Prospect Park Defense Action
Tuesday, April 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 at Bike Week!

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.

4/22 Prospect Park Neighbors Fight To Ban Cars From The Park,
WABC

4/22 Rough ride in pothole city: Craters give drivers sinking feeling, Daily News

4/17 Dude, where's my car?, Time Out New York

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

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

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!

April 25, 2003

T.A. Mounts Earth Day Defense of Car-Free Prospect Park

Surrounded by TV crews, members of Transportation Alternatives' Brooklyn Committee celebrated Earth Day by keeping motorists from illegally entering the park during the early morning car-free period.

 

Defend car-free hours in Prospect Park! The next P'Park Defense Action is Tuesday, April 29, 6-7 am, Southern tip of Prospect Park at the Park Circle Entrance. RSVP to brooklyn@transalt.org

The jovial group gathered at Park Circle, the southwest corner of the park, to turn back a multitude of scofflaw motorists attempting to enter from Coney Island Avenue and Hamilton Parkway. The T.A. event highlighted the poor effort by the police and the Parks Department to enforce car-free hours, and emphasized the need for a completely car-free park.

Prospect Park Car-Free hours are in effect on weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm and 7 pm to 7 am.

Read more about the car-free Prospect Park campaign: www.CarFreeProspectPark.org

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Have you ever seen cars in Central or Prospect Park during car-free hours?  Yes  No View Current Results

T.A. Poll: Cars in Parks

Cars infiltrating Central and Prospect Parks during car-free hours has been an ongoing problem. Have you ever seen unauthorized vehicles in Central or Prospect Park during car-free hours?

All polls are anonymous. If your e-mail program does not support forms, simply visit this page online to participate in this poll:

www.transalt.org/press/askta/030425.html#p

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A normal day in NYC: April 17, 2003, two cabs jump the curb at 3rd Ave. and 34th St. as pedestrians scatter.

1,200 NYC Pedestrians Struck On Sidewalks Every Year

Recent national statistics have highlighted the number of drunk pedestrians struck and killed by drivers of motor vehicles. But according to records kept by the NY State Department of Motor Vehicles, about 10% of New York City pedestrians struck by cars are actually hit "Off road," on the sidewalk or inside their homes. Readers of the NY Daily News or Newsday are familiar with their regular photos of cars on sidewalks.

Pay phones and fire hydrants are protected by bollards, why not NYC pedestrians? E-mail the DOT and ask that it track curb jumping incidents and install bollards to protect pedestrians at crowded intersections. Be sure to send a copy of your message to T.A. at info@transalt.org. 

Read more about T.A.'s campaign to reclaim the sidewalks: www.transalt.org/campaigns/reclaiming/sidewalks.html

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Conduct East River Bridge Tolls Environmental Impact Study Now

The newspapers and pundits say East River bridge tolls are dead for now. But page 15 of the April 2003 Executive Budget has $600 million in revenues from "Regional Transportation Initiatives" listed in FY 2005 and $800 million in FY 2006. Of this, $200 million is probably from the transfer of the City bus fleet and reduced operating subsidies. (See above.) But the remainder can only be one thing: tolls.

While the mayor must have the permission of the City Council to actually toll the bridges, there is nothing stopping him from instructing one of his agencies to begin a comprehensive study of the traffic, air quality, safety and economic impacts of tolls. Such a study is a legal pre-requisite for instituting tolls and will be invaluable to informing the public debate.

From the April 2003 Executive Budget

T.A. strongly supports Mayor Bloomberg’s bold and unprecedented support for tolls and traffic reduction. But the Mayor must build support for tolls by conducting a comprehensive Environmental Impact Study and clarifying his intentions. The illustration above from the just released April 2003 Executive Budget sums up the current toll message coming from City Hall: confusing.

E-mail the Mayor today and ask him to conduct an environmental impact study of East River bridge tolls:

www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/mayor.html

Be sure to send a copy of your message to T.A. at info@transalt.org. 

Read more about tolling the East River bridges: www.transalt.org/campaigns/sensible/bridgetolls.html

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C+ Grade for City Cycling Effort

T.A.'s 6th Annual Cycling Report Card dropped the grade for government efforts to promote cycling in NYC in 2002 to a C+, down from an A- in 2001. The report card lauds the accessibility and friendliness of the City and State bicycle planners, but notes serious safety problems at the approaches to the East River bridges; the continued lack of a Bicycle Advisory Committee; absence of a government effort to help cyclists gain work place access; poor linkage between greenways, bridges and the street grid; and continued dangerous conditions on city streets. 

Read the full report: www.transalt.org/press/magazine/031Winter/12-13grade.html

Don't forget to call 311 to report potholes and other street hazards. E-mail the DOT to comment on City bicycling efforts:

www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/maildot.html 

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Councilmember Yassky Calls for Safe Entrance to Brooklyn Side of Manhattan Bridge

On April 18, Brooklyn City Council member David Yassky (Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Vinegar Hill, DUMBO, Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill and Park Slope) wrote to DOT Commissioner Iris Weinshall urging the DOT to, "install safety measures for bicycle riders and pedestrians on the Brooklyn side of the Manhattan Bridge similar to ones that DOT has installed on the Manhattan side."

"Jay Street is the most direct and most used route to the Manhattan Bridge path," Mr. Yassky added. "It is unrealistic to expect that people are going to use the route currently suggested. Therefore, it is necessary to install the safety measures to protect individuals on the route that is actually used."

Write to Councilmember Yassky and thank him for championing cyclist and pedestrian safety: yassky@council.nyc.ny.us. Be sure to send T.A. a copy of your message at info@transalt.org. 

Read more about bicycle and pedestrian access to the Manhattan Bridge: www.transalt.org/bridges/manhattan.html 

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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