May 2005 www.BikeMonthNYC.org Dear E-Bulletin Reader, We've brought you bicycling paths on all of the City's East River bridges, a complete Hudson River Greenway, longer car-free hours in Central and Prospect Parks, hundreds of miles of bike lanes throughout the city, a new generation of tough bike racks, 24/7 access to the New York City subway and much, much more! But we need your support! Below is our 2005 wish list for better bicycling in New York City. Please give generously to T.A. today to help us win these victories for bicyclists in New York City that will make bicycling safer, more convenient, and more popular. We can't do it without you. So before you go for a ride, please take a second to support T.A. so that we can continue to fight hard for better bicycling in 2005. Sincerely, Paul Steely White T.A.'s 2005 Bicycling Wish List
3. Safe and accessible bridge paths. The four East River bridge paths are the backbone of New York City's cycling network. They connect Brooklyn and Queens, the two most populous boroughs, with Manhattan's jobs, commerce, and cultural and educational institutions. All need some work to improve safety and riding conditions. Removing the Williamsburg Bridge bumps, making the Brooklyn side of the Manhattan Bridges and the Manhattan side of the Queensboro Bridge safe for bikers and walkers and building the Brooklyn Bridge fly-over ramp to Cadman Plaza Park would be a good start.
5. Stickers in all taxis reminding passengers to watch for bicyclists before opening their doors. Being hit by a car door, or "dooring," is the most common cause of bicyclist crashes in New York City: about 1,000 bikers are doored each year, resulting in broken bones and one or two deaths annually. Right now the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission is piloting decals on taxicab windows that remind passengers to watch for cyclists and exit curbside. The TLC should include a graphic on these decals and make them permanent in all of NYC's 12,000 taxis.
Bike Month NYC 2005 is the fourteenth annual celebration of bicycling in metropolitan New York City. The celebration lasts all month long to include over 150 rides, classes, races, expos, free food, art and a chance to meet important city and elected officials. Bike Month NYC is also designed to encourage you to try biking to work, a fun, easy, fast and cheap way to get around town. Friday, May 20 is National Bike to Work Day. Grab a friend, get ready and ride. See BikeMonthNYC.org for tips on how to get started.
Don't Miss!  Bike to the Bronx Bombers Day– Saturday May 7th
Tour de Brooklyn - Sunday June 5th
Check out the full calendar of Bike Month Events online or request a free copy of the Bike Month calendar at bikemonthnyc.org. When: Wednesday, May 18, 6:15 pm Where: Holland House, 351 W. 42nd St. between 8 th and 9 th Streets What: Community Board 4 Transportation Committee Meeting Thanks to the 200 bicyclists who turned out to the April 11th Rally for Safe Bridges! The Rally was a grand success. Thanks to the press coverage that resulted from the rally and the 1500 faxes sent to Mayor Bloomberg, City Hall is getting the message: New York’s growing population of bicyclists want safe bridge access, and we want it now! Noah is keen to see his campaigns move forward as he continues to recuperate. One of his campaigns that is heating up right now is the fight to win a buffered bike lane on 8 th Avenue in Manhattan. On Wednesday May 13 th at 6:15 pm we need you to attend a short meeting, critical to winning this victory for Noah Budnick and all NYC cyclists. Voice your support for the 8 th Avenue bike lane at the Transportation Committee meeting of Community Board 4. The 8 th Avenue bike lane, if approved would extend northward from 14th Street to Central Park and serve thousands of commuters, shoppers, recreational riders and delivery people each day. We are asking for a buffered bike lane from 14th Street to 31 st Street, and from 44 th Street to 59 th Street. And mark your calendar for another important meeting in winning the lane: Full Board Meeting of Community Board 4 Wednesday, June 01, 6:00 pm Roosevelt Hospital at 59 th and 10 th Avenue Check www.manhattancb4.org to confirm time and location. Hey Mayor Bloomberg: Walking to School Shouldn’t be an Olympic Sport! Have you taught your child to be an Olympian at crossing the street on their way to school? Are you sick of worrying about your child being hit by a reckless driver near school? End the harsh training regime. Click here to sign a petition for safe streets around schools: www.petitiononline.com/cc9/petition.html In 1997, Transportation Alternatives partnered with the Bronx Borough President’s Office to run the nation’s first Safe Routes to School program with funding from the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. A coalition of energetic and dedicated parents, principals and elected officials used the program to win significant traffic safety improvements around their schools, and to convince the City DOT to launch a citywide Safe Routes to School program. In 2004, the DOT launched its program with 135 priority schools, which the agency chose based on their crash histories.
Nearly a year later, parents and elected officials are wondering where the improvements are, and are impatient for the DOT to expand the program. Appropriately, just as the Bronx began the fight for a City Safe Routes to School program, the Bronx is behind the major push to get the DOT moving. Last fall, T.A. connected with the Community Collaborative to Improve Bronx Schools. The group is an impressive, diverse coalition of parents and community groups that have joined forces to improve the education of Bronx kids. Parents from Bronx schools, supported by ACORN, Citizens Advice Bureau, Highbridge Community Life Center, Mid-Bronx Senior Citizens Council, New Settlement Apartments, Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, the NYU Institute for Education and Social Policy and the United Federation of Teachers worked together to win a landmark multi-million dollar “Lead Teacher” program in 2003 to help train new teachers. Spurred on by their success, the coalition launched a comprehensive school safety campaign in 2004 with the support of the school district superintendents. They are first asking for safety improvements on the streets outside the school, and will then move on to improving safety inside the school. Support the campaign by signing its online petition. The coalition has already gathered 25,000 signatures of support on its paper petition and is beginning to build up support on its online petition. www.petitiononline.com/cc9/petition.html Riverbank Greenway to Reopen Today If you are avid Manhattan Greenway rider, then you may have noticed that the stretch between 135th to 145th Streets in Riverbank State Park is currently off limits due to construction. Good News: It is our understanding that today April City Planning's Contractor is relocating some barriers and other obstacles to allow for interim access during construction. Attend the Bicycle Education Leaders Conference May 2-4, 2005
Request a copy of the Bike Month NYC Calendar For the full listing of events, see www.BikeMonthNYC.org, fill out a request form or check your local bike shop. See you at Bike Month NYC!
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