Is this a group photo or a lineup? If the NYPD has its way, all group riders without "parade permits" will be subject to arrest. Photo: Liam Quiqley, Laguardia High School Cycling Association

Articles and Actions

• The NYPD's New Bid to Criminalize Group Biking and Walking
  • Take Action! 3 Ways You Can Stop It
• Iris Weinshall: A Walker's New Best Friend?
• NYC Transportation Policy Turns a Key Corner
• Tour de Bronx 1, Robert Moses 0

Events and Appeals

• Tell Us Your Bike Parking Saga
• Come Eat Breakfast and Celebrate Astoria's New Bike Lane
• Are You Street Activist material?
• T.A. Holiday Party: Save the Date
• Tri-State Transportation Campaign's Annual Gala
• Enrique Peñalosa: "Bogotá and Beyond"

T.A. in the News

After withdrawing their last bid to regulate group walking and biking, the NYPD is now trying again.

• Any group of ten or more cyclists traveling down a street who violate any traffic law, rule or regulation for more than two blocks can be arrested for parading without a permit;
  
  
• Every group of 30 or more cyclists or pedestrians, in any public street, must obtain a permit and approved route from the NYPD, even if they abide by all traffic laws. Groups without permits or groups that leave their permitted routes would be subject to arrest.

This past summer, T.A. and allied groups beat back the NYPD’s bid to arrest groups of two or more in violation of any traffic law (jaywalking, no bell, etc.) and require permits for groups of 20 or more bicyclists and 35 or more pedestrians.

The NYPD is just playing with numbers and has not substantially changed its proposed definition of what constitutes a parade or procession. The Police Department still wants to require groups traveling down the street to obtain parade permits, even if they obey traffic laws.

In late August, the NYPD withdrew their first parade permit proposal after City Council Speaker Christine Quinn expressed concerns, and a diverse range of New Yorkers, including City Councilmembers, advocates, civic groups, teachers, tour guides, cyclists and pedestrians voiced their opposition to the NYPD.

Now, City Council Speaker Quinn says that she is "very pleased" with the NYPD's parade permit proposal.

However, the NYPD's new proposal will still require permits for formal and informal group bike rides, curtailing the freedoms of New Yorkers, and thus discouraging cycling for transportation, recreation, fitness and tourism. Furthermore, less cycling and fewer cyclists on the street will mean more dangerous traffic for those who continue to ride because drivers will be less used to looking for bike riders and safely driving around them.

To stop these new proposed changes, it's crucial that you tell City Council Speaker Quinn and your Councilmember that you oppose the NYPD parade permit proposal! It worked in August, and with your help, it will work again.

The traffic knot that shaped the Times Square bowtie is just one of the locations recently rethought by Iris Weinshall's DOT.

And in Brooklyn, Commissioner Weinshall's DOT is making long overdue pedestrian improvements around Grand Army Plaza, which locals hope will be the first step toward making the Plaza one of the world's great pedestrian spaces. The changes include more pedestrian crossing time across Prospect Park West, crosswalks and raised islands to enable direct pedestrian crossing from Flatbush Avenue north of Grand Army Plaza to Bailey Fountain, and a new crosswalk and raised island to enable pedestrians to access the Plaza from the Brooklyn Library and east side of the Prospect Park entrance.

And, apparently, there more is to come. At Scott Stringer's recent transportation conference, Weinshall said that the DOT's new Office of Strategic Planning was working to identify locations ripe for "aggressive pedestrianization".

Enrique Peñalosa helps shine some light on NYC's transportation policies.

Fresh from a morning bicycle ride with David Byrne and T.A. staffers, for the next forty minutes Peñalosa passionately explained why cities in general and New York City in particular should drastically restrict car use and alter the streetscape to favor pedestrians, cyclists and bus riders.

Only a few years ago such a speech would have been controversial. On this day, however, Peñalosa got a standing ovation. And it wasn't just Peñalosa. The attendees--many representing New York's leading business interests--gained positive consensus on road pricing and cheered DOT Commissioner Iris Weinshall's announcement that the Mayor is, "carefully considering a wide range of strategies to shift travel away from the automobile..."

What has changed to make auto restriction an applause line? In a nutshell, it's that a critical mass of New Yorkers have now come to realize that with buildings and sea levels rising, we have no choice but to take drastic steps to force--not just politely encourage--people out of their cars and onto sidewalks, subways, buses and bicycles.

Stay tuned for the full proceedings of the conference, and the much anticipated recommendations.

Tour de Bronx riders took over a closed portion of the Sheridan Expressway, a.k.a. Robert Moses' "road to nowhere."

In addition to the usual highlights (City Island, Van Cortlandt Park, Pelham Bay and the New York Botanical Gardens, to name a few), Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión secured a closure of the Sheridan Expressway for the riders. For the first time in history, thousands of bicyclists, including hundreds of children, had the unforgettable experience of biking down one mile of Robert Moses' "road to nowhere." It was yet another victory for the South Bronx in reclaiming its waterfront and throwing off the Master Builder's legacy.

The New York State Department of Transportation is reviewing proposals for the Sheridan Expressway's expansion. Our friends at the Southern Bronx River Watershed Alliance have a plan to decommission the Sheridan and replace it with 28 acres of open space for parks and redevelopment. See their proposal at southbronxvision.org.

We thank the Bronx Borough President's office for making the Tour de Bronx such a success. And thanks to the dozens of volunteers and thousands of riders who joined us for a beautiful day of riding! We'll see you on Sunday, October 21st, 2007 for the next Tour de Bronx.

Miss the action? Check out the fun we had on the Sheridan (and the rest of the Tour) at the Tour de Bronx photo gallery.

If your work place had indoor bike parking, would you ride regularly?

Have you fought for secure indoor bike parking at work and won?

Email bike@transalt.org and tell us about your experiences with indoor bike parking.

Secure bike parking encourages employees to ride to work,
which brings benefits to both businesses and communities.

The paint is barely dry on Astoria's new 20th Avenue bike lane.

Join Transportation Alternatives and Astoria cyclists for a bike commuter breakfast on Wednesday, November 8th as we celebrate the newest piece of Queens' bicycling network: the DOT's 20th Avenue bike lane! T.A. and Queens cyclists will be showing our support for the DOT's new bicycle initiatives alongside local elected officials, community board leaders and neighborhood groups. The 20th Avenue lane provides a critical east-west link for bike commuters in Queens and will serve as part of the Queens East River and North Shore Greenway.

Woodtree Playground
20th Avenue between 37th and 38th St. in Astoria/Steinway
Wednesday, November 8th from 7:30-9:30am (rain date Thursday, November 9th)

This is a great chance to tell T.A. about your commute, talk with local elected officials about bicycling conditions in Astoria and meet other bike commuters in the neighborhood. Join us for a cup of coffee on your way to work as we say "Thank you DOT!"

Contact volunteer@transalt.org for more information.

As a Street Activist, you will receive dedicated action alerts asking you to take one brief and easy action (such as sending an e-fax or email to an elected official) to win safer streets, better bike parking, car-free parks, and other important improvements to NYC's bicycling and walking environment.

To become a Street Activist and receive dedicated action alerts click here.

Lively conversation, good food and drink were all had at the 2005 T.A. holiday party.

This year we'll be celebrating at the Atlantic Gallery, 40 Wooster Street #4, New York, NY. T.A. members and volunteers get in FREE. Bring a friend and they get in for $10, or they can join T.A. at the door and get in for FREE.

It's going to be a great night. See you there!

Elliot G. Sander Photo courtesy Tri-State Transportation Campaign

The Tri-State Transportation Campaign will be honoring Elliot G. Sander, Senior Vice-President of DMJM Harris and a co-founder and chair of the Empire State Transportation Alliance, a business and planning partnership that has played key advocacy roles in the formation of the past two Metropolitan Transportation Authority five-year capital programs.

Drinks and hors d'oeuvres will be served. RSVP required. Please contact Teresa Toro at 212-268-7474 or tt@tstc.org for more information.

Bogotá's Sunday Ciclovía brings car-free space to millions.

If you missed Enrique Peñalosa's last visit to NYC, here is another chance to see the international superstar of livable cities.

M1 Deemed City's Least Reliable Bus, Newsday, 10/25

They're Bus-ted, New York Daily News, 10/25

Except for Tourists, the M14A Is One Bus Route To Avoid, New York Sun, 10/25

Slowly, S42 Bus Keeps its Dubious Distinction, Staten Island Advance, 10/25

Events for October 24, 2006, New York Observer, 10/24

5 Bus Routes Picked for High-Speed Runs, New York Times, 10/24

Pokey Award "Honors" Slowest Bus In Town, NY1, 10/24

'Pokey Awards' Name Slowest Buses, WABC-TV, 10/24

SI Buses Are Fast, But Unreliable, Staten Island Advance, 10/24

Annual Survey Showing Slowest Buses in NYC Released, WCBS, 10/24

Judges Book Park Space, New York Daily News, 10/22

Manhattan on the Move, LoHo 10002, 10/19

Boro a Big Wheel, New York Daily News, 10/19

Una Cruzada Sobre Ruedas, El Nuevo Día, 10/19

On Silver Screen, Solutions to Pune's Traffic Woes, PUNE Newsline, 10/19

Thursday's Transpo Conference: A Call for Reform, StreetsBlog, 10/17

...And a Battle Over Permits, New York Times, 10/15

The Case for Cycling, Metro Sports New York, 10/15