Striving to make it into the hands of a wider group of livable streets advocates and New York city officials, non-profit group Transportation Alternatives (T.A.) has taken their film Contested Streets to DVD, as well as to planned screenings worldwide. Co-producers Mark Gorton, successful entrepreneur, founder and director of the Lime Group and Paul Steely White, director of T.A., plan to use this film to gain awareness and impact city officials decisions regarding sharing the city’s streets among vehicles, bikes, and pedestrians — making the streets safer and easier to navigate.Contested Streets: Breaking NYC Gridlock explores ways cities around the world are breaking free from the chokehold of traffic, enhancing quality of life and environmental sustainability and allowing room for their economies to grow and flourish. The unusual partnership between the two producers and their organizations has allowed for access to a diverse group of interviews that are collected in this film, which features some of our generation’s brightest minds from the business, transportation and urban planning arenas.Luminaries and experts appearing on camera include: Kenneth T. Jackson, President, New York Historical Society, Encyclopedia of New York author; Majora Carter; Executive Director, Sustainable South Bronx, recent recipient of MacArthur Genius Award; Bob Kiley; former CEO, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority and recent Commissioner of Transport for London; Kathryn Wylde President and CEO, Partnership for New York City; and Fred Kent, President, Project for Public Spaces."Cities like London, Paris and Copenhagen are redesigning their streets to make cycling and walking more viable transportation options. They are adding capacity to their transportation systems while improving quality of life for all of their residents. New York City’s recent announcement shows that our leaders are taking notice of these successes," said T.A.’s White.September has been a huge month for both cyclists and pedestrians in New York City. Mayor Bloomberg announced the city’s groundbreaking plan to add 200 miles of bike lanes over the next three years to city streets, as well as signage to remind vehicles to share the road, and higher fines for drivers blocking the bicycle lanes. This change comes following a series of unfortunate bicycle related deaths this summer that drew a higher level of awareness from all New Yorkers. Since 1996, over 225 cyclists have been killed in New York City. Although these changes are nothing short of amazing, Transportation Alternatives will not rest until bicycling and walking in the city are truly safe, and convenient transportation for all New Yorkers is implemented.In response to safety concerns on New York City streets and inspired by the changes that cities like London, Copenhagen and Paris have brought about on their streets, T.A. and the NYC Bike Coalition drafted the "Bike Safety Action Plan," a year-old precursor to the city’s new plan. The plan demands a number of changes, including a call for the City of New York to commit to a comprehensive study of all NYC bike fatalities since 1996 to be released in a City Hall event no later than September 30, 2006; develop and implement an aggressive, ongoing enforcement campaign to deter drivers from illegal behaviors that put cyclists in peril; commit to implementing the "Bike Master Plan" by 2010 with the goal of putting every New Yorker within a half mile of the bike network.Contested Streets first premiered to an audience of city officials, business leaders, urban planners and environmentalists at the IFC Center on June 27th, 2006. T.A. will continue to screen the film to smaller audiences worldwide via grassroots living room screenings and larger showings at venues such as MAKOR in the Steinhardt Center of the 92nd Street Y.About Transportation Alternatives:Since its founding in 1973 during the explosion of environmental consciousness that also produced the Clean Air, Clean Water Act and the Environmental Protection Agency, Transportation Alternatives has helped win numerous improvements for cyclists and pedestrians and has been the leading voice for reducing car use in New York City. T.A.'s roots are in bicycling, but winning a cycling-friendly city means changing the overall transportation system. T.A. seeks to change the city's transportation priorities to encourage and increase non-polluting, quiet, city-friendly travel and decrease--not ban--private car use. To achieve its goals, T.A. works in five areas: Bicycling, Walking and Traffic Calming, Car-Free Parks, Safe Streets and Sensible Transportation.For more information regarding Contested Streets, review copies, or to speak with a T.A./Contested Streets representative, please contact Jill Meisner (jmeisner@pitchcontrolpr.com) or Sarah Cirkiel (scirkiel@pitchcontrolpr.com), Pitch Control Public Relations, 212.475.4919. The film trailer and complete list of the film stars and producers are available at transalt.org/contestedstreets.