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New York City Century Bike Tour
Experience the world’s greatest city! Ride the 14th Annual NYC Century Bike Tour on September 7, 2003.
Featuring a selection of distances (15, 35, 55, 75 or 100 miles) and magnificent views of New York's bridges, neighborhoods and parks.
Register online today and save $20! Early registration discounts end July 31st.
Come to the Volunteer Magazine Mailing Party, Wednesday, June 11th at 6 pm at the T.A. Office (115 West 30th, #1207)! Free beer, soda, pizza, snacks and scintillating conversation. Be among the first to see the Spring 2003 magazine!
T.A. In the News Latest 5/27 City finds road map to safety Injuries, accidents down, Daily News 5/20 Toward more rapid transit: Plan pushes longer subway routes, more transfer points, Daily News 5/19 Car-Free Parks, Gotham Gazette 5/14 Summer in the City: Urban Oases, Village Voice 5/12 Pedestrian Peril: People on Foot Represent a Quarter of LI’s Traffic Deaths, Newsday 5/11 Pedal power, Boston Globe 5/6 Gridlock Sam, Daily News 5/5 Fixing a Traffic Light, Gotham Gazette 5/5 Gridlock Sam, Daily News 5/5 Speed Bumps and Humps, Gotham Gazette 5/5 Critics' Picks--Around Town, Time Out New York 5/5 Call for Better Parking Starts NYC Bike Week, Mobilizing the Region 5/4 Biking Is One Thing, Finding a Place to Park Is Another, The New York Times 5/4 Two Wheels on Reels, The New York Times 5/3 Street Pedalers, New York Post 5/2 Cycle of events to get people rolling, Daily News 5/1 Big week for spokes persons, Daily News 4/29 Group Wants To Drive Vehicles Out Of Prospect Park, NY1 4/28 Park Advocates: This Is Not a Shortcut, Park Slope Courier 4/28 Yassky: Business 'Yes,' Traffic 'No', The Park Slope Courier 4/26 Manhattan Loop Nears for Bikes, The New York Times
T.A. News 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. 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) 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 Contact Matt: info@transalt.org
Do Your Part for Safer Streets! Report: Potholes
and Hazards: Sidewalk
obstructions: Mayor’s Quality of Life Hotline at 888-677-LIFE/
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!
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The Mayor's lobbyists tell T.A.
that now--today--is the decisive time for us to show we support more red light
cameras. Motorists run red lights one million times a day in NYC.
Name:
Your message will also be e-mailed to Transportation Alternatives.
The NYC Department of Transportation and its consultant are conducting a major new study of truck impacts that will result in new regulations and new truck routes. This is your chance to tell the DOT about trucks in your neighborhood.
www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/dot/html/
transalt.org/campaigns/brooklyn/
When the weather heats up, so does police ticketing. Typically in early summer, the police step up enforcement to remind cyclists to obey the law. This year, with quality of life ticketing at an all time high, cyclists should expect to be under police scrutiny. City cyclists need to know and obey cycling laws. Bike law reminder
The Staten Island Advance reported
on May 27th that the Port Authority will begin allowing two axle trucks and
buses back into the Holland Tunnel. Trucks have been banned since 9/11/2001
because of security concerns and buses are not allowed because they cannot fit
in the tube at the same time as tractor trailers. This spring, SI Borough President James Molinaro asked the
Port Authority to reopen the Holland to trucks to absorb the increased SIE
traffic. "I went to them and said this [traffic congestion] is a problem. Of course, trucks in the Holland means more trucks on Canal Street, which is the only major access route to the tunnel. However, participants in the Canal Area Transportation Study, a major multi-agency study run by the regional planning body, New York Metropolitan Transportation Council, were never told about the pending changes at the Holland or the implications for Canal Street. When informed about the impending changes, officials at the Manhattan Borough President's Office and local community boards expressed concern.
Newsday deserves high praise for its insightful twelve-part series on Long Island's traffic safety nightmare. We hope it inspires a NYC paper to do the same. The articles do a good job of explaining why LI roads are so dangerous and unfriendly to bicyclists and pedestrians as well as some of the needed changes. A national survey by the motoring rights organization, AAA, found that most motorists regularly drive dangerously. "Safety requires three things: safe cars, safe roads and safe drivers," said Susan Pikrallidas, AAA's vice president for Public Affairs. "So far, the focus has been on making cars and roads safer. But driving is a complex task and many of us have very poor driving habits." T.A. strongly agrees with AAA that driver education in the U.S. and NY must be significantly improved.
71% speed 5 mph or more over limit.
The county health board that now regulates Seattle and its environs may mandate bicycle helmets for cyclists. The board recently took over Seattle from a now defunct city board. It requires helmets in the 26 other towns it oversees <more on this story>.
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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!  Selected articles
Take Action
Advocacy Committees Brooklyn@transalt.org Centralpark@transalt.org Gowanus@transalt.org Citywide: |
• Sign-up Online! T.A.’s members support our advocacy for bicyclists, pedestrians and car-free Central and Prospect Parks. So should you.  TAKE
THE TOUR!
MAD AS HELL? DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!
Call the Mayor's Quality of Life Action Line (real people 24 hrs a day): 888-677-5433 or 888-677-LIFE. POTHOLES, STREET HAZARDS GOT YOU IN A RUT? Call DOT at 212-225-5368 and hit 0 to skip the message and speak with a
human. You can also report them online at transalt.org/ STAY SMART & INFORMED Savvy
transit riders get their lowdown on the subways here: Sensible
Transport Junkies:  The daily Gotham Gazette: gothamgazette .org NYC News summaries and savvy commentary. Bikes
in Bogota? Car-Free Cartagena? Tel-Aviv by Train?
Give on-line at transalt.org/join Quick!
What's your city council GET THERE!
Check our maps page for links to NYC-area bicycle and transit maps. RIDES AND WALKS Friday, May 30, 7 pm. Critical Mass. Union Square Park North. Time's Up! Saturday, May 31, 8:30 am. Temperature Regulated. Pelham Pkway at White Plains Rd. 5BBC. Saturday, May 31, 10:30 am. Five Bridges, 3 Boroughs - Triboro plus in-&-around Wards & Randalls Island. NE corner of 96th St. and Lexington. Shorewalkers. Saturday, May 31, 10 pm. Riverside Ride. Time's Up! Sunday,
June 1. Tour de Cure, Westchester, NY. ADA. Sunday, June 1, 7:58 am. Fire Island: Pines to Atlantique. 7:58 am train from Penn Station to Sayville. Shorewalkers. Sunday, June 1, 9 am. Bronx River Parkway and Cranberry Lake Park Bike/Hike. Jerome & Bainbridge Avenues, the Bronx, last stop of the #4 (Woodlawn). 5BBC. Sunday, June 1, 9 am. Rockland Lake Circular from and to Nyack. Port Authority Bus Terminal, South Wing, at Coach USA rear ticket window of ground floor (Coach USA operates Red and Tan Bus line). Shorewalkers. Tuesday, June 3, 10 am. TBA. Loeb Boathouse. The Weekday Cyclists in NYC. Thursday, June 5, 10 am. TBA. Loeb Boathouse. The Weekday Cyclists in NYC. Friday, June 6 to Monday, June 9. NYC to Montreal for the Tour de L'île and other Montreal bike rides. Luxury Coach arranged by 5BBC. 5BBC. Friday, June 6, 9:44 am. Belmar Beach and Jersey Shore. 1st car of the 9:44 AM NJ Transit Coast Line train from Penn Station (NY) to Bradley Beach. Shorewalkers. Friday,
June 6, 10 pm. Central Park Moonlight Ride. Columbus Circle. Time's Up!
Saturday, June 7, 10:30 am. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Broad Channel Station on Rockaway Branch of the A train. Shorewalkers. Sunday,
June 8. Tour de Cure, Riverhead, NY. ADA. Sunday, June 8, 8 am. Rolling to Rockaway. City Hall. 5BBC. Sunday, June 8, 9:30 am. Kensico. Woodlawn stop of the #4 train. Fast & Fabulous. Sunday, June 8, 11 am. Exploratory Brooklyn. Flatbush Ave. & Ave. U (take 2 or 5 train; or take Bus B-2, B-41, or B-46 and transfer to B-3 to Ave. U). Shorewalkers. Sunday, June 8, 12:30 pm. Central Park - Along the Waters. Central Park West and West 86th Street. Shorewalkers. Sunday, June 8, 12:45 pm. Gateway Getaway - A Great Kills Excursion. South Ferry. 5BBC. Tuesday, June 10, 10 am. TBA. Loeb Boathouse. The Weekday Cyclists in NYC. |
Now or Never
for More NYC Red Light Cams
Sheldon Silver and State Senate leader
Joe Bruno. If your e-mail program does not
support forms, visit
Read more about
Help
yourself and your neighbors; take two minutes to fill-out the form at the link
listed below.
At
deadline, T.A. received a CD containing 160 pages of recommendations and
analysis for improving conditions for bicyclists and pedestrians in Downtown
Brooklyn. 
Lights
front and rear required by law after dark. So are bells--at all times.
The
tunnel bans and the peak period car pool requirement on the river crossings into
Lower Manhattan have reduced traffic on Canal Street. But on Staten Island,
traffic woes on the Staten Island Expressway have increased because of
construction on the Verrazano Bridge.
They
came back to me and said, 'We're going to permit commercial traffic to go back
through the Holland Tunnel,'" Molinaro said. 
Bad
Motoring Survey Highlights
While
U.S. cycling advocacy groups, like T.A., encourage helmet use, they often oppose
mandatory helmet laws, which have been found to discourage cycling in a number
of major studies. Top cycling countries like Denmark and Holland, which have far
lower cycling death and injury rates than U.S. cities, have low helmet use.
Helmet use has grown sharply in the U.S. over the last few decades and 60% of
Seattle cyclists wear them. Passions run high on the issue of mandatory helmet
laws and no doubt T.A. will be bombarded by e-mails upon publishing this.
T.A.
has many volunteer opportunities. Please visit our site to learn
more about how you can help. Come to the 
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