Transportation Alternatives (T.A.), NYC's advocates for bicycling, walking and environmentally sensible transportation, appointed Aaron Naparstek as the new chairman of its Brooklyn chapter today.

Mr. Naparstek, a resident of Park Slope, was literally "driven" into transportation activism after incessant and increasing traffic problems outside of his Cobble Hill apartment forced him to move. He captured the imagination of Brooklynites and people around the world with his anti-horn honking, haiku-writing campaign, "Honku" (www.honku.org). As one of the leaders of the Car-Free Prospect Park campaign he was instrumental in helping to win a significant extension of car-free "summer hours" earlier this year. Naparstek is a writer and interactive media producer. In June, Random House will publish his book, Honku: The Zen Antidote to Road Rage.

Transportation Alternatives' Brooklyn Committee works to improve cycling and walking conditions in New York's most populous borough. The Committee is currently engaged in a number of campaigns and initiatives including the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway Taskforce, East River Bridge Tolls, Downtown Brooklyn Traffic Calming, Car-Free Prospect Park, Neighborhood Streets Networks, roadway hazard identification, bicycle and pedestrians safety improvements, and increasing bicycle parking and access to Brooklyn's cultural and business destinations.

Upon his appointment, Mr. Naparstek remarked:

"If there's one thing that pretty everyone in Brooklyn can agree on it's that we've got too much traffic. Whether you're a pedestrian, stroller-pusher, cyclist, or motorist, then there's no doubt you've experienced the gridlock, pollution, noise, and danger of too many cars and trucks rolling through our Borough."

"We've come to take overwhelming auto traffic as something akin to the weather -- a force of nature beyond our control. But it doesn't have to be that way. Through sensible transportation policy and practice, we can solve Brooklyn's traffic problems."

"My goal is to turn our monthly Brooklyn Committee meeting into a forum for ideas, innovation and action. We will be here to provide communities throughout Brooklyn with tools to solve their traffic and transportation problems. Transportation is a community's lifeblood. When our transportation networks are healthy, our neighborhoods, businesses, and cultural institutions flourish. I urge people to join us. Together, we can keep Brooklyn moving and growing."