"The truth is 150 cameras is not a lot because there are 12,000 or more intersections in the city," said Juan Martinez, the general counsel for Transportation Alternatives, adding, "Red light cameras have saved hundreds of lives in New York City." -- "Don't Complain about Tickets if You Run Red Lights, Bloomberg Says" Capitol New York, 2/22. Send the NYPD a Dictionary
After years of petitioning, linguistic arguments and T.A. activists trekking to Albany, the New York State DMV agreed to stop calling crashes "accidents." Call it semantics, but there’s nothing “accidental” about driving. When careless or dangerous driving results in a crash, it’s no accident -- it's simple cause and effect. But abstaining from the word "accident" isn't just commonsense, it's common: along with the DMV, the New York City Department of Health and Department of Transportation both use "crash," not "accident." The NYPD, however, has not caught on. Tell the NYPD that traffic crashes are not accidents: Sign a letter to Police Commissioner Ray Kelly now! Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has a Master of Law degree from NYU, a Master of Public Administration from Harvard and 11 honorary degrees, but there’s one book missing from his library: the dictionary. T.A. is asking the NYPD to catch up with their peers in the City and State, and we’re mailing them a copy of Merriam-Webster to make sure they get the message. Take action now, and T.A. will ship all your letters, and a dictionary, to 1 Police Plaza next week. Dispatches from the Front
Bike lanes are more popular among New Yorkers than any mayoral candidate, with support for bike lanes polling at 66 percent, and even the highest-ranked mayoral candidate nearly 30 points behind. If the election were tomorrow, New York City’s safe streets would be our next Hizzoner. Before building any bike or pedestrian improvement, the Department of Transportation requests community input. At those meetings, local residents prove the popularity of safer streets. Here’s the latest evidence: Crowning Columbus Avenue If the protected bike lane on Columbus Avenue caused tabloid hysterics when Manhattan Community Board 7 first voted for it (“Columbus’ New World: Clogged With Bike Lanes,” read one crazy New York Post headline), its second vote proved the project is a success. Earlier this month, Community Board 7 -- and a packed room of locals -- voted to extend the lane north to 110th Street and south to 69th Street, with a vote of 26 to 11. Go Forth, on Fourth Avenue Two weeks ago, the Department of Transportation said “we’re listening,” and took an earful of requests for more pedestrian spaces and bike lanes at a Brooklyn workshop. The topic was 4th Avenue, between 15th Street and Pacific, and the 70 local residents in attendance had one common request: safer bicycling, walking and street crossing. You can add your two cents here, with this neat interactive feature. No More Crosstown Missed Connections Protected bike lanes line many Manhattan avenues, making it safe to get north and south, but traveling between those wide avenues remains a challenge, due to a lack of lanes connecting east to west -- until now. The transportation committee at Community Board 4 just approved three sets of crosstown lanes, at 39th and 40th, 43rd and 44th, and 54th and 55th streets, and four new bike corrals to boot. You too can bring more bike lanes to your neighborhood; the first step is to meet the activists in your borough. Luckily, those activists all chill with T.A. -- here’s how to find them. "It's Not About the Bike Lanes"
On the morning of Thursday, October 21st, 2010, Transportation Alternatives’ Executive Director Paul Steely White pedaled a three-wheeled cargo bike down the Prospect Park West bike lane. His wife Zoe and daughter Anna were perched on a bench in the contraption’s large front box, cheering and clapping at first, and then slinking down in their seats as a chorus of boos and chants echoed around them. There were dueling rallies that day: one was a celebration put together by the lane’s proponents; the other a smaller protest in opposition to the facility. “I love that kind of stuff,” White recently told Reclaim, “I grew up with it: civic engagement at its finest, but that day was different.” When they reached the end of the lane, it was clear that the shouting had frightened Anna, who was only two years old at the time. Zoe took her home. Paul stayed. “After that, I was conflicted,” he said. “Not about the bike lane -- I love that lane, and it’s a huge boon to the neighborhood, and it’s wildly popular -- but about what bike lanes had become... You can read the rest of “It’s Not about the Bike Lanes,” here. To read more inside political scoops, election analysis and bicycling insight, start your subscription to Reclaim magazine today! Official T.A. Member Meeting
With their membership dues, T.A. members have a stake in the direction and drive of T.A. advocacy. This meeting is the place to learn all of the ways T.A. is fighting for you, and your role in the future of New York City’s transportation systems. The event will feature TED-style talks (and a Q & A) from T.A.’s staff of activists in their areas of studied expertise, plus a primer on all the ways you can get involved. It’ll be an exciting evening, and T.A. expects a packed house of likeminded New Yorkers excited to hear about the future of New York City streets. Transportation Alternatives Member Meeting Wednesday, March 27, 2013 7 pm The New School 66 West 12th Street Manhattan Please RSVP Am I Invisible? Bicycle Photography Exhibition
At the exhibition, all entries will be projected on the wall at Rolling Orange Bikes in Brooklyn, and the winners will be announced too. Join T.A., all the artists and art-lovers in the BikeNYC community for a night of photographic appreciation. Deadline Extended: You can still submit photographs at bicycleutopianyc.com, with the deadline extended to March 8th. Am I Invisible? Bicycle Photography Exhibition Friday, March 22, 2013 6 - 9 pm Rolling Orange Bikes 269 Baltic Street Brooklyn Handcrafted: A Celebration of Brooklyn Bicycle Builders
At Handcrafted: A Celebration of Brooklyn Bike Builders, you can ogle beautifully-crafted bicycles and sip whiskey from the evening’s sponsor, Jack Daniels. A group of Brooklyn bicycle builders have created bicycles inspired by the whiskey, which will be raffled off. Even better than winning a bike? All proceeds from the raffle go to T.A. Live music from Nude Beach and The Babies. A good time, guaranteed. Handcrafted: A Celebration of Brooklyn Bicycle Builders Wednesday, March 6, 2013 8 - 11 pm Knitting Factory Brooklyn Please RSVP |
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