BQE Walk & Talks, Bergen Bike Bus, Women’s Ride
Did you know that in North Brooklyn alone, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway creates more than 13 acres of parking spaces for cars? Our Brooklyn Activist Committee braved the cold to lead a walking tour of the BQE North last weekend, sharing facts and stories about the negative effects the BQE has on its surrounding communities.
We’re hosting our second of three BQE Walk & Talk events this Saturday (rain date Sunday). We’ll tour the central section of the BQE, which includes the infamous triple-cantilever section next to Brooklyn Bridge Park. Along the way, we’ll hear from activists in the community and share ideas that can inspire the roadway’s transformation.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW
1️⃣ Our Advocacy team is hiring for a Field Team Coordinator. With warmer weather on the horizon (🤞), we’re looking to build support for our campaigns with the return of our seasonal field team. Apply now to our Field Team Coordinator position and help us plan our outreach efforts for the spring, summer, and fall.
2️⃣ The Bergen Bike Bus is back up and running (and rolling). Neither snow nor rain can stop weekly bike rides to school! The Bergen Bike Bus began its spring season this Wednesday and will continue every Wednesday morning through the spring. Rides start at Bergen Street and Rockaway Avenue at 7:15 a.m. Fill out this form to get involved as a rider or as a marshal.
3️⃣ In the news. Here's what we're reading this week:
Watch news coverage of our BQE North Walk & Talk from News 12 Brooklyn and ABC 7.
THE CITY writes about the modular portable public toilets coming to NYC, and on the difficulty of getting permits for such a necessary part of our infrastructure.
Rose Uscianowski, TA’s Staten Island and South Brooklyn Organizer, comments on public funding for bike share and Citi Bike expansion in the Staten Island Advance.
TWO THINGS TO DO
1️⃣ Sign our Citi Bike public funding petition. When many neighborhoods — and even an entire borough — are left out of NYC’s bike share programs, we need to advocate for ways to give more people access. Sign our petition calling for public funding for Citi Bike, so that the program can expand while keeping ridership affordable.
2️⃣ March with us this weekend! This Sunday, you can join our Queens Activist Committee at the St. Pat’s for All Parade in Sunnyside, or you can run or walk alongside our Staten Island Activist Committee at the Rainbow Run on the Forest Avenue Mile.
ONE ACTION TO TAKE NOW
Sign up for the Women’s Ride — Three weeks away! We’re getting ever closer to event day for our second-annual Women's Ride, set for Saturday, March 25. Register now for this free event that will take you through the Bronx and Uptown Manhattan, highlighting the transit issues our communities face along the way.
Thanks for reading!
Ted and the TA team