The New York City DOT commits to installing 200 new miles of bike lanes and 40 new miles of greenways by 2009 and the Department of Health publishes the first ever comprehensive study of cyclist injuries and fatalities in NYC.

T.A. worked with the NYC Bike Safety Coalition to author a Bike Safety Action Plan that was released in 2005. The new bike lanes, greenways and the DOH study were all part of the Bike Safety Action Plan.

Traffic hurts New Yorkers' quality of life.

T.A. released Traffic's Human Toll (PDF), a groundbreaking study that showed neighbors were less likely to interact with each other and more likely to avoid going outside if they lived on heavier-traffic streets.

City workers abuse their parking permits.

Our citywide survey of permit parking abuse (PDF) found that more than 3 out of every 4 permit holders (77%) use their permits illegally. We are using the results of the study to pressure the City to reconsider how they issue and enforce proper use of parking permits for their employees.

All this traffic isn't necessary!

T.A. also made a splash by releasing a study (PDF) by Schaller Consulting that showed that over 90% of commuters who use personal cars to commute to the Central Business District in Manhattan have access to buses, subways, and trains. This study lays important groundwork for the City to consider traffic reduction measures, such as a congestion charge.

More car-free hours in both Prospect and Central Parks this summer.

While we had hoped to win a trial of a completely car-free summer in Central Park and a trial of car-free afternoons in Prospect Park, the partial closures still provided valuable opportunities to gather data about traffic.

City speeds up its Safe Routes to School program.

T.A. brought the Safe Routes to School program to the U.S. from Copenhagen, Demark in 1997 and helped then Bronx Borough President Ferrer implement it in the Bronx. We advocated for citywide adoption of this successful program and will continue to advocate for on-the-ground safety improvements that will make walking and biking to school a healthy and safe option for NYC kids. This latest step forward by the NYC DOT will bring a variety of safety enhancements for 135 priority schools, including 775 sidewalk extensions, 1,837 upgraded crosswalk signs and 80 new pedestrian islands.

City and State DOT and MTA to pilot five Bus Rapid Transit corridors (one in each borough) to make buses faster and more reliable.

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), as shown in Los Angeles and other big cities, can empower buses with the same speed, rider capacity and reliability as subway lines, at a fraction of the cost. With the Straphangers Campaign, T.A. has led the fight to make BRT a reality in New York City.

Enrique Peñalosa, urban visionary and former mayor of Bogotá, Colombia is the keynote speaker at Manhattan BP Scott Stringer's Manhattan on the Move Conference this fall. Hundreds of the City's key decision makers attend. In his remarks Peñalosa said, "NYC, a long time ago, explicitly or implicitly decided that much of the City's space would be dedicated to cars. This was a decision. It's not some sort of natural law. Tomorrow we can change this."

T.A. was instrumental in bringing Peñalosa to NYC where he has gained the attention (and ear) of many important city decision makers.

The city installs a new pedestrian plaza in Stuyvesant Town on Manhattan's East side.

Stuyvesant Town has a high concentration of elderly residents. T.A.'s Safe Routes for Seniors campaign recommended improvements for the streets around Stuyvesant town to improve the walking environment for the residents there.

Community groups and the Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión team up to hold two car-free Sundays on the Grand Concourse. The success of these events builds momentum to revive the tradition of car-free Sundays all summer long in the Bronx.

T.A. was part of a coalition of health, cultural and community groups in the Bronx that helped advocate for and organize these events which drew hundreds of Bronxites to the Grand Concourse. Many residents commented that they had fond memories of the car-free Sundays that were a regular occurrence in the Bronx in the early 1990s before being discontinued by former Mayor Giuliani.

The State Assembly agrees to allow New York City to install an additional 50 red light cameras.

Transportation Alternatives has long fought for state legislation that would allow the City to deploy more life-saving red light enforcement cameras. With the Assembly's recent approval, NYC will effectively double the program and T.A. will continue to fight for more of these commonsense enforcement devices.