I had the good fortune of spending last week with my cousin who was visiting from Chicago.  His first trip to the city was about 20 years ago.  Since then, the city has experienced big changes.  Even those who have lived here that whole time notice the difference.  The streets and subways are cleaner, you feel safer, things look nicer.  But, we are going through  another round of changes and these changes are aimed at making city life more enjoyable.  For instance, the bike path along the Hudson is so lovely compared to what it used to be.  It seems like each day another new park opens up next to the bike path, each with its own feel.  Each park is so beautiful and adds such texture (and green) to our city.  My cousin and I biked down from 90th Street to Battery Park.  I can’t count how many times he said, “I never knew New York City was like this.”  I felt so proud that my chosen city could impress my Chicago cousin, as if I had something to do with these changes.  Other small changes are happening:  the pedestrian areas near Herald Square and Times Square have added seating and life to an otherwise car-centric pavement mess.  Likewise, seating and greenery has been sprouting up in random areas around the city.  Some of these changes were referenced in the recent New York Times editorial, “Life in the Slow Lane” (September 18, 2008).

Get out and start noticing the small changes.  Be proud of them.  Get involved in making changes.  This is OUR city, and we need to continue to improve it.  I personally love having my visitors say, “Wow, I never knew your city was so amazing.”

 

 Thanks Innovation Bike Shop for Hosting!

 Jean from DEBNA welcoming all

 Bike Raffle

 And the lane is “official.” We promptly all went up the street and told that guy in the van to move…

Future cyclist and T.A. Member!

The state and city governments, as well as the critical state authorities like the MTA and Port Authority will no doubt face severe shortfalls in tax revenue over the next few years. In times like this, the natural government response is to simultaneously cut services across the board while increasing transit fares and other user fees. At the same time, local non-profit service delivery organizations that could potentially pick up the slack and provide basic services to people in need will be acutely impacted by lower donations over the next few years.

If we allow this downturn to degrade our neighborhoods and our mass transit infrastructure, we will face the negative cycle of the 1970s and 80s all over again - people and businesses will flee the city for the suburbs and choose to drive  to work.

We need to stay ahead of this cycle and start planning for a lower cost, more efficient and livable city. In many ways, getting automobiles off the streets & off the curb and making better public spaces are part of the solution.

Most people in the Upper West Side and indeed the whole city don’t own cars and even fewer rely on their cars on a regular basis. Drivers often have mass transit alternatives or should have as much encouragement as possible to rearrange their home - work situations to rely less on their cars.

Why? Because drivers, particularly those that rely on free street parking are costing this city a tremendous amount of money everyday and are the main impediment to a whole host of street improvements that would cost very little, but would dramatically improve quality of life.

As an example, since today is Park(ing) Day, let’s just imagine a city in which the residents and merchants on each block controlled it’s own curbside space. The building with lots of elderly residents could opt for a space to allow it’s residents easy pick-up and drop-off. The bagel shop on the corner might like the foot traffic from a taxi stand. The grocery store could have an special spot for delivery trucks to load and unload. The medical office could have a spot for the access-a-ride to make pick-ups and drop-offs. And of course some residents would choose to simply extend the sidewalk and make a nice little place to relax. If they could keep the money, I’m sure some buildings would opt for short term parking, but probably at a high rate

What’s the last thing people would like to have right in front of their building? Free overnight parking for anyone to use…

But that’s the collective decision that we seem to have accepted since any one of the above is seen as imposing a “cost” on “local residents” that want to park their car cost free on those streets. But if we were to poll the majority of residents on that block and offer them some rational alternatives that would return a benefit to them - in the form of access for elderly/disabled, less double parking, faster buses, safer streets, lower costs in stores, more cab sharing and more public space - it’s clear that we would have a radically different approach to the allocation of curbside space.

In a time of declining financial resources, there’s a resource right outside our front doors that is waiting to be realized - if only we take back our streets from freeloading drivers.

It was a beautiful day to be outside, an opinion shared by the thousands of New Yorkers that the UWS riders encountered when they arrived at Summer Streets. Though the crew quickly dispersed into the jubilant crowd, a great time and a great ride were had by all.

Sad you missed it? Don’t be! There will be another ride to Summer Streets this Saturday, meeting at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument at 7.50am. Don’t miss it as we bring the party to Summer Streets for the second weekend running!

See you there!

Have something to say? Don’t let us stop you! Just click “Write a post” on the right-hand side of the “Blog” page, and let ‘er rip. Don’t hold back on our account. If you have questions about how to post, you can also email Nathan at nathan [AT] transalt [DOT] org.

To get us started, a feel-good tale from our friend Tim Eustis. Tim writes:

“My sons’ elementary and middle school recently moved to a new address on West 95th Street. It’s just across the street, but unfortunately, there isn’t enough room for bicycle parking in the new building. Having used the excellent CityRacks program provided by New York City’s Department of Transportation before, I decided to ask for racks to be installed at the new school location.

I initially submitted a fax and electronic request, but soon realized that might not be the fastest way to get these racks installed. I then contacted Jason Accime, the CityRacks Manager. I also spoke with Gale Brewer, the area’s Council Member. Attempting to cover all my bases, I also phoned Peter Goldwasser at Transportation Alternatives, who helped me steer through the not-very-complicated maze of bureaucracy.

There was some trepidation on the part of the administration as to the location of the racks: they wanted the installation as far away from the entrance to the school as possible. Completely understandable – it can get pretty crowded on the sidewalk as the school lets out at the end of the day. After some discussion, and the realization that broken sidewalk panels limited our installation options, the location was agreed upon.

Jason Accime had promised that the racks would be installed prior to the September 2008 open of school. To our surprise and delight, the first rack — the double loop — was installed a week or so before school let out for the ‘08 summer vacation, and the single rack was installed only a few weeks later!

As our boys attended summer camp at the school, I was able to see that the racks were already being used by faculty, students (my son), parents (okay, me mostly, but other parents, too), and neighbors. Having the ability to park one’s bike safely at a destination is crucial to getting people to use cycling as a primary form of transportation. The City’s prompt response in getting the racks installed shows its respect and understanding for cycling, cyclists, and the need for alternatives to cars. I would like to thank Jason Accime, Council Member Gale Brewer, Peter Goldwasser. And a special thank you to both Odile Wood and Janet Rotter for their patience with this slightly crazed cycling parent.

All I want now is a David Byrne bike rack!”

Tackling this issue head-on is the goal of T.A.’s Working Cyclist Campaign, which is designed to educate both the workers and the companies that employ them. Using this approach, which targets business as a unit rather than chastising individual riders, has yielded excellent results in neighborhoods around NYC.

We believe that this campaign has great potential to address the ongoing conflict between UWS residents and the delivery cyclists who work in the neighborhood. But in order to be effective, it’s important to get the message out, which is where you come in.

We need dedicated, outgoing, and friendly individuals who are willing to do outreach to working cyclists and their employers around the UWS. In the past, we’ve organized small groups of volunteers who are able to conduct outreach in pairs. Typical tasks would include restaurant visits, distribution of signage, including T.A.’s new safe cycling bicycle hangtags and, when appropriate, conversations with management and workers about the rules of the road. If you are willing to help address this pressing issue, please contact me at peter@transalt.org or 646.873.6020.

“On three August Saturdays this summer, New Yorkers will be able to ride their bikes all the way from the BrooklynBridge to Central Park – a 6.9-mile route - without a single cabbie honking at them or absent-minded driver smashing them into a parked car.

This rare opportunity comes courtesy of the newly-launched “Summer Streets” program. For six hours, a major route running north and south along the island of Manhattan will be closed to traffic and opened up to walkers, cyclists, even outdoor yoga classes hosted by the gym chain Crunch Fitness.

That should provide temporary solace for many New York bike commuters who fight a daily, pitched battle with drivers who often don’t see or don’t like them.

The idea, says transportation commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, is to get more New Yorkers thinking about using their 6,000 miles of roads for something other than cars. “We’re trying to get people to envision their streets differently,” she says. “You’ve got 600,000 people within a 20-minute bike ride of lower Manhattan.” But most of those people cram into subway cars, cabs, and even their own cars just to drive a couple of miles.

That’s because until now, she says, New York has done little to curb its car culture, and accommodate bikes and other modes of transportations on its roads. “That’s the one part of New York City that has undergone zero change,” says Ms. Sadik-Khan, who took over as transportation commissioner a year ago.