Articles and Actions:
Events and Appeals: |
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| Bike Through the Strike! | ||||
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A transit strike will create unusual conditions and stresses for everyone in New York City. For many subway and bus commuters, bicycling is the best way to weather a transit strike and help the city move smoothly.
The majority of subway trips are five miles or less, a bikeable distance for most New Yorkers. It takes about 30 minutes to bike five miles. The average NYC commute takes 45 minutes. Here are T.A.'s tips for a successful and safe bike commute, whether or not there is a strike.
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| Stop the Noise: Ban Car Alarms | ||||
Car alarms do not stop thieves but they do succeed in ruining New Yorkers' quality of life. For over four years now, Transportation Alternatives has fought to ban audible car alarms in New York City.
Because New York City neighborhoods are so densely populated, just one blaring alarm can disrupt the lives of hundreds of people. The loud, sharp and intense noise that car alarms emit has been linked to high blood pressure and learning disabilities. On December 21st, the City Council will likely vote in favor of a bill (397-A) that enjoins the city to study solutions to the car alarm problem. The study, a joint effort between the Department of Environmental Protection and the NYPD, will examine the efficacy of audible car alarms and recommend various steps to mitigate their intrusion on New Yorkers' lives. These steps could include a complete ban on the use of audible car alarms in New York City, or a ban on the nastiest types of alarms: the dreaded after-market polyphonic alarms that feature six different sirens in succession.
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| Bike Safety: City Must Do More | ||||
At the end of October, the DOT responded to the NYC Bike Safety Action Plan, which was proposed this summer by New York City bicycle advocates, messengers, clubs, racers and enthusiasts in reaction to the high number of bicyclist deaths in 2005. To date, 21 New Yorkers have died in bicycle crashes this year, compared to 15 total in 2004 and 13 total in 2003.
The DOT's response touches on about half of the requests in the Bike Safety Action Plan. DOT wrote that they will:
The DOT did not respond to the Bike Safety Action Plan's requests for:
Advocates are still pressing the City to increase driver enforcement, hold regular meetings of a Bike Advisory Council, publicly review the City of New York's official Bicycle Master Plan and increase City bicycle staff. Regular public input will help City agencies develop effective safety solutions and inform the public about bicycle projects and policies. To maximize what it has committed to do to improve cyclist safety, the City must review bicyclist collisions, not just deaths. Analyzing collisions and fatalities will create a more detailed picture of the root causes of cyclist crashes, injuries and deaths than just looking at cyclist fatalities. And, a collision and fatality study will more thoroughly inform what the City must do to prevent crashes and make streets safe for biking. This comprehensive analysis of bicyclist collisions and deaths should recommend both immediate and longer-term infrastructure, enforcement and promotional actions to improve cyclist safety and encourage biking.
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| T.A. Takes it to the Bridge (and the Streets...and the Greenways...) | ||||
Active outreach is integral to increasing pedestrian and cyclist safety and improving the public's perception of cyclists—an influential factor in winning bike improvements around the city.
Bikers, walkers and skaters on New York's popular greenway paths need to be courteous to one another on the often crowded paths. This fall, T.A. partnered with the Hudson River Park Trust and the Riverside Park Fund to develop wallet-sized cards (for Hudson River Park and for Riverside Park) that outline the safety rules for pedestrians and cyclists using greenways. In November, T.A. staff and volunteers and Parks Enforcement Patrol officers gave out over 600 safety cards on the Hudson River Greenway and spoke with greenway users about safely sharing the path. On the street, outreach events remind drivers to respect cyclists, and cyclists to respect pedestrians. On December 2nd, T.A. staff and volunteers distributed Give Respect/Get Respect flyers at the upgraded Clinton Street bike lane in Downtown Brooklyn. Another Give/Get event is scheduled for Thursday, December 15th from 5 to 7 pm, at 5th Avenue and 2nd Street in Park Slope. Join us on your way home and help keep cars out of the bike lane! Finally last week, to celebrate the DOT's removal of the bumps from the Williamsburg Bridge and to remind bridge users to enjoy the smooth path slowly and to respect walkers, T.A. staff handed out free coffee, bagels and safety information on the bridge path. For more info on T.A.'s bike outreach, email david@transalt.org. |
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| Bike a Mile in Our Shoes: An Open Letter to Deputy Mayor Doctoroff | ||||
An Open Letter to Deputy Mayor Doctoroff
Dear Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff, You are the City's star bike commuter. We know that you regularly bike to City Hall via the safe and comfortable Hudson River Greenway. Most biking New Yorkers, however, do not have it so easy. Most of us must commute on more dangerous routes, such as the treacherously substandard Sixth Avenue bike lane. Please watch this short one-minute film and ask yourself these two questions:
Deputy Mayor Doctoroff, we encourage you to work with the DOT to develop safer bike lane designs and build them. Sincerely, Transportation Alternatives |
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| Holiday Party Was a Hit! | ||||
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Thanks to all T.A. members, volunteers and friends who attended our rocking 2005 Holiday Party at the Slipper Room! Over 150 of you showed up and celebrated our 2005 victories and had a good time with fellow advocates for safer streets and fewer cars.
Special thanks to Recycle-A-Bicycle for donating some great raffle prizes,and Dave Perry of Bike Works and bikecult.com for loaning his beautiful vintage bikes for the viewing pleasure of our guests. And a special thanks to Jon Hecht who kept the music going all night long.
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| Give the Gift of Safer Streets | ||||
You read the T.A. E-Bulletin because it gives you the news you need as a cyclist or pedestrian in New York City. It's not always easy to get around this city on foot or on bike. Dangerous drivers, poorly designed streets and lack of caring and concern on the part of city agencies make us seem like second-class street users. But together we are making a difference. This year we won new bike lanes, got the bumps off the Williamsburg Bridge, won more crossing time at key intersections and got the City to sign on to key parts of our Bike Safety Action Plan.
Give a generous end of the year gift to Transportation Alternatives today. With your support we can do even more in 2006. Gift memberships are available and our One-Less-Car shirts are the perfect present for the pro-bike, pro-walking people in your life. (Order your shirt by December 19th and we can ship it to most places in time for Christmas and Hanukkah.) |
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| T.A. in the News | ||||
Some Other Ways of Getting Around Mom Mowed Down A Healthy Breakfast Does Not Include Bumps Bridge Is So Smooth Now, Why Not Have Breakfast While You Ride? New Yorkers Readying for Subway Strike Weighing Whether To Walk or Bike Stroller-Coaster Ride Letter to the Editor: Imagining a City With Fewer Cars Letter to the Editor: Chinatown Blame |
