TourdeBronx.org
Sunday, Oct. 27

Register online to participate in New York's largest free cycling event, the Tour de Bronx!

9/8 To Bikers, an Open Door Is No Invitation, New York Times

9/1 Big Trucks Take More Detours, and Residents Near Holland Tunnel Just Smile, New York Times

9/1 Slower Than a Chicken, Faster Than a Snail: The M96, New York Times

9/1 NYC Century Bike Tour September 8, Metrosports New York

8/27 Are park fees unfair? Yes. They violate the Constitution, Daily News Op-Ed

8/26 Commuters Are Working the Pedals, Newsday

8/26 Pedestrian Safety, Gotham Gazette

8/21 Rolling on the River; as bike path use rises, crowding, speeding, vehicles are problems, The Villager

8/16 Judge Says a Regulation on Park Fees Violates Law, New York Times

8/16 Ruling Targets Park Fees - Judge: Can't charge for political events, Newsday

8/16 Judge Rejects Fees for Use of City Parks, New York Post

8/16 Judge clips city fees for park events, Daily News

8/13 Bottle in a Bag Is My Idea Of Park Recreation, New York Observer

8/12 New York Is Heaven and Hell on Wheels for Its Bicycle Commuters, Bloomberg Radio

8/9 Commute to be ferry easy, Daily News

8/7 No test drive for car-free park, Daily News

8/5 Park's car-ban fans want a DOT tryout, Daily News

8/5 Rally to Block Prospect Park Car Traffic, Park Slope Courier

8/1 Five City Council Members Endorse A Car-Free Prospect Park, The Ride

More Quotes...

Come to the Volunteer Mailing Party, Wednesday, September 18th at 6 pm at the T.A. Office (115 West 30th, #1207). 

Hazard ID!

Come join T.A. on September 22 to mark hazards around the Brooklyn Bridge.

We’re meeting at 9 am on the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge, spraypainting and recording potholes till 11, then probably heading for a bite to eat.

It’s fun, it’s sociable, and it’s easy! Newcomers and oldcomers welcome!

Please let Diana Gavales know if you’ll be there. You can also register online as a Hazard ID volunteer.

Read our recent press on Hazard ID:

7/22 Cyclists Beware: Bumpy Road Ahead, Park Slope Courier

Delivery People Wanted!

T.A. is looking for people to deliver City Cyclist to bike shops throughout NYC every two weeks. Person must be willing to be responsible for maintenance of store display. Must be able to carry heavy load long distances. $10/hour. If interested, please call Kit at 212-629-8080. Delivery starts ASAP.

Environmental Transportation Advocate

Experienced public interest advocate needed for T.A.’s cutting-edge NYC environmental transportation campaigning. Will manage pedestrian, traffic calming and car-free parks advocacy. Must have excellent writing skills, post-graduate political and/or advocacy experience and the ability to work both on policy issues and community coalition building. Salary $30k-$40k to start. E-mail and postal mail only. No phone calls please. Send cover letter (important) and resumé to Transportation Alternatives, 115 West 30th Street, Rm. 1207 NYC 10001 or info@transalt.org. Please do not attach Word documents--plain text or pdf only.

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.

Bike Counts Coordinator Needed

T.A. needs a responsible volunteer to take the reins of the East River Bridge Count project for the fall. Responsibilities include organizing monthly bike and pedestrian counts, collecting count sheets and compiling and presenting the data. Database or spreadsheet skills are a must. East River Bridge Counts are a barometer of cycling activity in the city. The data is also used in efforts to make bridge access safer for cyclists and pedestrians. To apply, contact: bike@transalt.org.

T.A. also needs volunteers to count all those bikes and pedestrians as they cross the Queensboro, Williamsburg, Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges. The counts take place from 7-10 am, one morning a month. To volunteer, register online.

Valet Bike Parking Coordinator Needed

Organize volunteers to provide valet bike parking at events throughout the year. You are encouraged to seek out events, though not required. Register online to express your interest in this opportunity.

T.A. still has two open internships: 

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

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

Volunteers are needed for the Face of America 2002 ride in New York City on Friday morning on September 20, 2002 for the opening ceremonies to help with bike marshalling and crowd control. The volunteer shift will begin at 5am and end around 8:30am. All volunteers need to report to the Embassy Suites Hotel, New York which is located at 102 North End Avenue (off Vesey Street) and everyone will go over together to the opening ceremonies. If you are interested in volunteering please contact Jenni Gaisbauer at 1-866-987-3223 or by email.

What is Face of America 2002?
Face of America 2002, organized by World T.E.A.M. (The Exceptional Athlete Matters) Sports, will bring together disabled and able-bodied cyclists from around the world to ride in a three-day and two-night journey from New York City to Washington, DC. Face of America 2002 will honor the lives of those who were killed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The ride will be a monumental expression of hope and unity in the form of an athletic challenge that affirms World T.E.A.M. Sports’ belief that the sheer internal will of the human person is what allows us to accomplish nearly impossible goals despite differences.

The T.A. Bulletin is a bi-weekly publication of Transportation Alternatives. The Bulletin has 20,000 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 September 9, 2002

Comment
A Year Later: Building a "Culture of Responsibility"

Wednesday, September 11, 2002, is going to be a tough day for many New Yorkers. Though it's been a very long year, memories of the burning and crashing towers are still raw. Hopefully, today's ceremonies will allow New Yorkers to take a moment to reflect upon how America as a country has responded to the tragedy. 

Alas, one positive thing that was said to have come from the horror, has not come to pass. In the aftermath of the attack, President Bush spoke of a new "culture of responsibility" and "shared sacrifice." Given the prominent role of Saudia Arabians and Saudi "charities" in 9/11 terrorism (Osama Bin Laden was a Saudi) and the continued U.S. dependence upon Saudi oil, it's reasonable to think that some of the President's "responsibility" and "shared sacrifice" would have involved reducing oil consumption by

Sticker appearing surreptitiously on NYC sport utility vehicles.

driving less--especially guzzling SUVs. Instead, the Bush administration opposed higher fuel efficiency standards (particularly for SUV's and light trucks, which are the majority of vehicles sold). Note that the U.S. already consumes about 25% of the world's oil and produces a corresponding proportion of global-warming-causing gases. Indeed, long-time American allies like Britain, Germany and Japan sharply criticize the U.S. refusal to sign the Kyoto treaty reducing such emissions. The sad reality is that there is no national culture of responsibility or shared sacrifice, and that the President's words and actions ring hollow.

Text of Hummer advertisement reads "TEACH CABBIES SOME RESPECT"

Grotesquely, just as New Yorkers are remembering 9/11, General Motors has unleashed a massive advertising campaign in New York City for the "Hummer," a civilian version of the massive military jeep. GM's Hummer is so wide it barely fits within lanes on NYC streets. Its size also makes it a serious danger to bicyclists, pedestrians and other motorists. Of course, it also consumes huge amounts of fuel and emits a commensurate amount of pollution. Jeers to GM for their utter cynicism and greed.

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T.A. Poll

In your experience, how does NYC treat bicyclists and pedestrians?
	Very Well
	Well
	OK
	Poorly
	Atrociously
View Current Results

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

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Quote

"There are many public needs in a park. We serve one, and to us, it is sacred. The park is a retreat from the tumult of the city, not an extension of commercial activity."

--Jack Linn, Asst. Commissioner of the Department of Parks and Recreation, referring to vendors selling curios on the sidewalks surrounding Central Park, as quoted in the 9/4/02 NY Times.

T.A. Note: 84% of the motor vehicles driving through Central Park are cabs and limos getting paid to transport passengers. In short, people engaged in commercial activity.

Read more about T.A.'s work for a car-free Central Park.

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"Car-Free Summer" for Prospect Park 

T.A. and a host of major environmental and civic groups have asked DOT Commissioner Iris Weinshall to institute Car-Free Summers in Prospect Park next year [ Read the joint letter]. The groups made the request in an effort to get additional car-free time as soon as possible. Since T.A.'s enormous car-free park rally on July 17,

Cars driving through Prospect Park on average day: 13,000 Cars driving on segment of Paris Highway (made into a car-free beach) on average day before closure to cars: 200,000

efforts to create more car-free time have stalled, with supportive  City Councilmembers preoccupied by trips overseas, preparations for elections and 9/11 events.

Without the Councilmembers pushing, DOT will not act. T.A. has long requested a three-month car-free trial period. It makes sense to have that trial period in May, June and July--the Summer--during peak use of the park.

E-mail Councilmember Bill deBlasio and tell him you want a Car-Free Summer as the first step towards a completely car-Free Prospect Park.

Please use or modify the text below or compose your own text -- just click "Send my letter" when you are finished.  If your e-mail program cannot handle forms, simply visit this page online. A copy of your message will be sent to T.A. as well as Councilmember deBlasio.

Subject:

Dear Councilmember deBlasio:

I'm counting on you to win a Car-Free Summer in Prospect Park next year. Prospect Park should be car-free, but as a first step, we need to show the neighborhoods surrounding the park that a car-free park is good for everyone. I'm looking to you to rally the other councilmembers surrounding the park to persuade the DOT to make next summer a car-free one for Prospect Park.

Thank you,

Name:
Street address:
City:
State: Zip:
E-mail:  

Please include your full contact information so that your message will be treated as official correspondence! 

Read more about T.A.'s work for a car-free Prospect Park.

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Paris Mayor Scores Big Win Converting Highway to Beach

Paris' wildly popular new beach was once an expressway.

The praise is still ringing in Mayor Bertrand Delanoe's ears. Derided as a boondoggle, the mayor's "Paris Plage" or Paris Beach, experiment is a huge success. Delanoe converted a two-mile stretch of the Georges Pompidou expressway into a beach, complete with trucked in sand, palm trees, sports and art activities and vendors. This segment of the highway is typically traversed by 200,000 cars per day, and is located on the  Seine's right bank near the Hotel de Ville (City Hall), facing Notre Dame. (By comparison, Prospect Park is used by an average of 13,000 cars a day.)

Parisians prefer to lounge on the sand rather than sit in gridlock. Don't you?

The use of Paris Plage has far exceeded expectations. Three million visitors used Paris Plage in its first week alone, and it is widely praised for providing low-income families with access to quality recreation and open space.

Read more about Paris Plage:
www.pps.org/newsletter/Aug2002_Feature 

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DOT Creates Busway on Trinity and Church Streets Downtown

In an aggressive move to help express buses in Lower Manhattan, the DOT has created a bus priority street along two miles of Trinity and Church Streets in Lower Manhattan. Only busses will be allowed to exit the Battery Tunnel onto Trinity Place/Church St. from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. Passenger cars will not be permitted to turn onto Greenwich St. at Battery Place during those hours. Passenger cars coming out of the tunnel will be routed to West St. or the FDR Drive. Cars traveling up West St. can enter local roads north of Barclay St. 

Transportation Commissioner Iris Weinshall said the new Church St. busway will give priority access to commuter buses along the corridor formed by Trinity Place and Church and Greenwich Sts. Said Weinshall, "Bus commuters from Staten Island and Brooklyn will have a fully expedited bus route that begins with the HOV ... lane on the Gowanus Expressway and extends their bus stops on the Church St. corridor." Department of Transportation engineers estimate the new pattern will reduce traffic by 80%. Delivery trucks and emergency vehicles will have full access to Church St. Under the pilot program, motorists exiting the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel during the morning and evening rush will be redirected up West Street or through the Battery Park Underpass to the FDR Drive, officials said. The ban will not affect delivery trucks, officials said.

Mayor Bloomberg said the DOT will wait and see how the pilot project goes before trying similar efforts in other traffic-clogged areas. "We can't just sit back and complain about the traffic," Bloomberg said.

"The fact that you can't get across town quick enough, the fact that emergency vehicles can't get to where they have to go fast enough and the fact that all these cars sitting in traffic are just polluting the air ... in the end, we have to find a better way."

--Mayor Bloomberg

Read more about T.A.'s work for improved transit service.

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Global Traffic Deaths Put at Million a Year

Sadly, this gruesome "accident" is just one of a million every year.

GENEVA, Aug. 28 (Reuters) - Traffic accidents kill more than a million people each year, injure additional tens of millions and cost developing countries $100 billion a year, twice as much as they receive in international aid. Experts at the authoritative Road Traffic Injury Research Network—which is funded by the World Bank and World Health Organization (UN), released their findings in an effort to draw more attention to the massive toll motorization is inflicting on the developing world.

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Summer 2002 T.A. Magazine  
This issue has been 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

Bridge Access Safety Crisis Continues as the DOT Fails to Fix 6 of 8 Entrances

Shore Park Disaster Averted

State DOT NYC Office To Make Big Safety Improvements on Hudson Greenway

Alphabet Soup of Bike Agencies Needs Chef

Secure Parking's 2nd Chance At Grand Central

Council Ups Penalties for Riding on Sidewalk--Again

T.A. Seeks Safer Cabs

Take Action

T.A. has many volunteer opportunities.  Please visit our site to learn more about how you can help.  Come to the Volunteer Mailing Party, Wednesday, September 18th at 6 pm at the T.A. Office (115 West 30th, #1207). 

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 e-mail Mayor Bloomberg.

POTHOLES, STREET HAZARDS GOT YOU IN A RUT?

STAY SMART & INFORMED

Savvy transit riders get their lowdown on the subways here:

straphangers.org
The ultimate source for bus and subway service changes, rider comments and complaints that produce action. Help yourself and T.A.’s favorite transit advocates--check it out.

Sensible Transport Junkies:

Subscribe to the Tri-State Transportation Campaign’s e-weekly, Mobilizing the Region.  tstc.org

The daily Gotham Gazette

Bikes in Bogota? Car-Free Cartagena? Tel-Aviv by Train?

Go global at itdp.org!

Check our maps page for links to NYC-area bicycle and transit maps.

RIDES AND WALKS

Thursday, September 12, 10 am. Bergen County Loop Ride. Central Park Boathouse. The Weekday Cyclists.

Friday, September 13, 7 pm. Bridges by Night. Tramway Plaza. Time's Up!

Saturday, September 14, 7 am.  New York to Hamptons Challenge.  The Long Island Association for AIDS Care & Bias HELP LI.

Saturday, September 14, 7:39 am. Smithtown to Ronkonkomon. Penn Station. Shorewalkers.

Saturday, September 14, 8:15 am. Seldom-Cycled Staten Island. South Ferry. 5BBC.

Saturday, September 14, 9 am. Cold Spring Harbor. Kew Gardens / Union Turnpike stop of E/F lines. Fast and Fabulous.

Saturday, September 14, 9 pm. Prospect Park Moonlight Ride. Grand Army Plaza. Time's Up!

Saturday, September 14, 10 pm. History, Mystery, Murder & Money Tour. Manhattan Entrance to Brooklyn Bridge. Time's Up!

Sunday, September 15, 7 am. Hillier Than Thou. Camp Bernie YMCA, Washington, NJ. Central Jersey Bicycle Club. 

Sunday, September 15, 9 am. The Greenway Tour. Van Cortlandt Park. 5BBC.

Sunday, September 15, 9:30 am. Traffic Hater's Ride to Long Beach. Cunningham Park. 5BBC.

Sunday, September 15, 10 am. Flushing Bay to East River. Main St. & Roosevelt Ave in Flushing, last stop on #7 line. Shorewalkers.

Tuesday, September 17, 10 am. TBA. Central Park Boathouse. The Weekday Cyclists.

Wednesday, September 18, 8:30 am. Ossining to Nyack. Grand Central Terminal info booth. Shorewalkers.

Thursday, September 19, 10 am. TBA. Central Park Boathouse. The Weekday Cyclists.

Friday, September 20th, 10 am. GWB to Englewood. Ticket windows of GWB Bus Terminal (A train to 175th St.). Shorewalkers.

Saturday, September 21, 7:25 am. Train-Bike-Art-
Bike-Train. Grand Central Terminal. 5BBC.

Saturday, September 21, 7:39 am. Cold Spring Harbor. Penn Station. Shorewalkers.

Saturday, September 21, 9 am. Piermont. Central Park Boathouse. Fast and Fabulous.

Saturday, September 21, 10:30 am. Battery to Times Square. Staten Island Ferry Terminal. Shorewalkers.

Sunday, September 22. Bike The Beach. Penfield Beach in Fairfield, Connecticut. Probus Club of Greater Bridgeport.

Sunday, September 22, 8:30 am. Old Erie Trail. GWB Bus Terminal. 5BBC.

Sunday, September 22, 9 am. Cranberry Lake Park Bike-Hike. Woodlawn. 5BBC.

Sunday, September 22, 10 am. Liberty Park. Grove Street PATH station. Shorewalkers.

Sunday, September 22, 11 am. Over the GWB to Hudson Shore. GWB Bus Station, 178th Street and Broadway, #1 to 181st Street. Shorewalkers.

Sunday, September 22, 12:45 pm. Captain Kidd and the Lost Treasures of the East River. 60th Street & 1st Avenue. 5BBC.

Sunday, September 22, 2 pm. Groundswell Community Mural Project's Bike Tour. Entrance to Brooklyn Museum of Art Parking Lot, Washington Avenue side of museum. Groundswell Community Mural Project.

Tuesday, September 24, 10 am. TBA. Central Park Boathouse. The Weekday Cyclists.

Wednesday, September 25, 9:30 am. Osborne Loop Hike on the Hudson. Grand Central info booth. Shorewalkers.

Thursday, September 26, 10 am. TBA. Central Park Boathouse. The Weekday Cyclists.

Friday, September 27, 10 pm. Critical Mass. Union Square Park North. Time's Up!

Saturday, September 28, 8:30 am. Herman McNeil Park. Roosevelt Island Tramway. 5BBC.

Saturday, September 28, 10 am. Strolling along the Hackensack. McGraw Ave & Queen Anne Road in Teaneck. Shorewalkers.

Saturday, September 28, 10 pm. Riverside Ride. Columbus Circle. Time's Up!

Sunday, September 29, 6:30 am. Twin Lights Ride. Pier 11, Wall Street. Bike New York.

Sunday, September 29. Ramapo Rally. Center for Family Resources, Ringwood, New Jersey. Bicycle Touring Club of North Jersey. 

Sunday, September 29, 9:45 am. Kensico. Woodside stop on #4 train. Fast and Fabulous.

Sunday, September 29, 1 pm. Monarch Migration Walk. Richardson Avenue and Hylan Blvd. Shorewalkers.

Monday, September 30, 10 am. Rockland Lake to Nyack. GWB bus terminal ticket windows. Shorewalkers.

More Rides and Walks...