deter traffic, you get less traffic, and when you invite more bicycling and walking, you get more bicycling and walking." Read what the New York Times had to say about Gehl's command performance in Times Square, and listen to WNYC's recent piece about Gehl's Lessons from London. |
New Additions to City Bike Network | ||
In November, the DOT unveiled two major connections in the city's bike network: improved Brooklyn Bridge access in Brooklyn and the planned 8th Avenue bike lane in Manhattan. These smart DOT improvements come thanks to pressure from T.A., elected officials, community groups and cyclists to make bridge access and a popular cycling route safer.
On the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge, the DOT upgraded the Clinton Street bike lane and installed a new physically separated bike path on Tillary Street leading to the bridge path (pictured at right). T.A.'s on-line crash mapping system, CrashStat.org, shows that the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge is the most dangerous intersection for cyclists in Brooklyn. The DOT's new bike lane-bridge connection will improve access for many of the 1,000 cyclists who cross the bridge each day. Now, the agency should release its study of the proposed fly-over ramp between the bridge path and Cadman Plaza Park, which, when built, will improve access for all bridge path users. Last month, at a Manhattan Community Board 4 Transportation Committee meeting, the DOT announced its plans to stripe a new bike lane on Manhattan's 8th Avenue from 14th to 57th Streets (except around the Port Authority Bus Terminal). This bike lane will connect the existing Hudson Street bike lane, which ends at 14th Street, to Central Park and the Central Park West/Frederick Douglas Boulevard/St. Nicholas Avenue bike lanes. Community Board 4's Transportation Committee and cyclists who attended the meeting unanimously asked the DOT to stripe a buffered bike lane (similar to Hudson Street) instead of a standard five-foot wide lane (like Central Park West). The bike lane is supported by Community Boards 4 and 5, Councilmembers Christine Quinn and Gale Brewer, the Hell's Kitchen Neighborhood Association, T.A. and over 500 cyclists who sent postcards to DOT Commissioner Weinshall. As the DOT finalizes the plan for the bike lane, the agency should study striping it around the Port Authority and extending it north of 57th Street, all the way into Central Park. Take Action: Email DOT Commissioner Weinshall and thank the DOT for these great new improvements. |
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| Prospect Park Without Cars: Would You Use it More? | |||
Prospect Park is an emerald set in the center of asphalt expanses. Its beauties and comforts bring health, happiness and relaxation to more than seven million users each year. It's hard to say how many more would come, relax and enjoy this gem if the honk, stink and danger of automobiles were not so often a threat.
According to a Transportation Alternatives poll, nearly 75% of Prospect Park users polled say they would come more often if cars were permanently banned from the loop drive. How about you? What shapes your park use routines? Take the Prospect Park Access Survey and help us collect data that will strengthen the case for traffic calming the streets that surround Prospect Park, increasing car-free hours and banning cars from the park once and for all. In the coming months, Transportation Alternatives will work on improving park access and urging advocates and community leaders to get behind a repeal of evening car-hours. The survey is ten short questions; your responses will make a huge difference as we move forward with this campaign. For more information on the campaign go to CarFreeProspectPark.org, or email Graham at communications@transalt.org. |
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| Come to the T.A. Holiday Party | |||
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| Bump-Free Willi B: "Here's Lookin at You, Bridge" | |||
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The DOT's bump-removal continues on the Williamsburg Bridge biking and walking path. This week the agency opened the smoothed out path on the bridge's south side and began work on the north-side path.
Join T.A. and special guests for a commuter breakfast in celebration of a safe, smooth journey across the bridge. Monday, December 5, 8-9am Grab a snack and thank the DOT, T.A., elected officials, Community Boards, advocacy and neighborhood organizations and bridge users for working to make the bridge path safe. Enjoy the new smooth ride at a slow pace! For everyone's safety, remember to slow your roll as you bike down the bridge. |
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| Bike Giveaways — Two Big Winners! | |||
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Check your in-box, it could be your lucky day! Transportation Alternatives is at long last giving away a $1,000 folding bike to a lucky e-bulletin subscriber. The folding bike is being generously donated by NYCEWheels and the winner will be able to visit the shop and place a custom order for the Brompton folding bike of his or her dreams.
T.A. is also giving away an old school roadster bike to the winner of the car-free Bedford contest. The winner came up with this great slogan: "Take the "Ford" out of Bedford and get a street streaming with life." The winners for both contests will be notified by e-mail this week. If they do not contact us within 7 days we will draw new winners. |
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| School Motorists in Downtown Brooklyn | |||
With Brooklyn bike lanes growing in numbers and popularity, education is needed to teach drivers that bike lanes are for cyclists, not for driving or double-parking. Help T.A. and the NYPD reinforce this message at the newly upgraded Clinton Street bike lane and the year-old 5th Avenue lane.
Friday, December 2nd (rain date: December 5th) Thursday, December 15 (rain date: December 19th) The Plan: Educate motorists about the importance of respecting bike lanes and encourage the NYPD to heighten enforcement of people who drive and park their cars in them. During the events, T.A. staff and volunteers will distribute safety material to drivers and maintain a physical presence in the lane, ensuring its integrity among encroaching motorists, and NYPD presence will deter lawbreaking motorists from driving and parking in the bike lanes! RSVP: david@transalt.org with "Give/Get" in the subject line. Come for the full hour and a half, or just stop by and say hello on your way to work! |
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| T.A. in the News | |||
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For the Babies of New York, a Bumpy Road to the Playground New York Times 11/27 A Walkway From Manhattan to the Bronx New York Times 11/27 Wheels Are Turning as 8th Ave. Bike Lane is Planned The Villager 11/23 Paul Steely White Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives gothamist.com 11/22 Rise in Bike Deaths Gives Edge to Clash Over Cycling in New York San Diego Union Tribune 11/22 Number of Biking Fatalities Up in New York Los Angeles Times 11/22 Safer Bike Path to B'klyn Bridge New York Daily News 11/21 Congestion Pricing in N.Y.? Yes New York Daily News 11/20 Rise in Bike Deaths Gives Edge to Clash Over Cycling in New York Newsday 11/20 Congestion Pricing Pro and Con Gotham Gazette 11/20 Business Groups Hear Plea: Do Something to Cut Traffic New York Times 11/18 Reducing City Traffic: Boon or Bane to Business? WNYC 11/18 Grandfather 77 Is Killed While Crossing Woodhaven Boulevard Queens Chronicle 11/17 Riders Accuse NYPD Of Launching Crackdown On Cyclists NY1 11/12 |
