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NYC Century Bike Tour Register online today and save $20! Early registration discounts end July 31st.
Experience the world’s greatest city! Ride the 14th Annual NYC Century Bike Tour on September 12, 2004.
Featuring a selection of distances (15, 35, 55, 75 or 100 miles) and magnificent views of New York's bridges, neighborhoods and parks.
Come to the Volunteer Mailing Party, Wednesday, June 9th at 6 pm at the T.A. Office (115 West 30th, #1207)! Free beer, soda, snacks and scintillating conversation.
T.A. In the News Latest
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 26,000 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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Three Street Successes that Beg Citywide Rollout
As with Safe Routes, there are other local transportation innovations whose time has come for widespread application on streets throughout the five boroughs. Following are three of the most urgent:
Scroll down for more on these transportation innovations! The Towering Evergreen of Transportation Alternatives
John Kaehny recently stepped down as Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. In his 14-year tenure at T.A., John’s brand of informed, multi-pronged and dogged advocacy changed NYC streets, greenways, boulevards, bridges and parks so that they now bring less death and more life, more silence and less noise, less fear and more joy. We'll miss you John. Before and After:
1998: John Kaehny, demanding strong pedestrian safety measures at Mulry Square, cuts an impressive figure as a human bollard.
Today: Mulry Square (7th Ave and Greenwich Ave) is now a much safer place, sporting an extended median tip protected by steel bollards anchored in concrete.
Boxed In on the Sidewalks of
A 1982 Department of City Planning Study so characterized the problem of traffic congestion in Midtown Manhattan. The traffic congestion at issue, however, was that of pedestrians.
An obvious solution to the problem is to give walkers more space. Indeed, if the space between buildings were allocated justly--based on person-miles-traveled--sidewalks in many parts of the City would be twice as wide and roadways narrowed by half. Yet until majority rule applies to New York City streets, the removal of sidewalk obstructions represents a more achievable end.
Unfortunately, the City Department of Transportation has found it difficult to enforce the law because of its cumbersome notification requirements. Now the publishing industry is pressuring the City Council to make it even more difficult to remove or fine businesses for illegal box placement. The City does not allow the placement of vendor boxes on train tracks, roadways or bike lanes. Sidewalks are no different.
...More on Three Street Successes that Beg Citywide Rollout Crosswalk paint and signs do not a 'safe route' make. To really eliminate hazards and make it safe for kids to walk to school, drivers' speeds on sidestreets must be reduced to below their current 30+mph. Here’s just one of the many good reasons why: a person hit by a vehicle traveling 33 mph has an 80% chance of death or serious injury; at 20 mph, the likelihood drops to 35%.
On-street parking is scarcer during hours of peak use. Increasing on-street parking rates during peak periods is an effective tool to reduce the negative effects of out-of-control demand for cheap parking, most notably double parking, bike lane blockage, unpredictable veering (a major cause of bicycle, pedestrian and motor vehicle crashes), and traffic congestion. Local Success: Through New
York’s first variable parking pricing scheme, in Midtown Manhattan, the NYC DOT
has successfully reduced double parking and made curb space more obtainable for
the delivery and commercial vehicles that NYC businesses rely on.
The Case for Citywide Application: There is a reason why the NYPD's recent traffic enforcement is targeting double parkers: they create dangerous traffic conditions and cause crashes. Variable pricing for parking applied citywide would reduce crashes caused by double-parked vehicles, liberate some of New York’s most oft-used bike lanes, and eliminate endless trolling for parking spots.
Standard bike lanes are not always the best solution. Where there is not enough room to stripe a full five-foot bike lane, for example, a creative alternative such as a shared lane 'bicycle boulevard' may be more effective. In the past four years, the NYC DOT and State DOT have introduced, albeit on a limited scale, an impressive array of innovative street designs never before seen in NYC: shared lane bike pavement markings; physically separated on-street bike lanes; reverse-flow bike lanes on one-way streets; bike boxes (advanced waiting areas for bicyclists at intersections); bicycle traffic signals; blue pigmented bike lanes; and raised intersections.
Local Success: Ride the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway and experience how the City DOT used physically separated and reverse-flow on-street bike lanes, bike boxes and bicycle traffic signals to improve safety and greenway connections at busy, confusing and sometimes dangerous parts of the route. Along the Hudson River Greenway, the State DOT started with one raised intersection at West Houston Street and, based on its success of slowing motorists when they cross the greenway, the agency plans to install six more over the next two years.
The Case for Citywide Application: Many of the city's most desirable bicycling routes are also high traffic locations (e.g. the streets and intersections around the East River bridges) and greenway paths that run adjacent to arterial streets and highways (e.g. the Ocean Parkway Greenway). Scores of these contested and complex locations could be made safely navigable through the routine application of second generation bike lanes. Innovative Designs Along the
Manhattan Waterfront Greenway
www.transalt.org/press/magazine/ State DOT NYC Office To Make
Big Safety Improvements on Hudson Greenway
www.transalt.org/press/magazine/ Bad Bike Lanes Breed Car Use I will go back to driving in my car to work. At least I know where or where I am not allowed to drive. Ex-bike commuter, Eddie
When cars honk at you, the best thing to do is to be patient and ignore them, especially the when bike lane is blocked. Cyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as motorists, which include the right to use an entire lane of traffic when needed. See www.transalt.org/info/cycling.html for more information. If you're inspired, you can write to the local police precinct and ask them to ticket the motorists who park in the Adams Street bike lane. This probably won't solve the problem forever, but it's good catharsis. Captain Philip J. Sferrazza Good luck!
I am greatly disturbed by bicycle riders who do not have any lights on their bikes. This is a great threat to not only their safety, but more importantly to drivers and pedestrians at night. Is there any bill on the docks that requires all bicyclists to have light(s) or suffer a fine? Sincerely, T.A. Response: New York City and State laws require all bicyclists to use front and rear lights from dusk until dawn. For more details see www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/bikeped/bike-nyc.html and www.dot.state.ny.us/pubtrans/share.html. Chain Link Alternatives
I am with most of your members who think the fences on the bridges are unnecessary as well as an eyesore. But it seems the City will not back down on installing them. I was in Linz, Austria last month, and saw a place where a train was coming out from underground to street level. It was covered with a most delightful stainless steel wire net. If this were on the Manhattan Bridge I could hardly bellyache, but it is probably more expensive than galvanized chain link. Rob A. P.S. In your car alarm campaign, you have not mentioned the risk of vandalism to cars with blaring alarms. It is doubtful the police keep any statistics on this, but it does occur. Side note: In the two plus years I have lived in Europe, I have heard a car alarm go off maybe twice. [an error occurred while processing this directive] Take Action
Advocacy Committeess Brooklyn@transalt.org Centralpark@transalt.org Gowanus@transalt.org Citywide: |
Get the Whoop Out!! CAR ALARM BAN HEARING
THURSDAY, JUNE 10,
City Council Speaker Gifford Miller has finally scheduled a hearing on a proposed bill to ban audible car alarms. Unfortunately, the bill in question would not apply to car alarms purchased outside of New York City. Come to the hearing on June 10 at 10 am at City Hall and tell the council that you want a full ban on the use of all audible car alarm sirens, regardless or their origin. Arrive early to sign up to testify. Even if you do not want to testify, we still need you there to send a strong message to the council that New Yorkers will not rest until a full ban is in place. For the latest TA Press Release on the issue, see Mayor’s Noise Code Fails to Silence Car Alarms.
Join T.A.
today to start receiving Transportation
Alternatives Magazine, our members-only in-depth quarterly
magazine— Selected articles
Why Not the Best for the Big Apple?
Thumbs Up to DOT's New "Shared Lane" Bike Markings
New Bike Lanes in Williamsburg, Downtown Brooklyn Still Waiting
T.A. Wins Removal of Greenway Stop Signs
Houston Street Rebuild: Once in a Century Chance for Greatness
City Council's Weak Vendor Box Law is Failing NYC Pedestrians
Daily News Gets Governor to Join Fight against Killer Drivers 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 Saturday, June 12, 10 am. Subway Series Ride: Contract One. City Hall. 5BBC. Saturday, June 12, 10 am. Morningside Heights and Riverside Park. NE corner of 110th St. and B'way (take IRT #1 or #9 to W. 110th St., or #104 bus to 110th St., or M4 from E. Side across 110th St. to B'way. Shorewalkers. Saturday, June 12, 11 am. Prospect Park Moonlight Ride. Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn. Time's Up! Saturday, June 12, 1 pm. Strolling along the Hackensack. 10 AM NJ Transit bus 182 from GW Bus Terminal. Shorewalkers. Sunday, June 13. Riverhead Tour de Cure. Grangebel Park, Riverhead. American Diabetes Association. Sunday, June 13, 9 am. Sheepshead Bay and Beyond. City Hall. 5BBC. Sunday, June 13. Westchester Tour de Cure. e Cure. Suny Purchase. American Diabetes Assoc. Sunday, June 13. American Cancer Society's 17th Annual George Washington Bridge Challenge. Riverside Park, 83rd Street Promenade. American Cancer Society. Tuesday, June 15, 10 am. TBA. Central Park Loeb Boathouse. The Weekday Cyclist in NYC. Thursday, June 17, 10 am. TBA. Central Park Loeb Boathouse. The Weekday Cyclist in NYC. Friday, June 18, 11 am. Prospect Park Traffic-Calming Ride. Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn. Time's Up! Friday, June 18, 7 pm. Cyclone Ride. City Hall. Time's Up! Saturday, June 19, 7:30 am. Clearwater Hudson River Revival. Grand Central. 5BBC. Saturday, June 19, 10:32 am. Amagansett to Napengue Circular. 10 AM NJ Transit bus 182 from GW Bus Terminal. Shorewalkers. Saturday, June 19, 11 am. Rounding Historic Manhattan. Trinity Church @ 9 B'way and Wall St. (take 4/5 train to Wall St.). Shorewalkers. Saturday, June 19, 2 pm. Ride to the Rally. Union Sq Park South steps (14th St). Time's Up! Saturday, June 19, 10 pm. History, Mystery, Murder & Money Tour. Manhattan entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge. Time's Up. Sunday, June 20, 7:58 am. Scenic Island Tour Pines to Atlantique. 7:58 AM from Penn Sta. to Sayville. Shorewalkers. Sunday, June 20, 9 am. Off-Road Vistas: Kensico Dam. East 233rd & White Plains Road. 5BBC. Sunday, June 20, 9 am. Ride along the Old Croton Aqueduct to the Clearwater Revival. Van Cortlandt Park Golf Clubhouse, Bronx. Time's Up! Sunday, June 20, 10 am. New York Bridge Walk. Manhattan Municipal Building, next to Brooklyn Bridge. Shorewalkers. Sunday, June 20, 10 am. Father's Day Annual Coney Island and Bust. City Hall. ll. 5BBC. Sunday, June 20, 10:45 am. Sandy Hook Venture. NY Waterway Terminal, World Financial Ctr & Rockefeller Park. 5BBC. Tuesday, June 22, 10 am. TBA. Central Park Loeb Boathouse. The Weekday Cyclist in NYC.
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Safe Routes to School started
at 38 schools in the Bronx. Now, seven years later, the City DOT is taking Safe
Routes to public, private, elementary, middle and high schools throughout NYC.
1)
2)
3)
Bipedal
New Yorkers know that sidewalk congestion can be just as delay and rage inducing as the roadway
variety. Particularly in Midtown--where pedestrian traffic volumes are the
highest in North America--walkers have little room to negotiate crowded
sidewalks, often spilling into the street. The same is true for Lower Manhattan
and Downtown Brooklyn.
Vendor
boxes subtract scarce sidewalk space and block pedestrian curb cuts, bus stops
and access to fire hydrants. Officially called "newspaper boxes," most vending
boxes are used for advertising brochures. In 2002, the City Council passed a new
law, Local Law 23, allowing the City Department of Transportation to regulate
the placement, installation and maintenance of vending boxes on city sidewalks.
The boxes have multiplied of late on many of the city's most crowded sidewalks.
The City's new law took effect on February 24, 2003 and box users were given a
60 day grace period. Now an industry-supported bill before the City Council
(Intro. 363) aims to undermine the enforcement of Local Law 23. 
Speak up for the right to walk
unencumbered. 
Read more about
Local Success: Enabled by the
strong NY School Speed Limit and Traffic Calming laws, a handful of New York
City streets now post limits of 25, 20, or 15 mph. Many of these are reinforced
by effective traffic calming, such as speed humps, to ensure compliance. The
20mph speed limit on West 24th Street, Manhattan’s only 20mph street, is
effectively self-enforced with a raised crosswalk. 
The Case for Citywide
Application: Low-speed sidestreets are a vital tool in the 'Safe Routes' toolbox.
Motorist compliance with lowered speed limits, by law, necessitates speed humps,
raised crosswalks, and other strong traffic calming devices that are proven to
reduce speeds, injuries and deaths. What’s more, low-speed sidestreets, in
addition to reducing speeds in their immediate area, have a 'spillover' effect,
effectively slowing speeds on adjacent streets, including arterials. 
On east and
westbound streets from 43rd to 59th Streets from 2nd to 9th Aves, the DOT
instituted a pricing program that charges commercial vehicles $2 for one hour,
$5 for two hours and $9 for three hours, from 7 AM to 6 PM Monday through
Friday. 
the street. The bike lane was no longer
accessible to bike riders. I was honked at by a motorist to get out of the road,
but how could I when the bike lane is being used as a parking lot? 
T.A. Response:
It is unfortunate that the Adams Street bike lane (leading to the Brooklyn
Bridge) is chronically parked in by police and court officers, but don't let
this deter you from biking to work! 
Lights
on Bicycles
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