Summer Starts on Tuesday, January 21!

hMembers of Transportation Alternatives will join Councilmember David Yassky and other members of the Prospect Park City Council Delegation to toast the beginning of Car-Free "Summer Hours" in Prospect Park on Tuesday, January 21 at 1:30 pm at the Grand Army Plaza Entrance of Prospect Park. The Prospect Park City Council Delegation consists of Councilmembers Bill DeBlasio, David Yassky, James Davis, Yvette Clarke and Sara Gonzalez.

In a significant victory for park users and the diverse communities all around Prospect Park, the Department of Transportation recently announced that starting Tuesday, January 21, Prospect Park will be car-free on weekdays at all times except from 7 am to 9 am and 4 pm to 7 pm. This decision represents a net gain of the equivalent in hours of more than 100 car-free days per year in Prospect Park.

At the event, Transportation Alternatives members will thank DOT Commissioner Iris Weinshall for making her decision to limit car-free hours. TA will also, for the first time, publicly release a letter written and signed by all five Councilmembers whose districts touch Prospect Park. The letter strongly urges DOT to conduct a three month trial car ban in Prospect Park from Memorial Day to Labor Day, 2003.

The Car-Free Prospect Park campaign began a dozen years ago and has grown stronger year after year. Last year, community members gathered 10,000 signatures in support of a three month car-free trial. More than 600 people appeared at a town hall meeting with a dozen local political leaders in support of the three month trial ban. A full history of the campaign can be found on the TA web site: http://www.transalt.org/campaigns/brooklyn/prospark.html.

The Prospect Park Council Delegation letter can be found here:
http://www.transalt.org/press/advocacy/021206prospectpark.html