Prospect Park Defense Action
April 22 and 29, 6-7 am, Southern tip of Prospect Park at the Park Circle entrance. We'll be making sure that cars do not enter until 7 am when they are allowed to come in. Free donuts & coffee. bklyn@transalt.org, 212-629-8080.

Download Postcard Invite

bikeweeknyc.org

Bike Week NYC, May 1-11, 2003

Volunteer!

Wanted: Century Coordinator

Help organize the much-loved NYC Century Bike Tour! T.A. is seeking a highly motivated, detail-oriented, independent bicyclist to assist the Event Director with all details of the event. See job listing for more information.

Come to the Volunteer Mailing Party, Wednesday, April 30th at 6 pm at the T.A. Office (115 West 30th, #1207)! Free beer, soda, snacks and scintillating conversation.

4/6 Truly, Madly Driven: City Car Owners, The New York Times

4/4 10th Ave. intersection is hell on wheels, Daily News

3/27 Editorial: An Idea Whose Time Has Gone, Norwood News

3/20 Letters: Burning blubber, Time Out New York

3/17 Weekend Warrior, Daily News

3/16 BUZZ: Looking for a Good Word About the Car Alarm, New York Times

3/13 Queens Residents Battle Against Noisy Car Alarms, NY1

3/13 Pushing to drive out car alarms, Daily News

3/13 Forum on Car-Alarm Ban, Newsday

3/9 From Racks to Insurance: Parking Guide For Bicycles, The New York Times

3/1 Segway's Breakdown, Wired Magazine

2/17 T.A. Hollers for Bollards, Park Slope Courier

2/16 On a Road That Has Claimed Lives, a Push to Save Them, The New York Times

2/12 Albany Pols Give Tolls an Unofficial OK, Queens Courier

1/30 Hills & Gardens: News & Views from Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill and Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn Heights Press & Cobble Hill News

1/28 Green Light for Greenways!, Waterwire.net's Waterwire News

1/27 Prospect Park Car-Free Hours Are Cause For Celebration, Park Slope Courier

1/23 Plan Eyed To Combat Accidents, Newsday

1/22 Prospects up for walkers in park car ban, Daily News

1/19 One-Vehicle Gridlock, New York Times

More Quotes...

Paid Advocacy Internship/
Asst. to Executive Director

16 to 20 hours a week. Minimum commitment of one semester. Visit transalt.org/jobs for details.

Time on your hands? Eager to make a difference? T.A. needs folks who are retired, work part-time or between jobs to help our top-notch advocacy staff make the city a better place for bicyclists, pedestrians and transit riders.
Call 212-629-8080 or e-mail info@transalt.org.

Valet Bike Parking Volunteers Needed

Volunteer to provide valet bike parking at events throughout the year. Register online to express your interest in this opportunity.

T.A. still has two open internships: 

- Advocacy (work with T.A. program staff)
- Bicycle Advocacy

Please visit transalt.org/intern for more information.

Donations Wish List

Help cycling and walking and get a tax deduction. Donate to T.A. We need:

-Pentium II or better PCs
-Laptop computer (P 100+)
-Digital Camera
-Good chairs for conf. table or desks
-Computer Projector

Contact Matt: info@transalt.org

Do Your Part for Safer Streets!  Report:

Potholes and Hazards:
212-CALLDOT (hit 0 to speak with a human) or report them online at transalt.org/
hazard  

Sidewalk obstructions: Mayor’s Quality of Life Hotline at 888-677-LIFE/
5433

Read more about T.A.'s work to reduce street hazards at transalt.org/haz

Report Dangerous Cabs: 212-221-TAXI or report them online.

Read more about T.A.'s work to make cabs safer for pedestrians and cyclists at transalt.org/cabs

The T.A. Bulletin is a bi-weekly publication of Transportation Alternatives. The Bulletin has 23,000 subscribers.

Transportation Alternatives is a 5,000-member NYC-area non-profit citizens group working for better bicycling, walking and public transit, and fewer cars. We work for safer, calmer neighborhood streets and car-free parks. Join T.A. today!

Week of April 14, 2003

As Baghdad Falls, Beware American Triumphalism

After a crushing display of U.S. military force, the regime of Saddam Hussein is at an end. With CNN showing an endless video loop of exultant Iraqis throwing shoes and otherwise insulting a giant fallen statue of the dictator, the temptation will be to revel in American omnipotence. That would be a huge mistake.

This country has a tremendous amount to learn from the rest of the world about creating livable cities and the transportation systems that sustain them. U.S. cities remain plagued by crime, health and education problems that would never be tolerated in the rest of the developed world. And, when it comes to the environment, the U.S. is a bad global citizen. It has 5% of the world's population, yet produces 25% of climate changing gases. Yet today's news from Capitol Hill is that Republican members of Congress who are close to the president are preparing "environmental streamlining" provisions that would make building new highways easier, encourage driving and increase greenhouse gas emissions.

Blix

Before the war, UN weapons inspector Hans Blix told MTV ''To me, the question of the environment is more ominous than that of peace and war. We will have regional conflicts and use of force, but world conflicts I do not believe will happen any longer. But the environment, that is a creeping danger. I'm more worried about global warming than I am of any major military conflict.''

Progress on Bike Parking for City Employees

In March, T.A. asked top officials at the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) to officially allow City employees working in all City-owned buildings to park their bicycles inside, per the recommendation of the Department of City Planning's 1999 "Bicycle Parking Needs Study." In April 1991, the Department of General Services, DCAS' predecessor, opened the doors of 39 City-owned buildings to bicyclists. Since then, many City buildings have prohibited employees from bringing their bikes in.

DCAS owns and manages 46 buildings, including City Hall, the Municipal Building (1 Centre Street), The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island Borough Halls and 23 courthouses in NYC. At least six of these City buildings already have indoor bike parking.

According to a 1999 NYC Department of City Planning survey, the lack of secure bicycle parking is the greatest obstacle to potential bike commuters. However, there are no laws that mandate or prohibit indoor bike parking, so bike commuters who seek secure indoor bike parking are left to the whims of their building owners and managers.

It's time for DCAS to open its doors again. Send a message to Martha Hirst, DCAS Commissioner by following this link:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/maildcas.html

Hirst

Let her know that the City should lead by example and let its employees who work in City-owned buildings park their bikes inside. Be sure to send a copy of your message to T.A. at info@transalt.org.

Read more about T.A.'s work for indoor parking for bicycles:
www.transalt.org/campaigns/bike/indoor.html 

Midtown Parking Rate Hike is Good But Too Small
Cyclists! Read This

When it comes to cars double parked in bike lanes, it's like the old song "The head bone's connected to the neck bone, the neck bone to the shoulder bone, etc." Cars and delivery trucks double park because there is no curbside parking in Midtown and elsewhere in NYC. This is because the price for curbside parking is ridiculously low, so motorists treat on-street parking as an all day, everyday place to park. An economist would say the low prices create excess demand for a scarce, fixed supply of parking. This excess demand, or inadequate supply, is translated into double parking, blocked bike lanes and traffic problems. The City's response to double parking has been to charge draconian double parking fines of $105 while maintaining ridiculously low parking rates. This has not stopped double parking, but it has done a lot to anger motorists.

But finally, because of the City's budget crisis, on-street parking prices are going up. On April 7, the Department of Transportation raised parking rates for vehicles parked at Muni-Meter parking spaces in Midtown Manhattan, from 42nd to 59th Streets, between 2nd and 9th Avenues. Unrestricted spaces will cost $2 an hour, up from $1 an hour. Parking at commercial vehicle-only spots is now $2 for one hour, $5 for two hours and $9 for three hours. The commercial rates are in effect weekdays from 7 am until 6 pm. The rates at unrestricted parking spots apply on weekdays from 6 pm to midnight and weekends from 8 am until midnight.

The DOT needs to do more to free up curb space for delivery trucks and other necessary deliveries and reduce double parking. Here's how:

• Expand the successful Commercial Vehicle Congestion Parking program to all on-street commercial parking in Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn.
• Charge for all on-street parking south of 96th Street in Manhattan.
• Raise the on-street hourly parking rate to $5 per hour on Manhattan avenues south of 60th Street.
• Take online credit card payment for parking cards. The current system of downloading a form and mailing it in with a check or certified check for amounts over $300 is primitive.

Read more about T.A.'s work for more rational parking: www.transalt.org/campaigns/sensible/parking.html 

T.A. Tells Council City Must Do More on Trucks 

It’s no secret that for years big trucks have regularly ignored sparsely marked New York City truck routes. In its most recent response to voluminous public complaints about big trucks rumbling down neighborhood streets, the City Council held a hearing on April 4 on legislation intended to reduce the problem.

Comrie	Liu

Intro 344A, a bill by Queens Councilmember Leroy Comrie and Transportation Committee Chair John Liu of Queens, requires truck drivers to carry an NYC Truck Map and a written travel itinerary displaying the legal route to their destination.

Yassky

Resolution 407–A, introduced by David Yassky of Brooklyn asks the council to endorse state legislation sponsored by Democratic Assemblymember Joseph Lentol and Republican State Senator Martin Golden, of Brooklyn, that fines truck drivers $250-$2,000 and adds points on their licenses for violating truck routing rules (A01433, S1505). At the hearing, T.A. endorsed the Comrie/Liu bill and Yassky resolution. 

NYC Truck Route Map

However, the NYC Department of Transportation, which supports the idea of requiring truckers to carry truck route maps, says that the council bill is clearly preempted by Federal law and thus will not be enforceable. Additionally, the state bill faces an uphill battle against the New York Motor Truck Association's lobbying machine.

If the City Council and the DOT are serious about getting trucks to stay on truck routes, they should get together with the police department and develop new laws and policies that make enforcement easier for the police and truck routes clearer for truckers and the general public. The police say that, without clearly marked truck routes, it is more difficult for them to convict truckers in traffic court. This discourages beat cops from vigorously enforcing truck routes.

T.A. recommended to the City Council that the DOT and police do three things to make truck enforcement more transparent and accountable to the public [ Read full testimony]:

1. Place a more detailed, downloadable, truck route map on the DOT Web site modeled on the excellent City Planning/DOT NYC Bicycle Map. The current truck route map on the DOT Web site has no street names on it.

2. The NYPD should post the monthly number of truck route summonses given out in each precinct on its Web site. The NYPD Web site already includes detailed monthly crime statistics for each precinct.

3. The DOT should place a log of citizen complaints about trucks on its Web site and update its response. This will help the DOT, City Council, police and public see where truck complaints are coming from and what is being done to address them.

Read more about trucks: www.transalt.org/campaigns/sensible/trucks.html

Winter 2003 T.A. Magazine  
This issue is being mailed to all T.A. members. It includes news on bicycle, pedestrian and car-free Central Park and Prospect Park, sensible transportation, features and much, much more! View the Table of Contents or request a copy!

Ban Car Alarms in NYC Now!  

Colored Bike Lanes: Perfect for NYC

NJ Pedestrians Told to Wave Flags

Bumpy New Path Across the Williamsburg Bridge

Early Success for London's Big Pricing Experiment

Death Imminent on Manhattan Bridge