Calling All Angels

New York City is tantalizingly close to being the best big city for bicycling and walking in the world. Despite forty years of trying to cram cars into every nook and cranny, the city still has the housing density, street grid, bridges, transit system, and overall culture that provide a rich medium for non-automotive travel. An optimist can see wonders could be worked with a smart transportation plan that incorporates: regional transit passes; dedicated rights of ways for buses and new light rail; large scale traffic calming; an energetic effort to bring bicyclists into the mainstream; and peak-hour pricing for East River bridges and on-street parking.

In the current social and political climate this vision of aggressive municipal planning and action seem fantastical. But keep in mind that we are in the midst of a period in which city planning is viewed with suspicion, and cooperation between the citizenry and government with distaste. Yet, things can change for the better faster than you think. As we have reported over the course of 1998, communities around the city are demanding safe and pedestrian friendly streets with a new found vehemence and sophistication. The work that T.A., the Straphangers Campaign and the Tri-State Transportation Campaign have done over the last four years is allowing NYC neighborhoods to better advocate for transit and effectively question decisions that allow their streets to be used as short cuts for cars and trucks. Transportation has become an issue of local empowerment, instead of far away technocrats.

These are the stirrings of the revolution in the making. Every issue of the T.A. Magazine we show you a little snapshot of the change stirring the city. (Take a look at page 14 this issue.) It is a heady and exciting time to work on environmental transportation issues here. But given the enormous possibilities in reach, it is also incredibly frustrating. Change is coming slowly, and for most everyday cyclists and pedestrians is probably not noticeable - it is a rare day when I pass more than a few other cycle commuters or don't have to dodge oblivious or obnoxious motorists. But as you can see from T.A.'s Top Ten Wish List for 1999,(pages 12 and 13) we are closing in on bigger and more important goals.

My personal goal for 1999 is to preserve the optimist inside from being overcome by the pessimism that comes when the almost possible does not happen. My other goal is to see the "angel" - the visionary or optimist - inside of the bureaucrats, politicians and others we work so hard to persuade. We will see how far I get.

As for you, T.A. is calling on your angel to join our campaign for a better city in a way that maybe you haven't gotten around to yet. T.A. is proud of you - our members - and the enormous talent and energy you inject into our movement. Think about what you could do in 1999 to help bring better cycling and walking closer - then do it. It will make you feel good.

Happy New Year from the Board of Directors, and Staff of Transportation Alternatives.

John Kaehny
Executive Director

P.S. Good Luck Dear Friends... A fond farewell to Elizabeth Ernish, formerly T.A.'s terrific Campaign Coordinator and "Ped Lady", who has joined the Sam Schwartz Company as a big dollar pedestrian consultant. And, don't miss the advertisement on page 20 for the sure- handed Andrew Megginson. Andrew has left his job as T.A.'s firebrand office manager to launch a career in body work - the human kind - employing the Trager Method.
Welcome to David Silva, Andrew's capable successor.