UWS Streets Renaissance member, Columbia Urban Planning graduate student, intrepid volunteer and all-around advocacy all-star Inbar Kishoni was perusing a copy of Marie Claire recently when she noticed that its editorial staff had judged Bike to Work Day “iffy” in its monthly feature “The Good, The Bad and the Iffy”. Not one to take such an obvious and egregious misjudgment sitting down, she penned this letter, which she’s been good enough to share with us:

“I am writing to express my disappointment in your classification of Bike to Work Day as “iffy” in “The opinionated guide to May” article. The dependence of the United States on the automobile has led to an overuse of limited resources and an abundance of health concerns that range from asthma to obesity. Bike to Work Day is meant to encourage healthy, environmentally sustainable, and affordable forms of transportation. Granted some people live too far from work to bike, but this day is meant to encourage people to consider the alternatives.

In publishing a magazine you are in the position to motivate people to make decisions that are healthy for themselves and for the planet. Your position comes as a surprise to me since you do so much to encourage humanitarian causes. Cycling provides mobility to those who cannot afford or are not yet old enough to drive an automobile. I hope that you will consider your influence before writing off something like this in the future.

Inbar Kishoni, New York, NY”

Well played, Inbar! Here’s hoping someone over there is listening…

First and foremost, thanks again to the over 40 people who showed up at Community Board 7 to express their support for the DOT’s proposal to install buffered bike lanes on W. 106th St., which will provide a crucial crosstown park-to-park linkage.  In the wake of that first meeting local stakeholders, including the Jewish Home and Hospital and Greenmarkets, have been taking part in ongoing discussions about how to best implement the bike lane plan without disrupting residents daily lives.

Best of all, the DOT is moving forward with the plan, and are projecting a completion date of June, 2008.  In other words: in less than two months!  This is a fantastic example of a community coming together behind a beneficial project, and the city listening.  Moving forward, there is another meeting of the CB7 Transportation Committee on May 13th, where the proposal is expected to pass without any resistance.

The most important date to mark in your calendar is June 3rd.  This is when the full board of CB7 will meet to hear the proposal, and vote yes or no.  It is crucial that we turn out big support at this meeting, so that CB7 and the DOT will know that this is a plan which the community supports.  The details are below, hope to see you there!

CB7 Full Board Meeting

St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital 

1000 Tenth Avenue

(58th - 59th Streets)

7:00 pm

June 3rd

On Tuesday, April 8, the NYC Department of Transportation is coming to Community Board 7 to present a new plan to add bike lanes to West 106th Street.  This proposed bike route will provide a vital link between NYC’s two busiest biking facilities in Central and Hudson River Park.

The downside? There isn’t one - more space for cyclists is always a good thing. However, there is one crucial way that this plan could be improved. By only offering to install standard painted lanes on W. 106th St., the DOT is ignoring all the evidence that such lanes don’t function nearly as well as lanes that are physically protected. By physically separating the bike lane from traffic, both drivers and cyclists are made safer, and the potential for conflict is almost entirely removed. The DOT should know the value of protected lanes better than anyone; their recently-installed 9th Ave. lane has won them acclaim from cyclists and advocates around the city and the world.

So what do we do about it? Pitch in by attending the April 8th meeting, and writing letters of support for a protected lane on W. 106th St! The DOT is tired of hearing from the same old people, but just a few residents speaking up to ask for the world-class facilities that they deserve could make all the difference. Let them know that you support their work to bring a true bike network to the Upper West Side, and that you will stand behind them if they find the courage to do what they know is right.

Interested in helping? Contact Peter Goldwasser (peter@transalt.org ) or Nathan John (nathan@transalt.org) for more information about how you can make a difference on this crucial issue.

Friday, February 15^th, West End Avenue @ 81^st Street: The brisk winter morning air was no match for the third grade students of The Calhoun School as they unveiled their new “No Idling” sign to a packed crowd of parents, teachers, and community members. 

The permanent sign, mounted to the school’s street-side fence, was the culmination of the students’ crusade to educate parents, bus drivers, delivery truck drivers and neighbors that idling engines contribute to air pollution.  Before today’s event, the students had conducted an innovative, highly scientific air quality experiment to help them better understand how pollution exists in the air they breathe. The third graders posted index cards smeared with Vaseline throughout the school and outside on the street. The results were so dramatic, with the outsides samples having turned dark from soot, that the students knew they couldn’t stop there—drivers in the area needed to know that idling engines were significantly degrading the air quality. Armed with their information, the students wrote letters to their Head of School, the Mayor’s Office, and community leaders, and the new sign was on its way to becoming a reality.

The students’ efforts certainly paid off! At this morning’s ceremony a representative from the Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability was on hand to formally congratulate all the students and school in their environmental work. (Of course, the UWS Streets Renaissance team was represented as well.) The morning ended with the students singing the classic Joni Mitchell song “They paved paradise and put up a parkin’ lot.”

There was a distinct buzz floating through the halls and auditorium of the New-York Historical Society on the evening of January 28th. Nearly 300 people had gathered to hear Streetsblog’s Aaron Naparstek moderate a panel discussion featuring seven all-star change-makers from across the city. As panelists provided practical, inspiring lessons about how to transform the public realm, it was almost possible to hear the gears turning as hundreds of minds began to collectively imagine the change they could bring to their city.

At the reception afterwards the noise was much more literal as the same hundreds ate, drank, and brainstormed in the Society’s Great Hall. New connections were made, and more than a few exciting new projects were conceived as the guests swirled merrily through the space. Also on hand were plenty of NYC Streets Renaissance advocates and staff, dispensing advice alongside an educational exhibit highlighting the possibilities for a more livable Upper West Side.

Most importantly, the Streets Renaissance (both on the UWS and city-wide) gained many new adherents as the gathered New Yorkers began to picture a safer, greener, and more livable future for their own neighborhoods.

If you couldn’t make it out on the 28th, or if you just want to look back on a great party, please check out StreetFilms’ awesome wrap-up video. And as always, stay tuned to this page for news about other fun activities coming to the UWS, including the inaugural Bike Movie Night, being held at the JCC in Manhattan on Feb. 20th.

On Saturday, January 12th, more than two dozen people from around the city came out to Fordham University’s Lincoln Center campus and showed their dedication to the cause of Livable Streets by learning how to make decisions usually reserved for planning professionals at Livable Streets 101: Intro to Designing Streets for Neighborhood Life.

Led by Mike King of Nelson/Nygaard, urban planners and designers with experience working in cities around the globe gave informational presentations before leading collaborative walking/working tours of the neighborhood. Workshop participants evaluated the pros and cons of the status quo at area intersections, streets, and public spaces. Upon returning to Fordham, each “team” then developed a comprehensive plan for the neighborhood, taking into account the various groups that collectively use the space.

By the time that everyone was done presenting their designs, the energy in the room was palpable. Many people were left wondering why, if they could find functional solutions in the span of an afternoon, there were so many poorly designed spaces in their neighborhoods. All in all, the day was both a heartening display of ingenuity and a ringing challenge to New Yorkers to bring the spaces they deserve to the streets where they live.

On Saturday, November the 10th, an enthusiastic group of cyclists met up at 72nd and Central Park West for a fortifying dose of bagels and history before setting out on a relaxing bike tour of the Upper West Side.

As the riders pedaled sedately through the neighborhood’s scenic landscape, they passed many historic and contemporary points of interest; the ride paused at three of them for brief but edifying talks by Upper West Side advocates. Many questions were asked and answered, friends were made, and fingers were chilled nearly (but not quite) to the bone.

Though this ride is over and done, we’re looking forward to hosting several more in the spring, so keep your eyes peeled for updates!

For those of you who missed it, last night’s event with Jan Gehl was a great kick-off to the Upper West Side Streets Renaissance campaign. The JCC on the Upper West Side hosted a full house to hear Gehl talk about what could be for NYC’s streets, and he outlined a vision for turning Manhattan into one of the world’s most bike- and pedestrian-friendly cities. DOT commissioner Jeanette Sadik-Khan was on hand to introduce Gehl, and City Council member Gail Brewer was there as well.

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The event made the front page of this morning’s metro, and StreetFilms has already put out a short video from the event. For more detailed coverage, check out this morning’s post on StreetsBlog.

Thanks to everyone who worked hard to make this event happen — it was great to see such a large, enthusiastic crown interested in improving NYC’s public spaces.