Making the Grade 2000 q Photo Radar q Bike Parking

Making the Grade 2000 ● Photo Radar ● Bike Parking
P R O V O C A T E U R
Fear and Loathing of AAA
T
HE AAA IS TAKEN OUT TO THE
side of the rhetorical road and
left stranded in an incisive new
article by journalist Michael A.
Rivlin (Amicus Journal, Winter
2001). AAA is the nation’s motoring
club, providing roadside assistance
to stranded motorists. But AAA’s
other guise is that of political powerhouse, and a highly retrogressive one
at that.
AAA, in Rivlin’s estimation,
has absolute zero environmental
conscience. It has climbed into bed
with an unholy alliance of
automakers and concrete manufacturers, to counter any effort to
limit highway expansion. The
author accuses AAA of being the
smiley-faced front for the Highway Users Alliance. While
a more typical Highway Users Alliance member, the
Portland Cement Association represents cement, which,
tragically, has not yet been given the vote.
Using the weight of its 43 million members - most of which
are blissfully unaware that they have joined an anti-environmental lobby - as a cudgel, AAA has tried to stop legislation to
limit smog and soot (1997); require vapor traps in gas tanks
(1989); and encourage tailpipes that spew less carbon dioxide and
ozone (last year). When the 1990 Clean Air Act was before
Congress, the group’s government and public affairs office bleated
that the bill would “threaten the personal mobility of millions of
Americans”. And this says nothing of its absolute opposition to
transportation spending going to public transit or bikes.
Now, let us stipulate that AAA wants us to drive. A
lot. No new gas taxes, more road construction, get off that
bicycle. That is taken for granted, but vapor traps?
Tailpipes? Why do they care? Well, we can guess. The
Highway Users Alliance houses GM and Ford companies
that will have to shell out the bucks to retool more ecologically sound vehicles, companies that are frank and open
about opposing such mandates, companies that are going
to demand something in return.
To illustrate Rivlin’s article, Amicus Review dug up some
campy old magazine ads from the old association. A rather Joan
Crawfordesque mom rests one manicured hand on her brokendown DeSoto as a friendly, triple-A mechanic works under the
hood. Sally, Billy, and little P.J. look wordlessly on, in awe. And
now? AAA-affiliated advertising adapts a tinny post-feminist
whine: “For me and most working mothers, driving is not an
option—it’s a necessity,” huffs one pretend mom in a 1999 radio
commercial for the Highway Users Alliance. “It’s the only way I
can work full-time, run errands, and still have time left for
Michael’s basketball games.”
is an exploration of ideas related to cycling, walking,
or the impact of car culture on how we live. It is intended to provoke
indignation, reflection and just plain thought. Provocateur does not
reflect the official position of TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES.
PROVOCATEUR
2
TRANSPORTATION
ALTERNATIVES
Of course, the final irony is
that, by keeping Supermom and its
other members sitting still in cars,
the AAA is, at least indirectly,
killing them. “Our world has just
gotten a lot easier to live in,” says
Dr. Tom Schmid of the federal
Centers for Disease Control. “We
sit in cars, we don’t walk to the
store on the corner, we don’t walk
to the park.” Reporter Lori
Montgomery points her finger at
the very social ills that the AAA
falls all over itself to preserve:
“Large-lot homes, congested roads,
mega malls and acres of free parking.” But in fact, the heart disease,
diabetes and stroke associated with
the sad over reliance on cars may
have a hazardous effect on the auto club’s own membership. ‘Cause how mobile can you be, when you’re dead?
MATT COREY is a freelance writer, editor and translator
in Brooklyn, N.Y., whose car used to frequently strand him by the
side of the road, until he got half a brain and changed its battery.
WINTER 2001 VOL. 7 NO. 1
ISSN #1524-1912, is published quarterly by Transportation
Alternatives, a 5,000 member New York City-area citizens’ group
working for better bicycling, walking, public transit and fewer cars.
T.A. is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization. Subscriptions are available in the U.S. for $30/year, $40 (U.S.) overseas. Reprints (except
graphics), with T.A. credit, are allowed without permission.
Publisher: John Kaehny
Managing Editor: Craig Barnes
Copy Editors: Matt Corey, Nina Mazuz
Production: Gary Lingard, Donna Chang
Contributors: Craig Barnes, Susan Boyle, Ellen Cavanagh, Matt
Corey, Rich Gans, Matt Hayworth, John Kaehny, Neel Scott
Photography & Graphics Contributors: Craig Barnes, Sue
Boyle, Ellen Cavanagh, Stalin D’Souza, Cliff Harris, John Harris, Douglas
Levere, Gary Lingard, Ana Lordes, Neel Scott,
Messenger services: Thunderball, 212-675-1700
T.A. Board of Directors: Robert Kotch, President; Edward
Bikales, Ken Coughlin, Laurie Falk Davidowitz, John Eustice, Walter
Hook, Richard Kassel, Steve McMaster, Richard Muller, Juliet Page,
Neysa Pranger, Jeff Prant
T.A. Staff: John Kaehny, Executive Director; Craig Barnes,
Membership & Events Director; Susan Boyle, Bike Program Director;
Ellen Cavanagh, Earlene Wilkerson, Safe Routes to School Program;
Neel Scott, Campaign Coordinator; Matt Hayworth, Operations
Manager; John Lindsay, S.I. Bike Parking; Cristina Natividad,
Database Manager
On the cover: “Transportation Justice,” 2000 Emily Chan
Phone: 212-629-8080 Fax: 629-8334
115 W 30 St, Ste 1207, NY NY 10001-4010
e-mail: info@transalt.org Web: www.transalt.org
WINTER 2001
P U B L I S H E R ’ S
Dignity
Contents
2 Provocateur
3 Publisher’s Letter
4 Cycling News
8 Reclaiming the Streets
12 Pressure Points
13 Metropolitan
14 Making the Grade 2000
16 Kill Your Speed
18 Auto Free World
20 Dump Diesel
21 Volunteer Profile
22 Commuter Profile
24 Bikes Aboard
25 Bike Shops
26 Rides
27 Joyride
28 Member Services
29 Calendar
30 Letters/Worth Quoting
31 Special Report
32 Queens Boulevard
L E T T E R
T
to residents and passerbys.
ANCIENT ROMANS HAD A
It is this insult to one’s dignity that
concept they called “dignitas.” It
reflected the respect and honor transportation officials are blind to.
due to a person, and was based They respond to community comon accomplishment in war and peace. plaints about speeding by noting that
Roman people would do anything to only 15% of motorists are speeding (an
preserve their dignitas. They would allowable share in their minds). They
kill themselves or others, including a also emphasize that most drivers are
family member, if that was what was observing the 30mph speed limit.
What does not occur to them is that
required.
Less dramatically, personal dignity 30mph is way too fast for city streets?
These are familiar themes for T.A..
has a huge amount to do with what
Transportation Alternatives is fighting What we don’t discuss much is the
for. It also relates directly to how trans- American obsession with the automoportation decisions are made and how bile. This is ironic since motorists are
people choose to travel. Everyday searching for the exact same preservation of personal
cyclists in our
dignity as cyclists
area experience
An early, and prescient,
and pedestrians.
regular indigniobserver said, “The automobile
An automobile
ties, not to menmakes every man a tyrant.”
affords a sense of
tion
outright
comfort, protecdanger. Motorists
toy with cyclists lives by driving inches tion, and personal space. Motorists pick
away, turning abruptly, and mindlessly their own music, companions, and
opening doors into traffic lanes. It is the temperature, and they are in (percasualness of this profound disrespect by ceived) control. An early, and prescient,
motorists that is infuriating. Ped- observer said, “The automobile makes
estrians, even those with baby carriages every man a tyrant.” He was right, and
or small children, regularly have to stare this is the heart of the matter.
down aggressive turning motorists. Automobiles are very fast, very large,
They feel fear and anxiety as they won- loud and take up a great deal of space.
der if they will be seen or even yielded But drivers do not seem to notice this
to by an aggressive driver. This same speed and noise. To them, everything
disrespect is inherent to speeding, which becomes an impediment. Thus, the
creates a sense of menace and discomfort tyrant unleashes its power on everything else.
It is dismaying to know that motor
vehicle traffic in NYC has increased
17% in the last five years. The result of
this kind of unending traffic growth is
a competition for space pedestrians and
cyclists cannot win. What we can do is
preserve our dignity, by fighting hard
ohn Lindsay, New York’s mayor from 1966 to
to overcome the widespread prejudice
1974, died on December 21. Lindsay was a
and complacency that has allowed an
great champion of cycling and walking.
invading army of automobiles to occuPictured above, he is riding in April 1967
py our city and neighborhoods.
from Prospect Park to Gracie Mansion — probaHE
In Memoriam, Mayor
John Lindsay 1921-2000.
DAILY NEWS
J
bly the last mayor to take such a long and public
bike ride. Lindsay created weekend and weekday
car-free hours in Central and Prospect Parks
(before there was a big citizens movement to do so). He also ordered car-free
weekends on Park and Madison Avenues and restored the Brooklyn Bridge bicycle and pedestrian path. Amazingly, he achieved this while faced with strikes by
teachers, and sanitation and transit workers, plus work slowdowns by the police.
WINTER 2001
Sincerely,
John Kaehny
Executive Director
TRANSPORTATION
ALTERNATIVES
3
C Y C L I N G
N E W S
A Tale of Two Terminals
Momentum Builds For First Class
Bike Parking at Penn Station
N DECEMBER,
T.A. PITCHED AN INNOVATIVE DESIGN
to the 34th Street Partnership for secure bicycle
parking at Pennsylvania Station. T.A.’s plan
calls for 70 sheltered, conveniently located, and
well-lit parking spaces for bicycles. For increased
security, all users would have to register for a swipe
card to gain access. The parking would be installed
at the fenced-in areas in the taxi underpass that
runs between 7th and 8th Avenues. The 34th St.
Partnership is committed to installing the parking, pending Amtrak’s approval.
The 34th Street Partnership is excited about
creating an attractive and organized place for parking bicycles at Penn Station. They recognize the
range of benefits — which include reducing theft
and vandalism, putting unused space to good use,
and establishing a citywide and national model for
bicycle parking. The parking will also serve to
attract new transit riders to commuter and subway Safe and secure bicycle parking designed by T.A. for Penn Station.
trains and potential customers to local businesses.
The 34th Street Partnership heads the Business Herald Square, and Penn Station. They were integral in makImprovement District (BID), which contains Bryant Park, ing the pedestrian improvements in Herald Square happen.
I
MTA’s Big ‘No’ to Requests for Secure
Bicycle Parking at Grand Central
T.A. AND A DOZEN FEDERAL , STATE , AND MTA’s unwillingness to try making the bicycle rack availlocal elected officials made to the MTA for secure able is troubling to me.”
The list of supporters for secure bike parking at Grand Central
bicycle parking at Grand Central Terminal received
a big “No” last month. The MTA wrote: “The installa- consists of both Republicans and Democrats and includes Congress
tion of bicycle racks would not be an appropriate addi- Members Jerrold Nadler, Caroline Maloney, and
tion to Grand Central Terminal.” They also listed sever- Sue Kelly; State Senators Tom Duane, Suzi Oppenheimer, and
al unsubstantiated reasons for their opposition. One of Roy Goodman; Assembly Members Richard Gottfreid and
John Ravitz; City Council
the most bewildering
Members Christine Quinn and
points is that “bicycle
“The MTA’s unwillingness to try making the Gifford Miller; and Greenriders are not MTA
burgh Town Supervisor Paul
Subway or Metro North
bicycle rack available is troubling to me.”
Feiner. The Department of City
riders.” This is simply
Congresswoman Caroline Maloney
Planning also wrote in support.
not true. In fact, the
T.A. has worked with
MTA has been issuing
bike permits to Metro North riders since 1983, it issued Metro North and the MTA over the past three years to get
4,000 bike permits last year. The MTA also distributes secure bicycle parking installed at Grand Central. Their
a brochure instructing cyclists that they may use the sub- change of heart is discouraging, but all is not lost. The New
way 24 hours a day 7 days a week. These facts lead one York Times covered the issue in December and drew the
to wonder what the MTA is basing their assertion on. attention of the 34th Street Partnership. This led to new
Representative Carolyn Maloney was dismayed by the plans for secure bicycle parking at Pennsylvania Station.
MTA’s response to her support letter for secure parking When the parking is installed, T.A. expects to replicate
at the Terminal. The Congresswoman commented: “The Penn Station’s example at its cousin to the east.
T
HE REQUEST
4
TRANSPORTATION
ALTERNATIVES
WINTER 2001
C Y C L I N G
N E W S
Soon To Be Safer
Williamsburg Bridge Path
ECENTLY THERE WERE TWO MUGgings and a crash between a
runner and a cyclist on the
Williamsburg Bridge bike and
pedestrian path. In response, T.A.
renewed our request for the DOT to
install emergency call boxes and surveillance cameras to deter crime on
the path.
The DOT responded positively,
stating that surveillance cameras will
be installed along the north and south
R
paths by fall 2002. In the interim, the
DOT asked the 7th and 90th police
precincts to increase patrols along the
path. From September through
November, there was a noticeable
increase in the police presence on the
bridge. However, police stationed on
the bridge said it was to crack down
on graffiti artists.
According to the DOT, emergency
call boxes are the jurisdiction of the
fire department. A decision on the
boxes will be
made by spring
2001. Call boxes
create allow direct
contact
with
emergency personnel and increase
safety for everyone
using the bridge.
The
Brooklyn
Bridge bicycle and
pedestrian path
has long had
emergency call
boxes in place and
is considered the
Pictured is the old bike and pedestrian path on the north side of
safest East River
the Williamsburg Bridge. According to DOT it will be open with
crossing.
surveillance cameras by September 2002.
Thanks to requests from State
Senator Martin Conner, and T.A.
Bridge Watcher Dave Lines, the path
is now cleaned every Monday and
Friday. Also a dozen new trash cans
have been placed along the path.
Write to Frank Gribbon, the
Deputy Commissioner at the fire
department. Tell him the Williamsburg
bridge needs emergency call boxes on
the bike and pedestrians path:
Mr. Frank Gribbon
Deputy Commissioner of
Public Information for the NYFD
9 Metrotech Plaza
Brooklyn , NY 11201
Write to the DOT to thank them
for their commitment to install surveillance cameras and for keeping the
bridge path clean and regularly
maintained:
Hasan Ahmed
Williamsburg Bridge Field Office
Department of Transportation
413 Wythe Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11211
Manhattan Bridge Path
Debuts This Spring
Yield, Not Stop Signs For The
Brooklyn Bridge
T
P
HE DOT HAS OFFICIALLY SET THE OPENING DATE
for the Manhattan Bridge bike and pedestrian
path for the second week in May 2001. The path
runs along the south side of the bridge and will
accommodate both cyclists and pedestrians. In 2004,
a dedicated bikeway on the north side will be opened.
The Manhattan Bridge has been closed to cyclists and
pedestrians since World War II, when access was
blocked for security reasons.
The path access points will need to be designed to
accommodate the influx of cyclists and pedestrians it
will surely attract. In the coming months, T.A. will
continue to pressure the DOT to provide safe access.
Transportation Alternatives is optimistic that the DOT
will stick to the schedule and open the long-awaited
path on time.
Check the Bike Week schedule at bikeweeknyc.org
for the Grand Opening event.
WINTER 2001
“YIELD TO
Pedestrians” sign found on
a shared-use path in
Corning, NY “Yield to Pedestrians” signs are far superior to
the Stop signs mounted on the
Brooklyn Bridge promenade path
this past fall. Transportation
Alternatives urges the DOT to
use “Yield to Pedestrian” signs instead of Stop signs on the
Brooklyn Bridge.
Cyclists rightly consider the existing Stop signs thoughtless and unrealistic because they require cyclists to stop in the
middle of an incline. This makes no sense since cyclists can
clearly see and yield to any approaching pedestrians or
cyclists. Additionally, the placement of the Stop sign poles in
the middle of the path violates national Manual on Uniform
Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) standards.
ICTURED IS A
TRANSPORTATION
ALTERNATIVES
5
C Y C L I N G
N E W S
Guaranteed Bike Lane
CB 2 Pro-Cycling
CROWD OF COMMITTED T.A MEMBERS AND OFFICER Depoian
A
from the Manhattan Traffic Task Force took to the streets
in November to “guarantee” the 2nd Avenue bike lane.
Traffic cones lined the bike lane from 14th to 11th Streets for one
hour. The cones prevented cars from double parking and driving
through the lane — serving the same function as the bollards
installed along the
Broadway bike lane in
Herald Square.
Passing cyclists
were pleasantly surprised by the protection
from cars that the cones
provided and doubly
pleased to get free
reflective tape to put
on their bikes. The
lane’s guarantors also
distributed
“Give
Respect / Get Respect” leaflets encouraging cyclists to keep
off the sidewalks, yield
to pedestrians and ride
The cones eliminated double parking
with – not against –
cars in the 2nd Ave. bike lane and put
traffic.
smiles on cyclists’ faces.
I
N JANUARY, BROOKLYN’S COMmunity Board 2 (CB 2) passed a
resolution supporting a new bike
lane on Boerum Place. The City
Economic Development Corporation
(EDC) designed and proposed the
bike lane as an extension of the existing Adams Street lane, which connects cyclists to the Brooklyn
Bridge. Bollards or a zebra-striped buffer were recommended
by CB 2 as a way to keep parked cars out of the bike lane. It is
encouraging that the board supports the lane especially because
the design calls for 16 parking spaces to be removed and placed
elsewhere. Removing parking is usually a death sentence for
bicycle and pedestrian projects. CB 2’s deserves applause for its
good sense and pragmatism.
The air in Downtown Brooklyn is polluted and below federal
air pollution standards. CB 2 recognizes that encouraging bicycling is a way to get people out of their cars and win cleaner air
for their community. CB 2 deserves credit for their concern for air
quality and interest in encouragMr. Roy Vanesco
ing alternative transportation.
Write to CB 2 and thank them
for supporting the Boerum Place
bike lane:
Transportation Chair
Community Board 2
350 Jay St. 8t Fl.
Brooklyn, NY 11217
NYC Bike Week
PAINTING BY TALIAH LEMPERT: WWW.BICYCLEPAINTINGS.COM
MAY 14-20, 2001
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
Women's ride #3
A Bicycle Film festival
The Grand Opening of the
Manhattan Bridge Bike path
And so much more …
www.bikeweeknyc.org
6
TRANSPORTATION
ALTERNATIVES
WINTER 2001
C Y C L I N G
N E W S
Spreading The Word
For Indoor Bike Parking
E
VERY
CYCLIST
WANTS
indoor bike parking,
but few have it. One
of the biggest hurdles
to getting indoor bike parking, whether at home or at
work, is convincing building owners that it is a worthy use of their valuable
space. To help combat this
hurdle, Transportation Alternatives and the NY
Metropolitan Transportation
Committee (NYMTC) have
teamed up to produce a
how-to booklet to encourage
building owners and managers to install secure indoor
bike parking. The booklet
lays
out
the
basics
of installing bike parking
and dispels the many
unfounded concerns building owners often have.
NYMTC’s support for A fine example of indoor bike parking is at the
this project and bicycle advo- National Resources Defense Council offices on 23rd St.
cacy in the region is extraordinary and progressive in comparison It will also be distributed to building
to other local agencies. Look for the owners and managers around the
booklet at all NYC Bike Week events. region this spring.
Reinstate Skid Proof Plates
n June 1998, the City Department of Transportation
amended its Highway Rules
and Regulations, eliminating the
rule requiring that steel plates
covering street excavations be
both skid resistant and flush with
the surrounding street surface. As
Death traps for cyclists: The DOT must reina result, bicyclists and other New
state the regulations to make them safer.
Yorkers are now exposed to serious injury and potentially fatal
crashes. Due to requests from
T.A. and our members, the DOT held a hearing in December that discussed reinstating the regulation. A final decision is now before DOT Commissioner Weinshall.
I
Write to Commissioner Weinshall and urge
her to reinstate Section 2-10(A,B) of Highway
Rules and Regulations, which requires skid
proof plates over street cuts:
WINTER 2001
Commissioner Weinshall
Department of Transportation
40 Worth Street
New York , NY 10013
Misguided Mandate
for Kids on Scooters
A
S WITH MANY NEW TRENDS ,
“Razor” scooters have attracted
the attention of politicians.
The City Council’s Committee on
Health approved Intro 818, which
requires scooter riders 14 and under
to wear helmets. T.A. testified
against the bill. T.A. is concerned
that mandating helmets for kids on
scooters stigmatizes yet another
healthy, physical childhood activity.
When parents discover that they
must equip their child with a helmet, they are sent the message that
their child is engaging in a dangerous activity. Suddenly, staying inside
and on the couch seems like the better, safer option. City Council justifies the bill by citing a dramatic
increase in the number of scooterrelated injuries. Not surprising,
since statistics have only been gathered since the explosion in scooter
mania. Regardless, injury statistics
show that injuries were common to
the hands and wrists, not the head.
Protecting a child’s head is important, but a bill conceived in the
name of preventing injuries should
address real problems. This bill is a
prime example of bad public policy
because it is based on irrational fear,
rather than facts and concern for the
public good.
Education and promotion have
proved much more effective at convincing people to voluntarily wear
bicycle helmets. The same will be true
for scooters. T.A. strongly encourages
using helmets, but requiring and
encouraging are very different.
T.A. urged the committee on
health to better serve young scooter
riders by encouraging, not requiring
helmet use. Taking advantage of the
Slow Speed Legislation to create slow
speed zones in front of schools, parks,
and preschools would also increase
children’s safety.
TRANSPORTATION
ALTERNATIVES
7
R E C L A I M I N G
T H E
S T R E E T S
DOT Recalcitrance Places Downtown
Brooklyn Traffic Calming Project In Doubt
T
placed neckdowns (sidewalk extensions) on the turning corprojects are finally going into the ground, but they are ners where they are most effective. They have also refused to
so diluted that community groups wonder whether the place bollards on the neckdowns, citing the potential danprojects will do anything to slow speeds and reduce through gers to “speeding motorists” who might crash into them.
traffic. Community disappointment stems from the
This spring, DOT and project consultants will once again
Department of Transportation’s refusal to use temporary, hold public meetings to discuss the pilot projects and to get
cost-saving treatments that would have allowed for a much input on the final project recommendations. T.A. will continue
more extensive group of pilot projects. DOT also rejected to fight to make sure that the downtown Brooklyn community
the use of more aggressive traffic calming devices, despite gets as much as it can from the traffic calming project, but
unanimous requests
we need your help. If
from all the particiyou are a Downtown
pating community
Brooklyn resident, we
groups. For example,
need you, your friends
the raised crosswalk
and neighbors to
● Curb extensions on Lafayette Avenue at Carlton Avenue and Adelphi
and intersections in
attend these meetings.
Street., and at the intersection of Hicks Street and Atlantic Avenue.
the pilot projects are a
Let the consultants
● A raised intersection at Hicks Street and Pierrepont Street.
mere two inches high,
know that Brooklyn
● A neckdown and raised crosswalk on South Oxford Street at Fulton
rather than the interdeserves the best posStreet.
national standard of
sible traffic calming
●Widened median refuges on Tillary Street at Adams, and lengthened
four inches. Two-inch
to reduce speeding
pedestrian signal phases.
traffic calming platand through traffic.
● A pedestrian refuge on Atlantic Avenue at Bond Street, and neckforms have been
Check the website
downs on Bond Street at Atlantic Avenue.
shown to have no
www.transalt.org for
●A colored bicycle lane on Henry Street south of Atlantic Avenue.
effect on speeds. In
meeting dates, or
● A leading pedestrian interval at Atlantic Avenue and Clinton Street.
many of the pilot
call T.A. for more
● An exclusive pedestrian phase at Remsen Street and Court Street.
projects, DOT has not
information.
HE DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN TRAFFIC CALMING PILOT
Downtown Brooklyn Pilot Projects
Reinforced Bollards = Pedestrian Safety
T
HE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPOR-
tation recently replaced the granite slabs at the West 4th, Jane
Street, and 8th Avenue triangle with
attractive cast iron bollards (large
posts) welded to steel plates placed
under the sidewalk. This is an important traffic calming development and
step forward in pedestrian safety for
the Department of Transportation.
The DOT had previously reserved
the use of reinforced bollards only for
the protection of pay phones, rather
than pedestrians. Their ridiculous reasoning was that speeding or out-ofcontrol drivers might hit the posts if
they were placed on corners or sidewalks. But this is exactly the point –
these steel bollards create an impregnable safety zone for pedestrians and
are especially valuable in dense areas
such as Midtown, where cars and cabs
have often careened onto crowded sidewalks. They also work extremely well
in conjunction with traffic calming
devices such as neckdowns.
Transportation Alternatives will
work hard to make sure that these
reinforced bollards are used throughout the city and in conjunction with
traffic calming projects, such as the
ongoing Downtown Brooklyn traffic
calming project.
Reinforced bollards protect pedestrians
by keeping cars off sidewalks.
8
TRANSPORTATION
ALTERNATIVES
WINTER 2001
R E C L A I M I N G
T H E
S T R E E T S
Speed Hump Confusion Continues
T
HERE ARE GOOD REASONS SPEED
humps are very popular. They are
cheap to install, and they work.
The DOT has more than a thousand
backlogged speed hump requests. This
log jam is due in large part to the
NYC Department of Transportation’s
continued lack of a speed hump and
community review process. It is also a
product of the absence of any group
within DOT designated to deal
expressly with traffic calming
requests.
The DOT says its priority is
installing speed humps around
schools, senior centers, and playgrounds. This is good – but what does
it really mean? In some neighborhoods, hump requests are routed
through the community boards, and
in others they go through the DOT
Borough Commissioner’s Office and
then get sent back to the community
board. This is a long process, and
requests may languish for years.
It is a difficult task in a city the size
of New York to develop an efficient
speed hump process, while
incorporating public participation. But the
DOT has had years to
fine tune a workable
policy. The following
are needed steps to get
the DOT’s
traffic
calming
program
on
the
right track:
A clear review policy is needed for all
traffic calming devices,
including speed humps.
This policy should be
posted on the DOT website, and distributed to
the public, community
boards, and elected officials. For
example, Portland, Oregon, has posted
a traffic calming website that details
Apple Tours Ordered Off the
Street For Good
H
OPEFULLY THIS IS THE FINAL CHAPTER IN THE
scandalous tale of the tour company whose buses kill
and injure pedestrians and spew clouds of diesel
exhaust. In mid-December, the Appellate Division of the
New York State Supreme Court unanimously ordered
New York Apple Tours to cease operations on
city streets. In June,
Justice Phyllis GangelJacobs of the State
Supreme Court in
Manhattan overruled
city and state
orders
suspending
the
bus
line, citing
potential damage to the
tourism industry. The judge also
opined that letting NY Apple back on the road
would “not do any harm to any public interest.” Elected
officials, environmentalists, and community advocates citywide decried this bogus ruling and its implicit endorsement
of corporate and tourist interests over the environment and
the safety of cyclists and pedestrians. This latest decision
overrules Justice Gangel-Jacob’s ruling and reinstates the
WINTER 2001
its traffic calming efforts, including
how projects are selected, how streets
qualify for speed humps, and its speed
hump evaluation and ranking process.
Lists of potential speed hump sites
should be distributed on a regular
basis to neighborhood and civic
groups, and community boards for
their comments. Public
input is very important
in establishing effective
traffic calming. Decisions to determine the
validity of speed hump
requests should be
made by legislators,
elected by and
accountable to
the public.
Revive and expand the DOT
Traffic Calming Unit. Use this
group as a clearinghouse for traffic
calming information, and coordination
of requests.
city’s suspension of the company and state sanctioning.
This decision is a long-overdue win for New Yorkers and
special vindication for Hell’s Kitchen residents, who had been
particularly tormented and endangered by the tour bus company. Thanks are due State Senator Tom Duane,
Council Member Christine Quinn, and the
Clinton Special District Coalition for
vigilantly pursuing the case and keeping the heat on NY Apple Tours.
The City now needs to work with
residents to develop a comprehensive tour bus plan that places
neighborhood quality of life first.
The City must also step up
enforcement and keep a vigilant
eye on the remaining tour bus
companies. It’s incredible and
appalling that it took the
death of Randolph Walker
in May under the wheels of
a NY Apple bus to prompt
the City and State into
action. New York Apple Tours
had built up an unparalleled record of violations, and residents had been justly complaining about the
company for years. It’s time for the City to clamp down, get
serious about tour buses, and prevent another Apple Tours
scenario from ever happening again.
TRANSPORTATION
ALTERNATIVES
9
R E C L A I M I N G
T H E
S T R E E T S
Neighborhood Streets Network
Details Opportunities to Tame Streets
I
T’S A NEW YEAR, AND THE
battles to make nyc
streets calmer and safer
go on. While some of these
battles will take years, others are almost won. In
January, the 100-member
Neighborhood
Streets
Network sent a letter to
NYC
Department
of
Transportation’s new commissioner Iris Weinshall
presenting her with some of
the immediate opportunities
that the DOT has to change
the equation on the streets.
In the letter, the Network
asked Commissioner Weinshall to:
Putting to work the NYC traffic calming law would
produce calm, safe streets like this one in England.
Put the NYC Traffic
Calming Law to extensive use.
In September 1999, Governor Pataki signed the NYC
Traffic Calming Bill into law. This law allows speed to
be set as low as 15 mph on NYC streets, when used in
conjunction with traffic calming. However, to T.A.’s
knowledge, the law has not been used, despite citywide
acclaim and the strong backing of Mayor Giuliani. The
Network would like to see this law piloted on 100
streets—20 in each borough—and eventually used
throughout the city. Simply put, this law will save lives
and make streets safer and more pleasant places to live
on. Its extensive use is now long overdue.
Construct full Safe Routes to School at Bronx
elementary schools.
Being hit by a car is the number one cause of death for
kids aged 5-14 in New York City. The Bronx is leading
the five boroughs with the highest percentage of children
hit. Transportation Alternatives, in conjunction with the
Bronx Borough President’s office, has developed plans for
Safe Routes to School for almost 40 Bronx elementary
schools. To date, only one of the plans has actually been
fully constructed.
Redesign the Grand Concourse using the $9
million in available funds.
The Grand Concourse is one of the most dangerous
streets for pedestrians in the city. The DOT has a pot of
over $9 million in federal capital funds earmarked for the
Concourse. The DOT has not been able to develop a satisfactory plan for use of the funds, and the money continues to languish.
10
TRANSPORTATION
ALTERNATIVES
Fully fund the construction of the Downtown
Brooklyn Traffic Calming project.
The Downtown Brooklyn Traffic Calming project is the
nation’s largest traffic calming project. However, there is no
guaranteed funding for the project’s final construction. The
NYC DOT should fund the final recommendations in the
downtown Brooklyn project using available city capital dollars and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ),
enhancement, and STP safety funds.
NYC Bike Week
Everyone is invited to participate in
Bike Week happening May 14-20, 2001.
Want to help?:
● Come to the Bike Week planning
meeting (Feb. 21 at 6:30 pm) at
the T.A. office
● Sign your workplace up for the
Commuter Challenge!
● Organize a Bike Week event
● Know of any good promotion
outlets?
● Help distribute flyers
Visit www.bikeweeknyc.org or
contact Susan or Craig at
212-629-8080 for more details.
WINTER 2001
R E C L A I M I N G
T H E
S T R E E T S
Sober Drivers Killing —
NY Post Gets It Right
ATE LAST YEAR, NYC
L
JOHN HARRIS
media outlets touted
a “staggering” increase in drunk driving deaths in NYC. Mayor
Giuliani responded by vowing to crack down on drunk
drivers, and Governor Pataki promised to tighten
DUI penalties. A closer look
at the numbers revealed that
all of the hoopla was about
an increase of 4 deaths, from
23 in 1999 to 27 in 2000.
While it is always tragic
when people are killed,
these numbers pale in comparison to the 183 pedestrians and 35 bicyclists
killed by automobile in
NYC in 1999.
Transportation
Alternatives responded to
the media misfire by pointing out that only 7% of
traffic fatalities in NYC are
alcohol-related. Sober drivers mow
hundreds of pedestrians and bicyclists
than a fine. Fortunately, the
New York Post picked up on
what T.A. has been saying
for years.
In an incisive article and
editorial, the Post detailed
the New York ‘who cares?’
attitude towards murderous
motorists. The editorial
called on the state to
reverse the 1956 “Rule of
Two” court ruling. This
rule, which says that prosecutors have to show at
least two traffic violations
to prove a motorist’s reckless intent, makes it
extremely difficult to prosecute murderous motorists.
T.A. will continue to fight
for aggressive and appropriate prosecutions for
motorists who kill, and to
Mourning another victim of a
ensure that concern over
sober killer driver.
drunken driving does not
obscure the greater problem
down each year and almost all of these of weak laws and permissive public
drivers walk away with nothing worse attitudes to killer drivers.
City Proposes to Ban Hand-Held Cell Phones
C
driving while calling is not the distraction of operating the phone,
Giuliani both introduced legislation in December that but the fact that the person on the other end of the line is not in
would ban the use of hand-held cell phones while the car, and requires additional concentration to speak with.
Projections below are derived from crash data supplied by
driving. Speaker Vallone’s bill proposes fines from $150 to
$300, while the fines in Mayor Giuliani’s bill range from $50 the New York City Police Department, New York State
Department of Motor Vehicles and a 1999 study on the risk of
to $150. Both bills allow drivers to use handless phones.
cellular phone use
These bills are a good
while driving, by
first step towards reducing
Donald Redelmeier,
the dangers from cell
PROJECTED ANNUAL INCIDENTS DUE TO
MD, and Milton
phone-impaired drivers
CELLULAR PHONE USE BY NYC DRIVERS
Weinstein, MD of the
and place NYC in the comUniversity of Toronto
pany of a handful of other
INJURIES
F ATA L I T I E S
“Cost Effectiveness of
localities around the counBICYCLISTS
90
BICYCLISTS
1
Regulations Against
try that have proposed such
Using A Cellular Telprogressive legislation.
PEDESTRIANS
557
PEDESTRIANS
10
ephone While DrivT.A. suggests that the bills
ing”, an abstract of
should go further and ban
MOTORISTS
2592
MOTORISTS
9
which appeared in the
the use of all cell phones –
May, 1999 issue of
hand-held or hands-free –
TOTAL
3239
TOTAL
20
the Journal of the
except for emergency use.
American Medical
Researchers have found
Association.
that the problem with
ITY COUNCIL SPEAKER PETER VALLONE AND MAYOR
WINTER 2001
TRANSPORTATION
ALTERNATIVES
11
P R E S S U R E
P O I N T S
City’s Lack of Comprehensive Truck Plan Pits
Neighborhoods vs. Trucks
N
EW YORK CITY IS ONE OF THE
most truck-dependent cities in
the U.S. Trucks move twothirds of the freight going to and from
NYC, including 82% of all goods
crossing the Hudson River. About 14
million trucks use NYC bridge and
tunnel crossings each year. The
phased-in closure of the Fresh Kills
landfill will add additional garbagehauling truck trips each day on city
streets. It is obvious that NYC urgently needs a comprehensive traffic policy
for trucks.
In 1999, the Department of
Transportation awarded a $600,000
contract to Parsons Brinkerhoff to study
and revise the city’s truck routes. The
unstated mandate of the contract was to
make trucking easier, no matter the cost
to neighborhoods. Not surprisingly, the
study came under intense fire from
environmental and community groups
and elected officials for not
addressing pedestrian safety,
noise, and physical damage
factors in selecting – or
deselecting - truck routes.
In the spring of 2000, after
an intense organizing effort
led by the Tri-State Transportation Campaign and the
NYC
Environmental
Justice
Alliance,
then
DOT
Commissioner Wilbur Chapman
declared the truck route study ‘dead’ in
its current form. The DOT recently
announced that the new Request for
Proposals for the Truck Route Study
will be completed at the end of January.
Changes in the study have not been
made public. In the interim, DOT has
engaged a piecemeal approach to planning for trucks. Truck capacity increases around the city are planned without
regard to their overall impact.
here are a number of ways to reduce the number of trucks in NYC.
Foremost among these is the reversal of the one-way toll on the
Verrazano Bridge to a two-way toll. This would stem the tide of trucks
that cut through Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan towards New Jersey avoiding
the one-way toll. This will take an act of Congress, and so far, New York’s
Senators haven’t shown the needed leadership or vision. Other means of reducing trucks on NYC streets include:
T
A cross-harbor rail link.
Expanded rail-freight facilities in NYC and Long Island.
● Parking policies guaranteeing trucks scarce curb space for deliveries.
● Vigorous enforcement of the city’s truck route and size/weight rules.
● Traffic calming measures that complement truck route enforcement.
●
●
T.A. continues to vigorously support and push for all of these measures.
12
TRANSPORTATION
ALTERNATIVES
An illegal truck blocks the
crosswalk on Broome Street.
Examples:
DOT has plans for increased capacity
for trucks on Columbia Street in
Brooklyn, as well as West Houston Street
in Manhattan. The Columbia Street plan
calls for substantial widening of
Columbia, DeGraw, and Van Brunt
Streets in Red Hook, including the addition of nearly 40 feet of lanes for a truck
diverter. The plan would narrow sidewalks and increase traffic and speeds on
the street. A byproduct of the truck route
would be the elimination of a longplanned multi-use greenway connecting
Red Hook and the Brooklyn Bridge
Park. The community reacted with anger
to the proposed widening, and over 100
people turned out to a Community Board
6 meeting in mid-December.
On West Houston Street, despite universal community and business opposition, the DOT has continued its efforts to
make the street into an on-ramp to the
Holland Tunnel. DOT had proposed narrowing sidewalks, cutting down trees,
and eliminating parking. At a late fall
meeting with local groups, the Department seemed to have gotten the message
that this was unacceptable. The compromise is widening sidewalks and eliminating parking on one side, thereby creating
a widened lane for trucks.
All of New York City is suffering
from this cat-and-mouse game between
trucks and people. People and the environment need to be placed above the
movement of dangerous trucks. The City
must snap out of its’ truck’s first stupor
and plot a rational course for moving
trucks in and out of New York. Local
communities and environmental groups
must be aware and continue to fight for
rational NYC truck routes until the City
stops their irrational truck route planning.
For maps of the current truck routes go
to www.transalt.org/features/truckroutes.html.
WINTER 2001
metropolitan
R E G I O N
Transit Funding Smashed
Pataki Long on Promises, Short on Money
THE DEFEAT OF THE $3.5 BILLION TRANSPORTATION BOND
Act in November, plus the release of the governor’s budget
in January, spell big trouble for the
MTA / New York City Transit’s
plans to rebuild the subway system
and buy new subways and buses.
The MTA faces a $320 million
shortfall this year in capital funds.
(Note: The MTA is the parent
agency of NYC Transit, and also
includes Metro-North and the Long
Island Rail Road. City subways and
buses account for about 90% of all
transit trips by MTA agencies).
Following is some of the bad news
faced by NYC transit riders:
Promised $800 million in new operating aid to the
MTA has disappeared
More operating money means more subway and bus service,
cleaner subway cars and stations, and fewer bus breakdowns.
The $81 million in new operating funds are part of
Governor Pataki’s pledge to provide the MTA with $800
million of state aid over five years. Last year’s budget had
about $24 million in new operating
aid for the MTA. Simple math shows
that the Governor has three years to
come up with the remaining $700
million. This would require a $233
million a year investment in operating funds over the next three years,
three times what the governor came
up with this year.
N E W
Unfair funding for NYC Transit
For years, NYC Transit has received about 63-65% of all
state transit aid, while moving 81% of the state’s transit
riders. The LIRR and Metro-North get 22% of state transit aid, and move about 6% of state transit riders. The
Governor’s budget has $81 million in new operating aid
for the MTA, and $39 million for the rest of the state.
If NYC Transit got its fair share, it could add the service that is needed to meet increases in ridership.
Governor Pataki’s disinvestments in transit repairs
Governor Pataki’s budgets have added no new capital
transit dollars since he was elected. As a result, the MTA
is now in the process of borrowing $7 billion, and refinancing $14 billion of old debt, with no plan of how
to pay it back. The same Governor who had the power
last October to order the MTA to provide free fares to
World Series fans, now says “I hope the MTA will be
able to come up with something that allows [projects
like the Second Avenue Subway] to go forward.”
WINTER 2001
J E R S E Y
Port Authority
Toll Hike Faces
Tough Times
The state transportation
budget favors the suburbs
over the city
It is likely MTA will get an equal
$250 million from the Port
Authority. However, this money
is likely to go to the LIRR –
Grand Central Connector, which
is a good project, but will serve
relatively few people. This is
amazing, since Port Authority revenue is largely generated by NYC motorists and companies. This money
may not exist if the Port Authority fare hike is completely rejected.
Y O R K / N E W
IN JANUARY, ENVIRONMENTAL ACTivists from Transportation Alternatives and the Tri-State Transportation Campaign rallied for higher tolls outside the Holland Tunnel.
Despite support from environmentalists in New York and New
Jersey, the Port Authority’s proposed
toll hike appears to be headed for defeat. The new tolls were
to employ peak-hour “congestion pricing,” in which tolls are
higher during peak periods and lower during off-peak periods.
This sensible method is used elsewhere in the United States
and is the basis for how phones, electricity, and airfares are set.
Noble prizewinner William Vickrey, a New Yorker, proposed
the same kind tolls for NYC more than thirty years ago.
T.A. supports Port
Authority
toll hikes
N E W
Y O R K
Gowanus Groups Galvanized
AFTER FOUR YEARS OF TALKS, THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF
Transportation, west Brooklyn Community groups, and
T.A., have settled a lawsuit brought by the groups, which
charged the state with failing to abide by federal environmental laws. The State DOT agreed to an innovative community participation process and to provide $375,000 for a
community technical advisor. This advisor will have the
plaintiffs, rather than the State DOT, as its clients, and will
attend meetings and produce comments on behalf of the
community. The agreement has important national implications and is a model for Mid-Hudson citizen groups who
seek a greater voice on the future of the Tappan-Zee Bridge.
TRANSPORTATION
ALTERNATIVES
13
Y E A R
I N
R E V I E W
Making the Grade 2000
T. A . ’ S F O U R T H A N N U A L R E P O R T O N B I C Y C L I N G I N N Y C
ALTERNATIVES LOOKS AT THE
cycling conditions and what government
agencies did to promote cycling in 2000.
The idea behind the report card is to inspire government to improve their cycling promotion, and to
provide a historic record of the cycling environ-
T
RANSPORTATION
THE OVERALL CYCLING
ENVIRONMENT
2000
Government Efforts:
Cycling Environment:
C+
C-
1999
CD+
G OVERNMENT ’ S GRADE SOARS BECAUSE OF AN UNEX pectedly fine effort by the NYC DOT. The much-maligned
agency opened the long awaited permanent path on the
Queensboro
Bridge.
It
installed
three
new, innovative, bike lanes, and completed an improved entrance to the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn
Bridge path.
DOT’s accomplishments were marred by a secretive
operating style and poor outreach. Elsewhere, the Parks
Department plugged away on its ambitious slate of
greenways, but was slowed by a lack of high-level political support. City Planning continued high quality
planning work, which was mainly ignored.
The local office of the State DOT was another bright
spot as it literally bulldozed the city’s Hudson River
Connector path at Riverside South into existence.
SDOT also continued rapid progress on the magnificent Hudson River Greenway in Manhattan. On the
negative side, MTA/ Metro North continues to refuse
secure bicycle parking at Grand Central Station, and
MTA / Bridges won’t release it’s bicycle feasibility
study.
The overall cycling environment gets a “C-“ grade
because the cycling environment is barely tolerable
enough to keep everyday cyclists riding. Dangerous
motorist behavior, double parking, scarce secure bike
parking, atrocious street conditions, and many sub-standard bike lanes remain widespread. Whether due to
good police work, or just plain luck, cycling fatalities
declined from a historic high of 35 in 1999 to — a
still very high 17 - in 2000.
The really bad news is that driving in the area has
increased by a huge 17% since 1995. More cars means
a degraded bicycle habitat. No matter how good cycling
improvements are, large scale everyday cycling will not
take hold until car use is reduced.
14
TRANSPORTATION
ALTERNATIVES
ment. The grades are also intended to provoke
cyclists and government into thinking about what
makes a good cycling environment. T.A. gives credit for bike projects completed in the year of grading,
not the years of hard work funding, planning and
engineering that came first.
MOMENTUM & ATTITUDE
2000
Government Efforts:
Cycling Environment:
BB
1999
C
C
THIS SUBJECTIVE CATEGORY GAUGES CYCLING’S MOMENTUM. IT
IS A rough barometer of public attitudes towards cycling and
government efforts to promote it. The much improved grade
is due to DOT’s new bicycle projects, and a sharp decline in
anti-cycling rhetoric by press, public and politicians. Some
community boards were more positive about cycling projects
than in previous years.
SAFE STREETS
2000
Government Efforts:
Cycling Environment:
CD+
1999
D+
D
The slight improvement in the overall grade reflects the
decline in cycling fatalities from a historic high of 35 in 1999,
to 18 in 2000. The reason for the big increase in fatalities in
1999, and the subsequent decline in 2000, remains a mystery.
T.A. left meetings with high-ranking police traffic safety officers confused about police strategies and analysis. The police
view of cycling deaths seems biased towards blaming the victims. Their reports cite non-sensical crash causes like cyclists
failing to yield to turning trucks, and erroneously report
that none of the cyclists killed wore helmets. Overall, speeding, reckless, and dangerous driving are ubiquitous and
streets remain too scary for many would be cyclists.
Large, extremely dangerous streets like Queens
Boulevard, Flatbush Avenue, Canal Street and Northern
Boulevard are still essentially off-limits to all but the boldest cyclists. Unfortunately, these are the most direct routes.
Avoiding them creates another barrier to everyday cycling.
Crazed cab drivers remain an intractable problem in
heavily cycled Manhattan. They stop far from the curb and
in bike lanes, and speed with abandon. Still no safety education for motorists —- advertising, signs or training—appeared in 2000. Many motorists continue to ignore the
cyclist’s right to the road.
WINTER 2001
Y E A R
BICYCLE LANES
2000
Government Efforts:
Cycling Environment:
B+
C
1999
F
C-
DOT scored big in the bike lane department in 2000. New
lanes on Centre Street, coming and leaving the Manhattan
side of the Brooklyn Bridge, are excellent and help cyclists
get to and from the bridge with greater ease and safety.
Similar lanes —- some protected by bollards —- should be
placed at all East River and Harlem River Bridges. At Herald
Square cyclists got treated to a first for NYC —- a broadened
lane separated from traffic with heavy duty plastic bollards.
This excellent, protected lane is southbound on Broadway
(between 34th and 35th), and accompanied by an eight foot
wide lane northbound on 6th Ave. Herald Square style bollard lanes should be replicated citywide. Additionally, The
Bronx’s first bike lane was installed on Prospect Ave.
Still problematic are bike lanes unprotected by bollards.
They remain parked, driven in and monopolized by cabs, and
because of their design and ridiculous parking regulations are
nearly impossible enforcement task for traffic police.
Hint to DOT: Lane planning should not be a state secret.
Let the public know what is going on.
BRIDGES
2000
Government Efforts:
Cycling Environment:
B
B
1999
C+
C
Hooray! After a twenty-five year wait, the permanent, fulltime, bicycle and pedestrian path opened on the Queensboro
Bridge. T.A. crusaded since 1979 to get this critical link fully
restored. At last, a giant, multi-decade long, obstacle to
cycling between Manhattan, Queens, and northern Brooklyn is
gone. The installation of the new approach on the Manhattan
side of the Brooklyn Bridge, with accompanying lanes is good.
But, the new Brooklyn Bridge entrance is a watered down version of what T.A. worked for throughout the 1990’s.
The DOT’s Bureau of Bridges, cited here in 1997, 1998,
and 1999 for a “head in mud” approach to the public, has
markedly improved its outreach. The Bureau should take the
next step and actively reach out to cyclists and pedestrians.
Less exciting is that MTA Bridges and Tunnels buried a
study to assess bicycle improvements on its bridges.
GREENWAYS
2000
Government Efforts:
Cycling Environment:
B+
C-
1999
B
C-
The NYC office of the State DOT, and its Director Doug
Currey, get a “B+” for their greenway work. The agency will
complete the fabulous Hudson River / Route 9A greenway
in the Fall of 2001. The greenway stretches from the southWINTER 2001
I N
R E V I E W
ern tip of Manhattan to 59th Street. To the north, Currey
cleared a bureaucratic impasse by ordering the SDOT’s
Route 9A contractor to build the City Parks Department’s
Hudson River Connector path between 59th and 72nd
Streets. This critical link will open in March 2001, and
extend the State’s greenway to the south with City greenways stretching to 155th Street.
The big problem for the citywide greenway system is the
lack of a patron at City Hall to clear roadblocks and red tape.
The Parks Department, the city agency which builds greenways, must slog through resistance from other city agencies
and knee jerk local opposition.
PARKING
2000
Government Efforts:
Cycling Environment:
1999
C+
D
CC-
Sparse secure bicycle parking remains the biggest obstacle to
would be commuters and utilitarian cyclists. Secure parking
is a must because of New York’s intense problem with bicycle thieves and vandals. In 2000, government did more to
address the bike parking problem. The New York
Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC), the regional transportation planning body, funded T.A. to produce and
distribute a how-to brochure aimed at encouraging building
managers to install indoor parking. Councilmember Carrion
introduced a bill requiring the equal treatment of bikes and
freight in elevators and buildings. Unfortunately, the proposal was stopped dead by building owners.
Also positive, was a flurry of planning for secure cycle
parking at area transit. T.A., under contract to the State
DOT, began drawing up plans for parking at Staten Island
transit stops. Late in the year, T.A. and the 34th Street
Partnership began working for secure cycle parking at Penn
Station. Again playing the role of villain, the MTA / Metro
North vetoed secure parking at Grand Central Station.
It took almost a decade, but the DOT’s CityRacks program is proving to be a big success.
It installs hundreds of racks every year, and has paid special attention to parking at subway stations.
TRANSIT
2000
Government Efforts:
Cycling Environment:
1999
B
A-
B
B
Cyclists continue to enjoy the immense benefits of unrestricted legal access to the NYC subways. NYC Transit
deserves credit for its “common sense” policy which allows
cyclists 24-hour use of the subway while still allowing transit workers and police to keep bikes off of crowded trains.
PATH did away with permits in 1999, but still prohibits
bikes during peak periods. The fine record of transit achievement would be better if the MTA provided secure parking at
Grand Central and Penn Stations. Parking of any kind at
suburban rail and major NYC subway would also help.
TRANSPORTATION
ALTERNATIVES
15
K I L L
Y O U R
S P E E D
The Case for Photo Radar in NYC
ALTERNATIVES IS
beginning a campaign to bring
photo radar speed enforcement to
NYC. Speeding is rampant on
NYC streets. 25% of motorists on
Queens Blvd. exceed 40mph, ten miles
over the posted speed limit. Even on
Midtown Avenues it is easy to find cars
going as fast as 45mph.
Many motorists,
including legislators
and cops, see speeding as a victimless
crime —- especially
once they get
behind the wheel.
They are wrong.
Speeding is extremely dangerous and
anti-social behavior. It
is implicated in the
deaths and injuries of
hundreds of vulnerable
area cyclists and
pedestrians. At Speed is a factor in 31% of
40 mph, mo- all fatal crashes, killing an
torists kill 70% average of 1,000 Americans
of the cyclists every month.
and pedestrians
Each year, more than 15,000
they strike —- people die in speed-related
100%
suffer crashes, and 80,000 people are
brain injury or seriously injured.
tains a rear view of
other permaSpeed related crashes cost
the vehicle and its
nently incapaci- society more than $29 billion
license plate, with
tating problems. each year, with health care
the date, time, speed
At 30 mph, the costs alone totaling more than
and location noted.
NYC
speed $4 billion per year.
The motorist is not
limit, 40% are
Write Police Commissioner
photographed.
A
killed, and at 25 Bernard Kerik and let him
citation is then
mph, the death know that you want photo
mailed to the vehicle
toll is 25%.
radar for NYC.
owner. As with
Enter photo
Police Commissioner
NYC’s red light
radar.
Photo
Bernard Kerik
camera program, no
radar is a cost
1 Police Plaza Rm. 1400
points are assigned to
effective and fair
New York, NY 10038
the driver’s license.
law enforcement
Photo radar entool that stops
speeding and save lives. It has been forcement significantly reduces
used in Europe for over 30 years, and the number and severity of
has been successfully employed by cities crashes and traffic deaths. It is
around the US, including Washington, especially effective at decreasing
DC and Portland, Oregon. Photo radar the number of speeders driving
uses the same technology as NYC’s suc- more than 15 mph over the
cessful red light camera program, but speed limit. Police forces have
targets speeding rather than red light embraced photo radar because it
running. Speeders automatically trigger increases traffic enforcement,
a roadside camera mounted on a pole, while freeing police for other
and are photographed. The photo con- duties. It also reduces the num-
T
RANSPORTATION
16
TRANSPORTATION
ALTERNATIVES
ber of high-speed chases and hazardous situations for officers. City governments
applaud the cameras because after an initial
investment, photo radar generally pays for
itself. This puts the cost of speeding
enforcement on violators rather than taxpayers. And the public supports photo
radar as a means of reducing speeds
and crashes. A nationwide telephone
survey conducted in 1995 found
that 57% of Americans favor using
cameras to enforce speed limit
laws. Given the pedestrian
majority in NYC, this support
is probably far higher here.
The use of photo radar in
NYC will involve new laws
by the City Council and
State Legislature. Both of
these bodies have opposed
photo radar in the past,
although their reasoning has
been vague and unsubstantiated.
The police department will also have
to aggressively support automated
photo radar enforcement. Our goal is
to have 200 photo radar cameras
placed around the city, blanketing
notorious speedways such as Queens
Boulevard, the Grand Concourse, and
Flatbush Avenue.
Photo Radar
Success Stories
ccording to the British Medical
Journal, over the course of two years,
the number of deaths in a test corridor in London reduced threefold, from 68 to
20. The number of serious injuries also fell by
over a quarter, from 813 to 596.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
reported that photo radar reduced all crashes involving injuries by 20 percent in Norway.
In Victoria, Australia, after eight years of
photo radar enforcement, the number of
road deaths dropped from 777 in 1989 to
378 in 1997, a 51% reduction. Collisions
were reduced by 22%, and serious injuries by
34%.
British Columbia: Research showed a 7%
reduction in crashes and a 20% decline in
deaths in the year after British Columbia’s
photo radar program was started. The percent of speeding vehicles declined from 66%
in 1996 to 40% in 1999.
A
WINTER 2001
S
AFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL
Rutas Seguras Para Ir a la Escuela
A Project of Transportation Alternatives, Sponsored by The Office of The Bronx
Borough President and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee
Kill Your Speed
T
RAFFIC SAFETY EXPERTS
agree that the problem
of speeding has three
solutions. The three
E’s of Engineering, Enforcement and Education. In each
issue of T.A. magazine, forward-thinking engineering
solutions to speeding, such
as speed humps, widespread
use of the NYC Traffic
Calming Law, and safe
routes to school are highlighted. In this issue, we
have highlighted a tremendously effective speeding
enforcement technique —
photo-radar. Now it is time
to look at needed education
techniques to curb the epidemic of speeding in NYC.
NYC DOT’s speed education campaigns have historically concentrated on
educating the victims. For
example, in response to the
recent spate of deaths on
Queens Boulevard, the DOT
has taken to handing out flyers to senior citizens, and
teaching children how to cross the street. While these
efforts have their place, they must be balanced by an
aggressive education campaign aimed at stigmatizing
speeding as a dangerous and antisocial behavior on par
with drunk driving. The British Government’s “Kill Your
Speed” campaign, started in 1987, does just that.
The campaign’s objectives are to:
●
●
●
●
Raise awareness of speeding and persuade drivers to
recognize that their behavior is dangerous.
Educate drivers that driving over 30 mph in urban areas
is unsafe, and that every mile driven over the speed limit
grows more dangerous.
Change public attitudes towards speeding by making
speeding as socially unacceptable and publicly condemned as drunk driving.
Convey the message that all drivers are responsible for
their actions.
The centerpieces of the campaign are glossy and
powerful television spots. For example, a black and
WINTER 2001
white ad shows a young schoolgirl walking to school.
In a voice-over she says: “You’re going to kill me
because you’re late for a meeting, because you want to
keep up with the traffic.” In the last shot, a speeding
driver – who can’t stop in time – sees her through his
windshield.
In addition, radio and print advertising, leaflets and
posters further reinforce the message. Every round of
the campaign is followed up with in-depth research to
determine the effect of the ads on public attitudes. A
typical year-long round of the national ad campaign
costs $2.75 million.
While this may seem like a lot of money, the campaign has been tremendously successful. In 1987 the
Government targeted reducing road deaths by one-third
by 2000. By 1997, three years early, deaths had already
been reduced by 36%, and serious injuries by 42%. NYC
needs to target speeding with the same aggressive tone,
and to stop targeting the victims of speeding.
View materials and television spots from
the Kill Your Speed Campaign online at
http://www.detr.gov.uk/campaigns/index.htm
TRANSPORTATION
ALTERNATIVES
17
W3RLD
Auto-Free
Bogota to Cars: Get Out of Town by 2015
CITIZENS OF BOGOTA, COLOMBIA, HAVE VOTED TO BAN CAR
use in the city during peak hours beginning January 1st,
2015. From that date forward, cars will be barred from
using any city street from 6:00 am to 9:00 am and from
4:30 pm until 7:30 pm during weekdays. Bogota’s voters,
who are forced to breathe some of Latin America’s most polluted air, also approved the establishment of a day without
cars in the city on the first Thursday of every
February, beginning this year. In addition, the citywide referendum calls for the building of 200 kilometers of bike ways, as well as joint planning with
companies, schools and businesses to promote
cycling. The goal is to have 20 percent of the population riding bicycles as transportation by the year
2015.
—El Tiempo
fined $39,000 for colliding with another car and injuring
five. The formula for calculating the fine is complicated,
taking into account not only the driver’s after-tax income
but the number of dependents and how fast the driver was
traveling. “Some people think it’s the only way to get the
wealthy people to drive slowly or respect the law,” says
Leena Harkimo, a member of the Finnish Parliament.
—The Wall Street Journal
London’s Mayor Favors
Lower Speed Limits, More Cycling
THE GREATER LONDON ASSEMBLY IS POISED TO VOTE ON
ANA LOURDES
a city-wide 20 mph speed limit. The majority of
Londoners favor the proposal, as does London’s new
mayor, Ken Livingstone. Studies suggest that lowering the standard speed limit from 30 to 20 mph
would save up to 200 lives a year in London. It is
also hoped that slower traffic will encourage many
more people to use bikes, as fear of speeding traffic
is one of the major reasons Londoners give for not
cycling. Meanwhile, Mayor Livingstone has told the
London Cycling Campaign that cycling should play a key
role in a truly integrated transport system for the city.
Livingstone promised the Campaign that it will have a
cyclist advisor on the Transport for London (TfL) board and
he committed to setting up a specialist cycling unit with
the TfL that will become “center of excellence for cycling.”
—London Cyclist
Wealthy Finns Pay Thousands for Speeding
HELSINKI POLICE FINED A FINNISH DOT.COM MILLIONAIRE
$71,400 for driving his BMW 43 miles an hour in a 25mile-an-hour zone. Two months earlier, the same driver had
received a $44,100 fine for zigzagging in the Finnish capital. The amounts were no mistake: in Finland, traffic fines
are based on two factors: the severity of the offense and the
driver’s income. Using cellular technology, police on the
scene can tap into official tax records and learn within seconds a driver’s reported income and the corresponding traffic fine. After Keijo Kopra, the managing director of a wood
products company, was clocked at driving 14 miles an hour
over the speed limit, the officer wrote out a ticket for
$14,500, which a judge later increased to $38,000 when
two previous speeding tickets came to light. Teemu Selanne,
Finland’s most celebrated hockey player and a member of
the National Hockey Leagues Anaheim Mighty Ducks, was
18
TRANSPORTATION
ALTERNATIVES
Hong Kong Traffic Chief Is Pedestrian Champion
DECLARING THAT “ROAD SPACE AND PRIORITY IS OFTEN BIASED
against pedestrians,” Hong Kong’s Commissioner for
Transport is trying to redirect priorities and improve conditions for pedestrians in the former British colony. The
Commissioner, Robert Footman (yes, that’s his real name), is
calling for full-time pedestrian streets that would be closed
to vehicular traffic throughout the day; streets where vehicle
traffic will be banned during certain hours; and trafficcalmed streets featuring widened sidewalks to improve
pedestrian circulation. In a letter to Hong Kong’s pedestrians, Footman asked, “Have you ever dreamed of walking on
a road in Hong Kong free of traffic and traffic noise ? Have
you ever dreamed of taking your children on the road without fear of vehicles?” Seems like more and more people are
having those dreams.
—CenterLines
Car-Free Day Wins Irish Sweepstakes
IRELAND’S CAR-FREE DAY IN SEPTEMBER WAS A HUGE SUCCESS.
Nearly 90 % of residents surveyed in cities and towns that
participated in the event said the day should be repeated at
least once a year, and one-third said they would like to have
a Car-Free Day once a month. Air pollutants in Dublin were
WINTER 2001
A U T O - F R E E
30 % lower during the day and
the number of vehicles going in
and out of the city decreased by
11 %, according to preliminary
measurements. Dublin Bus
reported a 9 per cent rise in ridership and average journey times
decreased by almost 30 per cent.
In Limerick, noise levels were
less than half normal levels.
—The Irish Times
Two Deadly Weapons
for the Price of One
ADDING FIREPOWER TO A WEEK end sales pitch, a used-car dealer in Tennessee recently offered
a free gun to anyone who
bought a car. “Buy a car, get a
gun this Saturday,” read a banner hanging outside Greg
“Lumpy” Lambert’s car dealership near Knoxville. The promotion lured in three buyers,
each of whom received a
voucher for a bolt-action, 8-mm deer rifle valued at
about $100.
—New York Post
Cyclists Reviving Spirit of Protest in Chile
ON THE FIRST TUESDAY OF EACH MONTH, HUNDREDS OF
“Ciclistas Furiosos” weave through the rush-hour traffic of
Santiago, Chile, pedaling as slowly as possible, blowing
whistles, and waving flags. These “enraged cyclists” - often
mothers, fathers and children - are determined to convince
citizens to change their transportation habits and to get
bike paths built on the Chilean capital’s busy thoroughfares. In the process, they are reviving Chile’s culture of
protest, abandoned during and after Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship. In Santiago, with a population of 5 million, polluted air gets trapped by the surrounding Andes, creating
a thick cloud of smog that hangs over the city nearly nine
months of the year. The spirited group has been slowly
building contacts and membership for the last seven years,
and now boasts 5,000 members throughout the country.
—CS Monitor
Nissan’s Frontier Mentality
A TELEVISION AD FOR THE NEW NISSAN FRONTIER PICK-UP
truck features Nissan America design chief Jerry Hirschberg
boasting that the truck is “muscular and powerful.”
Hirschberg closes the ad with these words: “The Frontier
sends a message: ‘Get out of my way’.”
—CarTalk.com
Walking in California Is an Extreme Sport
A NEW REPORT FROM THE SURFACE TRANSPORTATION POLICY PROJ-
ect suggests that pedestrians throughout California are in serious
WINTER 2001
W O R L D
danger navigating streets and
intersections that are increasingly built for speed and traffic.
According to the 47-page
report, “Dangerous by Design:
Pedestrian Safety in California,”
Sacramento, Contra Costa, Los
Angeles, Santa Clara and San
Mateo were the state’s five most
dangerous counties for 1999.
Regions characterized by rapid
growth and sprawling suburban-style development, with
wide streets and fast-moving
traffic, typically pose the worst
problems, the study says.
—CenterLines
Britain Completes
Car-Free Bike Routes
BICYCLISTS
HEADING
TO
Britain this summer have
more than 5,000 miles of
cycling paths to explore on
the National Cycle Network,
which was begun in 1995 under the auspices of the non-profit group, Sustrans. The signposted routes combine traffic-tree
sections of unused railway lines, canal towpaths and country
lanes. The longest section, which opened in April, stretches
501 miles from John O’Groats, the northernmost town in
Scotland, to Aberdeen. The 200-mile Celtic Trail opened in
June, runs east to west across South and West Wales. For
more information, visit Sustrans’ Web site at
www.sustrans.org.uk
—The New York Times
Melbourne Cyclists Riding on Water
CYCLISTS IN MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA’S EASTERN SUBURBS NOW
have an express route downtown - a floating bike path on the
Yarra River. Bicycle Victoria welcomed the $4 million floating
path, which opened this past fall, calling it a “magnificent addition” to Melbourne’s bike network. The two-kilometer trail,
600 meters of which is on pontoons to avoid flooding, runs
alongside the Monash Freeway on the north bank of the Yarra.
—The Age
First Earth Car-Free Day Scheduled for April 19th
THE FIRST EARTH CAR-FREE DAY IS TO BE CELEBRATED ON
April 19, 2001. “The goal of Earth Car-Free Day 2001,”
says organizer Eric Britton, “is first to empty as many
streets of traffic in as many cities around the world as we
can, and then fill them with people going about the business of their daily lives in safer, quieter, more efficient
and more convivial ways. The goal is to make the streets
come alive with human activity, and the entire effort
behind it is being carried out without one drop of taxpayer money behind it.” For more information, go to
http://www.carfreeday.com
TRANSPORTATION
ALTERNATIVES
19
I N T E R V I E W
The “Dump Diesel” Campaign—
An Interview With Rich Kassel
R
This was a byproduct
of the environmental
fight against the
White Plains Airport.
People still call me
about airport stuff.
Sometimes they even
con me into helping
them fight really
destructive airport
projects.
ICH KASSEL IS THE
leader of “Dump
Diesel,” the national
and local campaign to
clean up diesel-powered
buses and trucks. In 2000,
Rich and “Dump Diesel”
scored a big victory when
the Federal Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA)
passed a regulation requiring 90% reduction in the
smog causing sulfur in
diesel fuel. The new law
also mandates that new
diesel engines emit 90%
less cancer causing diesel
particles and lung threatening nitrous oxides
(NOX).
Attorney, the Natural
Resources Defense Council,
since 1991
Age: 41
Home: Upper Westside, Manhattan
Other: Bicycle Commuter and Member of the T.A. Board
of Directors
T.A.: Congratulations on the huge diesel win. You must be
pretty excited.
KASSEL: Absolutely. diesel air pollution is very personal to
me. I ride my bike in the city, and getting stuck behind a
bus or truck spewing clouds of diesel exhaust is truly disgusting, and unhealthy. Have you ever rubbed your finger
across the refrigerator door? And it comes away black with
soot on it. Some of that is diesel particulate pollution. That
is what you are breathing and we are fighting against. It is
enormously satisfying to know that millions of people,
especially children, will not have to breathe this muck for
much longer.
How did you get to be the brains behind the “Dump Diesel”
Campaign?
After law school I worked at a big NYC law firm for three
years. Then I moved to Washington and helped start
USPIRG (United States Public Interest Research Group). I
worked for COPIRG (Colorado), MassPIRG, and NJPIRG
before joining the Natural Resources Defense Council in
1991. My first big project at NRDC was helping to write
a report called “Flying Off Course.” It is still the basic
source on the environmental impacts of airport expansions.
20
TRANSPORTATION
It is one of the big
national environmental
groups. It has about
400,000 members,
and staff of scientists,
lawyers and advocates,
in cities across the
U.S. The main office is
right here in New
York at 40 West 20th
Street (between 5th
and 6th). All T.A.
members are invited
to join.
DOUGLAS LEVERE
Name: Richard Kassel
Occupation: Senior
What is NRDC?
ALTERNATIVES
How about getting all the NRDC members in the
NYC area to join T.A.?
That is a good idea.
Anything that stands out as extra interesting or fun part
of your “Dump Diesel” work?
There are two things. We made up some great ads for NYC
buses blasting them for spewing diesel exhaust. The Transit
Authority banned the ads and gave us a huge amount of
free publicity. The press went wild with a government
agency banning free speech. We could not have imagined
the huge amount of media we got. The MTA is now buying
clean fuel buses, and paying much more attention to diesel
exhaust issues because of the ‘Dump Diesel” campaign.
My other favorite diesel moment occurred when an
EPA official spoke after me at a big, national Diesel
forum (mainly made up of diesel engine and fuel manufacturers). He said: “Environmentalists aren’t going nearly
far enough in the kind of pollution reductions they are
calling for.” Here I thought we were balancing on a tight
rope between the possible and what would be considered
totally unrealistic. Along comes someone in government
and tells us to go further.
Anything else?
T.A. is great. I’m proud to be a member. Now I just need to
spend more time on my bicycle, and less time in the office.
WINTER 2001
V O L U N T E E R
Dave Lines
Name: Dave Lines
Occupation: Graphic
nication between the police precincts
on either side of the bridge. Increased
police presence on the bridge would
help commuters feel safer and hopefully keep crime down.
Artist
Neighborhood: Williamsburg
T.A. Member Since: 1997
How did you get involved with T.A.?:
I used to walk past the old T.A. office
in the East Village and always wondered what it was all about. Then I
started biking to work, and got frustrated with the conditions facing
cyclists in New York. I complained
constantly to my friends about the
poor conditions. At some point I felt I
should really do something about it,
so I joined T.A.
What are your volunteer activities?:
I help at T.A. volunteer nights and
also write letters to various city and
state departments about the conditions
on the Williamsburg Bridge. The letter writing is part of T.A.’s Bridge
Watchers program. The program was
started to help monitor the bike and
pedestrian paths on New Yorkís
bridges. Conditions on the bridge
paths are always changing and need
constant attention. I am the
P R O F I L E
Being such a great volunteer, I am sure
you are in demand. Why does T.A. get
your attention?:
Williamsburg Bridge Watcher. I pay
attention to the various conditions on
the bridge and pass the information
along to T.A..
Because I really think T.A. is a tremendous organization. A lot of the things
that T.A. has initiated (i.e. new bike
lanes, bridge paths) are really great.
And there is a still a long way to go. It
is a travesty that this city doesn’t do
more to support cyclists and pedestrians. I mean, obviously the car is a poor
form of transportation. It is important
for planners to think of cyclists and
pedestrians first, and automobiles last.
Why is the Williamsburg Bridge so
important to you?:
What one T.A. issue concerns you the
most?:
A friend of mine was beaten up on the
bridge, which scared me as a commuter who uses that bridge. That
event inspired me to help ensure that
the bridge was clean, safe, and secure.
I want to help open a line of commu-
The fact that bicycles are not regarded
as a viable means of transportation.
Bikes are often looked at as a recreational toy. A lot of the other problems cyclists face stem from that idea.
LAW OFFICE OF
ADAM D. WHITE, ESQ.
305 Broadway, Suite 1101
(BETWEEN
DUANE AND THOMAS)
New York, NY 10007
212-577-9710
adamlaw@earthlink.net
HANDLING
CYCLING ACCIDENTS
AND YOUR
OTHER LEGAL PROBLEMS
— Free Consultation —
No Recovery No Fee
Affordable Rates
Fellow Cyclist & City Resident
WINTER 2001
TRANSPORTATION
ALTERNATIVES
21
C O M M U T E R
P R O F I L E
Pascal and Mitch Abidor
Name: Pascal and Mitch
Abidor (son and father)
Ages: 16 and 48
Occupation: Mitch:
Hospital Admissions
Director at Cook County
Hospital.
Pascal: Junior in High
School. I want to be a
doctor someday.
Neighborhood: Marine
Park Brooklyn
M: On Broadway about ten
years ago, in the middle of
the day.
Essential gear?
(In unison) Always a helmet!
What do you love about riding in the city?
M: The ability to get anywhere without paying for
gas, or finding a parking
spot.
P: I love passing cars stuck
in traffic!
Number of years
commuting:
M: 11 years. P: 3 years.
Length of Commute: M: 20
minutes. P: 15 minutes.
What makes you leave your
bike at home?
Reason for Joining T.A.:
M: A Globe 3-speed city bike.
P: A Ross mountain bike.
M: Someone has got to defend cyclists.
Where do you park your bicycle?
Why did you start cycling to work?
M: I was traveling in Berlin and I saw
all these people riding around on
bikes. I thought: ‘Hey, I should try
this in New York.’
P: I didn't get a full fare bus pass.
M: I bring it into my office.
P: I chain it to the fence outside
school with a Kryptonite lock. There
is no bike rack. The Principal discouraged cycling when my Dad asked
about installing one.
Why kind of bicycle do you ride?:
Ever had a bicycle stolen?
M: Nothing! I ride in every
season, although my favorite season is
fall. During the blizzard of ’96 I was
back on my bike on the third day of
the storm.
P: Same here, I ride all the time.
Favorite Recreational Ride:
M: The bike route along the West
Side.
P: Into the city across the Brooklyn
Bridge.
CYCLING
ACCIDENT
CASES
All Personal Injury and Accidents
Trial Attorney/Cyclist
“...a bike-savvy lawyer”
— Mountain Bike magazine, May 1998
Protecting the Rights
of Injured Cyclists
Law Offices of
Robert S. Fader
1-800-796-5657 cyclelaw@aol.com
22
TRANSPORTATION
ALTERNATIVES
WINTER 2001
C O M M U T E R
P R O F I L E
Joel S. Seidenstein
Name: Joel S.
Seidenstein
What is your
Route?
Why did you switch to bicycling?
I cross the
George
Washington
Bridge, then the
Washington
Bridge, then up
through the
west Bronx. On
the way back
home, I go
across the
Broadway
Bridge, then up
the little known
elevator in Fort
Tryon Park. The
elevator is at the
190th St. ‘A’ train stop. I return to
New Jersey over the GW Bridge.
Neighborhood:
Leonia, New Jersey
Occupation: Social
Studies Teacher at
The Bronx High
School of Science
How Long Is Your
Commute: 40 mins
in and 55 mins
home.
What Kind of Bike
Do you Ride? I ride
a basic Trek touring bike, with
extra wide tires. I
also have a
Litespeed, which I
ride for pleasure.
Where do you park your bicycle?
In an old classroom wardrobe closet
that is no longer used by the students.
Indoor parking is a key ingredient in
my ability to commute by bicycle.
Sounds like an interesting commute.
How long have you been doing this?
This is the fourth year.
How did you used to get to work?
By car.
The exercise, being outdoors, less traffic hassles, especially over the GWB. I
also switched to cycling because it is a
good image to set for the students.
The school has recently chosen me as
‘Alternative Transportation
Coordinator.’
Your overall impression of cycle commuting is good though?
Oh definitely. It is more relaxing and
more enjoyable. One of the real
bonuses is that my route takes me
through less busy, residential neighborhoods (as opposed to riding in
Midtown).
Any good stories from the classroom?
In one class I explained to the students the reason for the new style cut
out bicycle seats, particularly for men.
One quiet student was so interested
that she wrote me a little jingle: “For
we may forget our Shakespeare, and lose
our math skills over time, but we’ll never
forget which bike seat will keep men in
their prime!”
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Job Openings: Bikes Not Bombs in Boston! We are a non-profit
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We’re the folding boat specialists featuring Feathercraft and Nautiraid,
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SPOKES
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priced starting at
WINTER 2001
$50
T.A. WISH LIST
We are looking for donations of the
following items:
● Pentium or better computers and
monitors for the T.A. office.
● A long-term dry storage space in any
borough where T.A. can store items of
no intrinsic value (such as defunct
financial records)
All donations are tax deductible. For
more info, call Matt: 212-629-8080
TRANSPORTATION
ALTERNATIVES
23
B I K E S
A B O A R D
T R A I N S
Amtrak—800-872-7245, www.amtrak.com; bicycles travel only in baggage cars.
Not all trains offer baggage service/have baggage cars. You may put your bike
on an earlier train and pick it up when you arrive. Bicycles must be boxed, $5
fee each way. Roll-on service (no box needed) at most stops on “Vermonter” and
“Adirondack” trains — call for reservations.
Long Island Rail Road—718-558-8228 or www.mta.nyc.ny.us; need permit:
pick one up at Penn or Grand Central Stations. $5 one-time fee. Collapsible
bikes ok without permit. Same rules as Metro-North, except summer season
weekend trains have serious restrictions—see permit for details.
Metro North—212-532-4900; need permit, pick one up at Grand Central
Station, window #27. $5 one-time fee. No bikes during rush hours and on several holidays. Limit 2 bikes per car, 8 per train, except special bike trains.
Groups of 4 or more must call ahead. Bikes ok all weekends. Port Jervis lineget NJ Transit pass. Check web for special summer “Bike Train” schedules.
New Jersey Transit—973-762-5100; need permit for train, no bikes on buses.
Permit is free at Penn Station, at Track 10 in Hoboken, or by phone or www.njtransit/state.nj.us/bikeperm.htm. Collapsible bikes always permitted. No regular bikes
during am rush hours to NY and pm rush hours to NJ. No bikes on some holidays. Bring two bungee cords to secure bike.
NY Transit (Subway)—Bikes permitted at all times; be considerate and use
ends of train cars. A few stations’ gates limit bike exit/entry at times.
PATH—800-234-PATH/201-216-6247; permit not required. Rush hour (into
NYC) restrictions. No restrictions weekends and Holidays.
SEPTA—(Philadelphia)—215-580-7800; Bikes permitted on regional rail,
Norristown, Market-Frankford, Broad St. lines. Off peak travel only.
B U S E S
Academy—212-971-9054, 212-962-1122; serves Jersey Shore. No charge.
Adirondack/Pine Hill Trailways—800-858-8555; No fee, travels in luggage
bay if space available, must be boxed or bagged (supply your own) and cannot
exceed 8”x32”x60”. No guarantee that a connecting carrier will accept it.
Asbury Park—212-971-9054; no charge, call for restrictions.
Bonanza—212-947-1766; national; $3 per bicycle, travels in luggage bay.
CYCLING ACCIDENT CLAIMS
Legal Counsel, Representation and Litigation
“Twenty years of cycling experience has made me painfully
aware of the injuries caused by road accidents.”
My office represents fellow cyclists who have been injured by careless
motorists...There is no charge to discuss your legal rights in any
situation where you have suffered injury or damage. A fee is charged
when compensation is obtained from the motorist’s insurance company.
For further information and complimentary consultation contact:
Carey Transport—No bikes.
Greyhound—800-231-2222; national service. Within NE Corridor same
rules as Peter Pan. Elsewhere: provide your own box, (or $10), plus $15 fee.
Hampton Jitney—800-936-0440; serves the Hamptons. $10 per bicycle,
travels in luggage bay.
Liberty Lines—No bikes.
LI Bus—No bikes.
MTA—718-445-3100; Seasonal on QBx 1 over Whitestone Bridge.
Martz Trailways—800-233-8604; serves Philadelphia, Poconos. No fee, but
provide your own box.
Miami Express—212-781-7954; serves Jacksonville, Orlando, Miami.
Collapsible or boxed bikes only, $0.50 per pound.
Olympia Trails—212-964-6233; No fee, call for details.
Peter Pan—800-343-9999; No fee, travels in luggage bay, take off front wheel.
However, be prepared to box your bike and pay, esp. during holidays.
Red & Tan Lines—No bikes.
Short Line—800-631-8405; Hudson River Valley. No fee, but now requires
bikes to be in canvas bag or box.
Sunrise Coach Lines—516-477-1200; $10 per bike, travels in luggage bay.
Trailways—800-858-8555; no fee, must provide your own box or bag.
F E R R I E S
Delta Water Shuttle—800-933-5935; to LaGuardia Airport.
Seastreak—800-262-8743; $3 fee: Pier 11: Manhattan to Highlands, NJ;
Atlantic Highland, NJ; and Bay Ridge Brooklyn.
Harbor Shuttle—888-254-RIDE; Bikes OK always, no fee.
Fire Island Ferries—No bikes on ferries, must use infrequent cargo boat.
New York Waterways—800-533-3779; Bikes OK always, $1 fee, limit 2
bikes on most runs. No bikes on Port Imperial- Weehawken and Wall Street.
New York Fast Ferry—800-NYF-NYFF; Bikes OK always, no fee.
NY Water Taxi—no bikes allowed.
Staten Island Ferry—718-815-BOAT; no extra charge, enter on Lower Level.
Eco Books
Books on Biking, Eco Transport,
Green Cities … and more!
192 Fifth Avenue, Park Slope
718-623-2698 info@ecobooks.com
www.ecobooks.com
Barton L. Slavin, Esq.
(212) 233-1010
Have you visited
our website lately?
http://www.transalt.org
www.manhattanrickshaw.com
24
TRANSPORTATION
ALTERNATIVES
WINTER 2001
S H O P S
Visit Your Local Bike and Bike-friendly Shop!
THANKS TO ALL THE SHOPS BELOW WHO
support T. A. by offering our members a
discount on purchases. Letters following
store names indicate which items are discounted. Be sure to bring your T.A.
membership card.
M A N H AT TA N
A Bicycle Shop 10% ACRP 349 W 14 St
ANewGen Bikes *10% ABCR 832 9 Av
Bicycle Habitat 8 1⁄4% ACR 244 Lafayette
Bicycle Renaissance 8% ACRP 430 Columbus
Bikeworks *10% PBX 106 Ridge St.
Canal St Metro *10% ACPR 417 Canal
City Bicycles *10% ACPRB 508 9th Av
C n’ C Bicycle Works 8% ABCPRS 1101 1 Av
Conrad’s Bike Shop 8% ACRP 25 Tudor City Pl
Different Spokes 8% ACP 240 7 Av
Emey’s Bike Shop 10% ABS 141 E 17 St
Enoch’s Bike Shop *10% ACPR 756 10th Ave
Frank’s Bike Shop 10% APR 553 Grand St
Gotham Bike Shop 10% ACPR 116 W Broadway
Larry & Jeff’s *10% ACPR 1690 2nd Av
Larry & Jeff’s *10% ACPR 3rd Av b/w 79th & 80th
Manhattan Bicycles *10% ABCPR 791 9th Av.
Metro Bicycle Store *10% ACPR 1311 Lexngtn Av
14 St Metro Bikes *10% ACPR 332 E 14 St
Midtown Bicycle *10% ACPR 360 W 47 St
96 St Metro Bikes *10% ACPR 231 W 96 St
Scandinavian Ski & Sport *10% ACP 40 W 57 St
Sid’s Bike Shop *8% ABCPR 235 E 34 St
Sixth Ave Bicycles *10% ACPR 546 6 Av
Toga Bike Shop 10% ACPR 110 West End Av
Tread Bike Shop *10% ACPR 225 Dyckman St.
Victor’s Bike Repair 8% ABR 4125 Broadway
B R O O K LY N
Ace Cycles 10% ABCPR 1116 Coretelyou Rd
Arnold’s Bicycles 10% ACPR 4220 8 Av
Bath Beach Cycles 10% ABCPR 2156 Bath Av
Bay Ridge Bike 10% ACPRS 8916 3 Av
Bicycle Land 10% ACR 424 Coney Island Av
Bicycle Station *10% AR 560 Vanderbilt Av
Bike Shop 10% BPR 421 Wythe Av
The Bike Shop 10% ACPR 240 Smith St
Brooklyn Bicycle Center 10% ABCPR 715 Coney Isl.Av
Brooklyn Heights Bike 10% ACPR 278 Atlantic Av
Dixon’s *8% ABCPR 792 Union St
Larry’s Cycle Shop 5% ABCPRS 1854 Flatbush Av
On The Move 10% ACPS 400 7 Av
P & H Bike 10% ABCPRS 1819 Coney Island Av
Park Slope Cycles 10% ACPR 256 Flatbush Av
R & A Cycles 10% ACP 105 5 Av
Roy’s Sheepshead 10% ACP 2679 Coney Island Av
Sizzling Bicycles 8% ACPSRX 3100 Ocean Pkwy
Spokes & Strings 10% B 184 Havermeyer St
Verrazano Bicycle Shop 10% ACPR 8717 3rd Ave
BRONX
Bronx Bicycle Discount *10% ACPR 912 E.Gun
Hill Rd
Eddie’s Cycle 5% A 10% P 2035 Grand Concourse
Neighborhood Cycle 10% ABCPR 571 Courtlandt Av
Sid’s Bike Shop 8% ACPRS 215 W 230 St
Westchester Bike 10% ABCPRS 2611 Westchester
QUEENS
Astoria Bicycle 8% ABCPR 35-01 23 Av
Bellitte Bicycle *10%ABCPR 169-20 Jamaica Av
Bicycle Barn 8% R 107-34 Springfield Blvd
Bike Stop 8% ACPRS 37-19 28 Av
Bill’s Cycles 10% 63-24 Roosevelt Av
Bill’s Ozone Park 15%AP 10%B 108th St & Liberty
Buddy’s 10% ACPR 79-30 Parsons Blvd
Cigi Bicycle Shop 10% C
42-20 111 St
Cigi II 10% C 91-07 37 Av
Grand Bicycle Center 10% BR
70-13 Grand Av
Gray’s Bicycles 8% ABCPR
82-34 Lefferts Blvd
Labee Bicycles 10% ABP
159-01 Northern Blvd.
Queens Discount Bike *10% ACPR 92-64 Queens Blvd
A: Accessories
B: Bicycles
C: Clothing
P: Parts
R: Repairs
S: Skates
X: Bike Rentals
*NO DISCOUNT ON
LO N G I S L A N D
Bicycle Planet *10% ACP 540 Jericho Tpke, Syosset
Bikehampton *10%AP 36 Main St., Sag Harbor
Long Beach Bicycle & Fitness
*10% ACP 755 E. Park Av
South Shore Bicycles *10% ACP
1065-67 B’way, Woodmere
Valley Stream Bike 10% ACPR 95 E Merrick Rd
WESTCHESTER
High Caliper Bicycle *10% ACPR (White Plains)
169 Mamaronack Av
Central Danny’s Cycles *10% ACPX (Scarsdale)
644 Central Av
Pelham Bicycle Center 15% APC 109 Wolfs Ln
Yorktown Cycling Center 10% ACP 1899 Commerce St
NEW JERSEY
Academy 10% ABCPS (Palisades Park) 54 Grand Av
Amber Cyclery 10% ACPR (Teaneck) 764 Palisade Av
Bikemasters 10% ABCPR (Engelwood)11 Bennett Rd
Bike Shop 10% ACP (Saddlebrook) 108 Rt 46
Bikeworks *10%ACP (Rochelle Park) 383 Rochelle Av
Clifton Speed 10% ABCPRS (Clifton) 1074 Main Av
Cranford Bike *10% ABCPRS (Cranford) 103 N Union
Marty Reliable 10% ACP (Morristown) 173 Speedwell
RG’s Bicycle 10% CP (Bayonne) 890 Bway
Rte 15 Bike 10% ABCPRS (L. Hopatcong) State Hwy 15
Somerville Cyclery *15% ACP
(Somerville) 34 E Main St
Strictly Bicycles 10% ARCP (Fort Lee) 521 Main St
S.D.S. Bicycle Shops *10% ABCPR (Jersey City)
351 Palisade Ave & (Cliffside Park)
674 Anderson Ave
Tenafly Bike Workshop 10% ACPR 175 Country Rd
Shops interested in joining the program should
contact Craig at T.A.: 212-629-8080.
BICYCLE HABITAT
Get Your Wheels Done by Habo’s Expert Wheel Builders!
SALE ITEMS
25% OFF any
Helmet Purchase
Open only to T.A. Members
with valid T.A. membership
card and this ad - no copies!
244 Lafayette Street
b/w Spring & Prince NYC
212-431-3315
“NEW YORK’S BEST BIKE SHOP” — NEW YORK MAGAZINE
WWW.BICYCLEHABITAT.COM
Offer expires 04/15/2001
WINTER 2001
TRANSPORTATION
ALTERNATIVES
25
R I D E S
Fri. Feb. 2 Moonlight Ride A quiet, auto-free
Sun. Mar. 4 Montauk Century Training Ride riding to pleasant Nassau County. Diner stop
night ride off the beaten paths in Central Park.
#1 Hicksville 35 miles, mostly flat. Take in LI included. Bring lock, $, tubes, LIRR/Metro North
bike permit. 8:45 am, Cunningham Park (Union
Meet at 10 pm at Columbus Circle. Times Up!
scenery, and lunch at a diner. Bring lock, $, and
Turnpike & 196th Pl.). 5BBC. HELMETS
LIRR/Metro North Bike Permit (just in case). 9:15
Sun. Feb. 4 River Road Greg Ahlquist meets the
REQUIRED.
am, Cunningham Park, Queens (Union Turnpike &
group at the New Jersey side of the George
196th Pl.). 5BBC. HELMETS REQUIRED.
Sat. Apr. 14 Midnight Skate See description
Washington Bridge at 10 a.m. to guide us up River
Road to the Alpine police station. Greg, the tall boy
Sat. Mar. 10 Midnight Skate See description from Feb. 10
with the red bike, takes an easy pace on this hilly
from Feb. 10.
Sat. Apr. 14 Montauk Century Training Ride
terrain. The route is about 20 mi. round-trip from
#6 Rockland Lake 70 miles, rolling terrain, hills,
Sun. Mar. 11 Montauk Century Training
the bridge. Fast and Fabulous.
hills, hills. Need we say more? Beautiful respite at
Ride #2 Englewood Cliffs 40 miles, mostly flat.
NYS park for lunch if warm enough. Then journey
Tues. Feb. 6 Tuesday Night Skate Weekly world
Take in Bergen County surroundings, climb a steep
on long roads back. Bring lock, $, tubes. 8:15 am,
renowned skate for high intermediate and advanced
hill, enjoy lunch at a Jersey Diner, and pedal back to
Plaza Hotel (59th St. & 5th Ave.). 5BBC. HELskaters. Meet at 8 pm at Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
Manhattan. Bring lock and $. 9:15 am, Plaza Hotel
(141 West 72nd Street). Empire Skate Club.
(59th St. & 5th Ave.). 5BBC. HELMETS RE- METS REQUIRED.
QUIRED.
Sat. Apr. 21 Montauk Metric Century Training
Sat. Feb. 10 Midnight Skate Skate as the city
Ride #1 Hudson River Greenway 25 miles, mostly
sleeps. Wear Bright reflective clothing and have
Sun. Mar. 18 Montauk Century Training
blinking red lights. This street skate is the second
Ride #3 Northvale 45 miles, mostly flat with flat. West Side with the Little Red Lighthouse, Cherry
Walk, Riverside Park South, Rt. 9A bike route, etc.
Sat. of every month. Meet at midnight at Columbus
steep hills. Ride to the Bergen/Rockland borders
Finish with lunch at Battery Park City. Bring a lock,
Circle. Empire Skate Club.
with lunch at a Jersey diner. River Road may be
included. Bring lock and $. 9:15 am, Plaza Hotel $ & tubes. 9:30 am, Plaza Hotel (59th St. & 5th
Sun. Feb. 11 Frost Bite Flat Rock Brook Nature
(59th St. & 5th Ave.). 5BBC. HELMETS RE- Ave.). 5BBC. HELMETS REQUIRED.
Preserve. Get some fresh air and scenery on a BikeQUIRED.
Sun. Apr. 22 Montauk Century Training
Hike-Bike journey to this Bergen County nature preRide #7 Sunken Meadow 75 miles, tough ride,
serve. Bring a lock and $ for lunch and park contriSun. Mar 25 Montauk Century Training
rolling terrain, with hills. Head to a LI Sound beach
bution. 25 miles, mostly flat with some hills. 10AM,
Ride #4 Westwood 50 miles, rolling terrain, steep
for lunch. Bring lock, $, tubes, LIRR/Metro North
City Hall. Related trip web site at http://www.flahills. Ride past quaint reservoir, Pascack quackery
Bike Permit. 8:15 am, Cunningham Park (Union
trockbrook.org. 5BBC—HELMETS REQUIRED.
and a refreshing Jersey diner for lunch. Climb pain
and delight on hills. Bring lock, $ and tubes. 8:45 Turnpike & 196th Pl.). 5BBC. HELMETS
Sun. Feb. 18 Frost Bite Coney Island Dreamin’
REQUIRED.
am, Plaza Hotel (59th St. & 5th Ave.). 5BBC. HELHead to Brooklyn for Totonno's pizza and Mrs.
METS REQUIRED.
Fri. Apr. 27 Critical Mass See description from
Stahl’s knishes. Then we’ll head for the boardwalk
Feb. 23.
to work it off. Bring a lock and $ for lunch. 25 mi,
Fri. Mar. 30 Critical Mass See description from
mostly flat. 10 am, City Hall. 5BBC. HELMETS
Feb. 23.
Sat. Apr. 28 People’s Environmental Bike
REQUIRED.
Tour of the South Bronx A bike tour of The
Fri. Apr. 6 Moonlight Ride See description from
South Bronx waterfront, and the many forgotten
Fri. Feb. 23 Critical Mass A fun, leisurely paced
Feb. 2.
group ride in Manhattan. We are not blocking trafSun. Apr. 8 Montauk Century Training Ride historical and beautiful places of the Mott Haven
and Hunts Point communities. Promotes alternative
fic, we are traffic. Bicycle culture at it’s finest!. Meet
#5 Center Island 65 miles, rolling terrain, hills. LI
transportation and waterfront access.
at 7 pm, Union Sq. South. Times Up!
Meet at 3 pm at Cherry Tree GarSat. Feb 24–May 19 NYCC A-SIG
den, 136th St. and Cypress Ave.
Classic Training You've seen the
Cherry Tree Association (718-292pacelines whirring along — ever
6443).
thought you should give it a try?
C Y C L I N G
W A L K I N G
Sat. Apr. 28 Montauk Century
Whether you're a true cycling veteran
Training Ride #8 Stony Point 80
rider, or just have a couple of strong
FIVE BORO BICYCLE CLUB
NYC PARKS DEPT.—URBAN
miles, rolling terrain. Be prepared to
years under your belt, the New York
RANGERS
212-932-2300 x115/5bbc.org
spend a day riding to this hilly
Cycle Club invites you to join the 15th
This is only a sample of 5BBC’s many rides:
www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/dpr/
Rockland County town. Bring lock,
annual A-SIG (Special Interest Group)
helmets must be worn on all rides!
html/tourschedule.html
$, tubes. 8:15 am, Plaza Hotel (59th
Classic Spring Training Series. Starting
St. & 5th Ave.). 5BBC. HELMETS
on February 24 and running every
TIME’S UP!
SHOREWALKERS
REQUIRED.
Saturday through May 19, the A-SIG is
212-802-8222/times-up.org
212-330-7686
a progressive strength and speed buildSat. Apr. 28 Montauk Metric
www.shorewalkers.org
NEW YORK CYCLE CLUB
ing series that focuses on the skills
Century Training Ride #2
Box 20748, Cathedral Stn, NYC
212-828-5711 / nycc.org
needed for safe, efficient cooperative
Staten Island 35 miles, rolling ter10025
group riding, including riding in a
rain. Staten Island like you’ve never
FAST & FABULOUS CYCLING CLUB
paceline. Details available on the web
seen before. Nice views of the
OUTDOORS
CLUB
212-567-7160 / fastnfab.org
site of the New York Cycle Club at
Verrazano. Lunch with Alice
www.wso.net/outdoorsclub
Lesbian and gay bike club
http://www.nycc.org. Or contact us
Austen. Bring lock, $, tubes. 8:15
Box 227, Lenox Hill Stn, NYC 10021
THE WEEKDAY CYCLISTS
directly via email with any questions at
am, South Ferry. 5BBC. HELMETS
asig.captain@nycc.org.
REQUIRED.
e-mail: twcinnyc@aol.com
S K A T I N G
Sun. Feb. 25 Final Frost Bite Ride
Sun. May 6 Bike New York The
L & M TOURERS
To Pancakes Take the ferry to Staten
great 5-borough bike tour. Info and
EMPIRE SKATE CLUB
718-601-5332
Island and on to Bayonne, NJ for deliregistration at 212-932-BIKE or
212-774-1774/empireskate.org
NORTH JERSEY MTN BIKE CLUB
cious hot cakes, then Liberty State Park
www.bikenewyork.org.
201-291-2332
and the Central Railroad of New Jersey
Sun. May 20 Montauk Century
C Y C L E
M A P S
historical site. 25 mi, mostly flat. 10
Cycle from the city, through the
PAUMONOK BICYCLE CLUB
am, City Hall. Trip related web site at
Hamptons, to the ocean. An annual
516-942-2084/bicyclelongisland.org
http://www.libertystatepark.com. 5BBC.
5BBC event. Info and registration
BICYCLE NETWORK
BICYCLE TOURING CLUB OF
HELMETS REQUIRED.
at 212-932-2200 ext. 115 or www.
DEVELOPMENT / DCP
NORTHERN N.J.
Fri. Mar. 2 Moonlight Ride See
5bbc.org/montauk.htm.
212-442-4640/www.ci.nyc.ny.us
201-225-1525
description from Feb. 2.
R E S O U R C E S
26
TRANSPORTATION
ALTERNATIVES
WINTER 2001
J O Y R I D E
# 3 7
Tour De Bronx
L=Left, R=Right, X=Cross, P=Pass,
S=Straight, 1=First
START: River Avenue and E. 161st Street
R
L
Bear R
Bear R
L
L
Bear R
Walton Avenue
0.68
E. 144th street
0.22
E. 143rd street
0.19
X 3rd Ave. onto Alesander Avenue0.25
E. 138th street
0.46
St. Ann’s Avenue
0.27
Cross St. Mary’s Street,
enter St. Mary’s Park on path.
0.02
Thru Park Follow marked paths
0.32
S
Leave park onto E. 144th Street 0.05
L
Concord Avenue
0.31
R
E. 150th Street
0.19
L
On Prospect Ave. Use bike lane. 1.46
R
Boston Road
0.23
R
Charlotte Street
0.21
S
X Minford Pl., becomes Jennings 0.25
L
on Longfellow to E. 174th street 0.37
R
on E. 174th, cross Bridge
0.27
R
on Brons River Avenue to Story
Caution crossing Bruckner Espwy 1.00
L
On Story to Colgate
0.10
R
Colgate
0.14
L
Lafayette
0.39
R
Enter follow marked paths
1.27
R
Leland Avenue
0.14
L
Gildersleeve
0.18
L
White Plains Road
0.09
Bear R
continue on White Plains Road 0.34
R
Lacombe Avenue
0.26
R
Screvin Avenue
0.16
L
Norton Avenue
0.44
L
Turneur Avenue
0.24
R
Lacombe Avenue
0.11
L
Havermeyer
0.59
R
Story Avenue
0.15
L
Zerega Avenue
0.11
R
Bruckner Blvd – X drawbridge. 0.13
R
Brush Avenue
0.28
L
Lafayette Avenue
0.43
R
Cross Brons Espwy Service Road 0.37
R
Randall Avenue
0.17
L
Balcom Avenue
0.55
L
Sampson Avenue
0.11
R
Brinsmade Avenue
0.35
L
Schurz Avenue
0.60
L
Pennyfield Ave,
over highway bridge
0.22
L
on Espressway Service Road
0.62
R
On Schley to Clarence
0.17
L
On Clarence to Philip
0.22
R
On Philip to Dean
0.10
L
On Dean to Lafayette
0.10
R
Lafayette Avenue
0.08
L
Shore Drive
0.30
S
Shore Drive
becomes Stadium Ave.
0.82
WINTER 2001
EGIN THIS RIDE FROM THE 161/ YANKEE STADIUM STOP ON THE #4 OR D LINES.
B
It is the 25-mile route of the annual Tour De Bronx and showcases the most
beautiful cycling in The Bronx. Tour through scenic neighborhoods and
gorgeous parks that will change the way you think about The Bronx. This is a
great winter ride, close to the subway, in case the weather turns poor. The Tour
De Bronx will be held in October, check T.A. magazine for the details.
S
Enter Pelham Bay Pk. Follow marked
park paths to Visitor Center
0.32
Continue follow marked paths
0.14
S
cross busy traffic circle
0.06
R
After traffic light,
enter Greenway path
0.20
L
take l fork on Greenway path
0.48
R
Cross Pelham parkway at Stillwell
Avenue with WALK signal
0.02
L
On path
0.50
R
Seymour Avenue
0.03
L
Pelham Parkway North
0.53
L
Williamsbridge Rd - caution
0.09
L
Pelham Parkway South
(service road)
0.12
R
Hering Avenue
0.32
R
Rhinelander Avenue
0.90
L
White Plains Road
0.16
R
Morris Park Avenue
0.48
R
E. 180th street
0.30
R
Boston Road
0.09
L
On Bronx Park S.
(pass Bronx Zoo)
0.40
S
cross Crotona Parkway
0.02
L
Southern Boulevard
0.25
Bear R
Marmion Avenue
0.43
L
Crotona Park North
0.10
Sharp R Enter Crotona Park
S
follow marked paths
0.59
S
cross Crotona Avenue with CAUTION
S
Into park.
Continue on marked paths.
R
Leave park on Claremont Parkway
L
on Clay Avenue
Bear R
up the hill onto E. 170th street
Sharp L on Findlay Avenue
R
on E. 169th street
L
Grand Concourse—
Use service road
R
E. 161st Street
End
River Avenue
TRANSPORTATION
ALTERNATIVES
0.39
0.34
0.24
0.08
0.18
0.29
0.77
0.16
27
M E M B E R
S E R V I C E
The Folding
Bike Solution
L
IKE A LOT OF NEW YORKERS, YOU
may have trouble finding a safe
and dry place to put your bicycle.
Your tiny apartment refuses to budge
another inch, and parking on the street
is not secure. Cycling to work is an
option, but parking is hard to find.
Taking a full-size bicycle into a building is like wheeling a giant rat
through the lobby. The
solution might be a
folding bike.
Folding bikes can
easily be taken into
apartments and office
buildings and onto elevators in a carrying bag.
Folding bikes can be taken
onto local trains, subways, and buses
without restriction. Folded bikes qualify as luggage, offering the best of all
worlds: full transit and unlimited bike
access. With the proper suitcase, a
folding bike can even be taken as bag-
28
TRANSPORTATION
gage on airlines (at no extra charge).
Folding bikes rarely suffer the
indignity of being stolen, because for
the most part, the bicycle is securely
parked within sight. This spares their
owners the anxiety of walking back to
a street-parked bike thinking, “Will it
still be there?” Another nice bonus is
that there is less need to carry a heavy
NYC-proof lock.
Folding bike technology has
improved tremendously. There are
many high-quality makes and models
to choose from. These good
designs combine folding
speed, folded size, performance, ride quality, and
price. Performance-minded cyclists should consider
higher-end models or fullsize bikes that fold. Transit
riders should look for bicycles that fold quickly and compactly.
Be aware that folding bikes are not
for the shy. People will ask questions
about your bicycle, and even ask for
demonstrations. If you choose to ride a
folding bike, get ready to be a folding
ALTERNATIVES
bike spokesperson!
For a list of some popular models and
their features, please visit www.transalt.
org/features/foldingbike.html
Space taken by a standard bike:
15 square feet or 50 cubic feet
Space taken by a typical folding
bike: 2 square feet or 3 cubic feet
Number of folding bikes sold in the
U.S. per year: 20,000*
Top market for folding bikes in the
U.S.: Manhattan**
*Source: Bicycle Retailer
**Source: Dahon
WINTER 2001
C A L E N D A R
February
Tues. 13 6-9 pm. Volunteer Night. T.A.
Office. One day earlier because of Valentine’s Day.
For more info call Craig Barnes or e-mail
events@transalt.org
Mon. 26 6:30 pm. T.A. Brooklyn Committee
Monthly Meeting. Eco Books, 192 5th Ave. near
Sackett. Take the N/R to Union St. For more info
call Neel Scott or e-mail ped@transalt.org.
Tues. 27 6-8 pm Auto-Free NY Meeting.
“Using Pricing to Ease Congestion-Manhattan’s
Canal Street Corridor”. Speaker Brian Ketcham,
Executive Director Community Consulting, Inc.
104 Washington St., near Rector St. Use Rector St.
or Wall St. subway stations. Contact George
Haikalis at 212-475-3394 or geohaikalis@juno.com
Wed. 28 6-9 pm. Volunteer Night. T.A.
Office. It is not a President’s birthday, but we can
celebrate volunteering! For more info call Craig
Barnes or e-mail events@transalt.org
March
Wed. 14 6-9 pm. Volunteer Night. T.A.
Office. The first day of Spring is less than a week
away, help mail Winter away! For more info call
Craig Barnes or e-mail events@transalt.org
Mon. 19 6:30 pm. T.A. Brooklyn Committee
Monthly Meeting. Eco Books, 192 5th Ave. near
Sackett. Take the N/R to Union St. For more info
call Neel Scott or e-mail ped@transalt.org.
Tues. 27 6-8 pm. Auto Free NY Meeting.
Topic TBA. 104 Washington St., near Rector St.
Use Rector St. or Wall St. subway stations. Contact
George
Haikalis
at
212-475-3394
or
May
geohaikalis@juno.com.
Wed. 28 6-9 pm. Volunteer Night. T.A.
Office. Come see how volunteers help keep T.A.
running and join in the fun. For more info call Craig
Barnes or e-mail events@transalt.org.
April
May 14-20 NYC Bike Week. An annual celebration of bicycle culture. Featuring Women’s Ride
#3, Bicycle Film Festival, Commuter Challenge, and
the grand opening of the Manhattan Bridge Bike
Path. Contact T.A. if you want to volunteer. Check
www.bikeweeknyc.org for more info.
Wed. 11 6-9 pm. Volunteer Night. T.A.
Office. Will the Easter Bunny bring any treats to
T.A.? Stop by to find out! For more info call Craig
Barnes or e-mail events@transalt.org.
Mon. 16 6:30 pm. T.A. Brooklyn Committee
Monthly Meeting. Eco Books, 192 5th Ave. near
Sackett. Take the N/R to Union St. For more info
call Neel Scott or e-mail ped@transalt.org.
Tues. 17 7 pm. T.A. Bronx Chapter Meeting.
Hold the date. Call Rich Gans for details 718-6532203
Tues. 24 6-8 pm. Auto Free NY Meeting.
Topic TBA. 104 Washington St., near Rector St.
Use Rector St. or Wall St. subway stations. Contact
George
Haikalis
at
212-475-3394
or
geohaikalis@juno.com.
Wed. 25 6-9 pm. Volunteer Magazine
Mailing Party. T.A. Office. T.A.’s most popular
volunteer night. We need lots of help to mail the
new T.A. magazine. For more info call Craig Barnes
or e-mail events@transalt.org.
For updated event information and last
minute changes, see T.A.’s web calendar
at www.transalt.org/calendar
Job Opening
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORTATION ADVOCATE
Experienced advocate needed for cutting-edge NYC
environmental transportation reform campaign. The
person will manage pedestrian, traffic calming, and
car-free parks advocacy. Must have excellent writing
skills, post-graduate political or advocacy experience,
and the ability to work on policy issues and
community coalition building. Start May 2001. Salary
$30-$35. Go to www.transalt.org/about/jobs.html for
more information. No phone calls please.
Send cover letter and resume to: Transportation
Alternatives, 115 West 30th Street, Rm. 1207 New York,
NY 10001 e-mail: info@transalt.org
T.A.’s Brooklyn Committee
Needs Your Help!
Care about Brooklyn? T.A.’s Brooklyn Committee
meets the 3rd Monday of each month at 6:30 at
Eco Books, 192 5th Avenue in Park Slope between
Union and Sackett Streets. Call Neel Scott at T.A.
for more information: (212) 629-8080.
WINTER 2001
TRANSPORTATION
ALTERNATIVES
29
L E T T E R S
Central park revisited
Dear T.A.,
Thank you for telling L.W. to observe the directional rules in
Central Park. This summer I was riding counter-clockwise,
with cars on my right and runners on my left, when a cyclist
came toward me in the bike lane. We crashed, and it took
months for my sprained and bruised old body to recover, and
many dollars to repair my bike. Observing directional rules
makes just as much sense for cyclists as it does for motorists.
We live in community, and must protect each other’s safety.
Thanks again.
DONNA ORANGE,
East Harlem
Slim cars?
Dear T.A.,
One scheme to reduce travel time through congested traffic
would be to favor the use of “slim cars,” vehicles able to fit
inside traffic lanes half the width of our present lanes. Such
narrow lanes could be formed by dividing present lanes by a
center line.
All lanes would accommodate both slim cars and cars of
normal width. But where only a half-lane is available to pass
another car, the slim cars could get through congested traffic
faster.
HARVEY AMSTER,
Oakland
Two wrongs don’t make a right
Dear AAA,
Your November cover story, “That’s the Ticket-Here’s How
to Fight It,” teaches motorists how to avoid responsibility
for their own actions with such tricks of the trade as:
adjournments in contemplation of ultimate dismissal; supporting depositions requested in support of “getting off,”
not getting the facts; and the “trip up” of cops with lots of
questions - after all, he or she writes lots of tickets, works
long hours, and can’t possibly remember everything.
This four-page “not me” hug fest concluded with a token
sentence or two about obeying traffic laws in the first place.
It’s a shame that the focus of the article was not in support
of just that, obeying the law and making highways safer for
everyone.
LT. MATTHEW T. BYRNE,
Middletown Police Dept.
E-ZPass. You Buggin’
Dear T.A.:
I take strong opposition against the proposed toll raise at the
Holland and Lincoln Tunnels, as well as your support of the
raise. I am not only a bike rider, but also am fortunate
enough to be a car owner. I live and work in Manhattan and
commute to work by bicycle. I use my car on weekends to
visit family, friends, go camping etc. Personally, an increase
in these tolls will not be a hardship on me, but it does raise
one very important issue.
30
TRANSPORTATION
ALTERNATIVES
They propose to make the toll less expensive for EZPass users. In doing this they are making it more attractive for people to sign up for and use the E-ZPass system.
This not only puts people out of work (usually the least
educated, lowest denominator of society), but it is a huge,
huge breech in our right to freedom of movement in this
country. The whereabouts of any single person can be
monitored through E-ZPass. Did you know that they
have even issued speeding tickets to people (via the mail)
based on the amount of time it took drivers to get from
one toll booth to another? This is highly unconstitutional and quite frankly, scary!
This is what you are supporting and you should be
ashamed of yourselves. I will not be renewing my support
for T.A. Please remove me from your mailing list. Thank
you.
DENA LENARD
Manhattan
EDITOR: Sorry to lose you. Well we cannot say we are ashamed. We
strongly disagree that higher tolls will put anyone out of work, or
disproportionately affect “the least educated, lowest denominator of
society”. Only about one-quarter of peak-hour trips cannot be shifted. The goal of congestion pricing is to apply the same principles
that have long governed phone and electric bills and airline tickets.
When there is a fixed supply of something, (road space), then there
will be shortages (i.e. traffic jams) unless prices rise. This is not
revolutionary thinking.
Your second point about “the least educated, lowest denominator
of society” being hurt is incorrect. The rich drive more than others
and many people in the NYC-area do not have cars. Many people
take public transit, walk, and bicycle. How does reducing traffic
congestion and its’ economic cost reduce employment?
Lastly, any infringement of the freedom of movement caused by EZPass should be considered in the context of a society in which the
record of credit card purchases, automobile registration, website visits,
and personal credit history are available to anyone who cares to purchase them. This is also true of health records and income tax returns.
E-ZPass records are confidential and are only released with a judge’s
permission. E-ZPass is hardly the devil you make it out to be!
Worth quoting ...
It’s a Rocky Road
“Our lust for pavement and our addiction to automobiles …
is taking money from our schools,” said Salt Lake City
Mayor Rocky Anderson, noting that gas taxes cover only 23
percent of road costs and the rest comes from sales and
income taxes that could also be spent on education.
—The Salt Lake Tribune
War of the (Auto) Worlds
In a recent interview, science fiction writer Ray Bradbury
was asked, “If you could eliminate one invention from the
last 100 years, what would it be? The author of Fahrenheit
451 and The Martian Chronicles replied: “The automobile.
We’ve killed two million people now. It’s been a major war,
and we’re not paying any attention to it”
—The New York Times Magazine
WINTER 2001
S P E C I A L
Bridge Update
Bronx-Manhattan Connections
3rd Ave. Bridge:
Bike/ped access on the
south side path.
Bike/ped access on north
and south side paths.
Broadway Bridge: Bike/ped access on the
north and south side paths.
Macombs Dam (155th St) Bridge: Bike/ped
access on north side path.
Madison Ave. Bridge: Bike/ped access on
the north side path.
University Heights Bridge: Bike/ped access
on the north and south side paths.
Washington Bridge: Bike/ped access on the
north side path.
Willis Ave. Bridge: Bike/ped access on north
side path.
145th St. Bridge:
NJ-Manhattan Connections
George Washington Bridge: Bike/ped access
on the south side path.
Bronx-Queens Connections
Throgs Neck Bridge: No bike/ped path.
R E P O R T
Whitestone Bridge: No bike /ped path but
QBX1 bus has a racks and will carry
bikes April-November.
uled for completion April 2001.
Pulaski Bridge: Full time bike and ped path
on the west side of the bridge.
Randalls Island-Manhattan Connections
Foot bridge to Randall’s Island: Bike/ped
Brooklyn-Manhattan Connections
access April-October daytime only.
Bronx-Queens-Manhattan Connection
Triboro Bridge: Queens—Bike/ped access
switched from north side path to south
side. Bronx—bike/ped access on west side
path at 132nd St. 1/2 block west of the
bridge. Manhattan—Bike/ped access on
the north side path, note new ramps.
Brooklyn Bridge: Bike/ped access on center
path. Manhattan side approach under
reconstruction.
Manhattan Bridge: Bike/ped path closed.
South side path set to open April 2001.
Williamsburg Bridge: Bike/ped access on
south side path. North side path set to
open 2002.
Staten Island-NJ Connections
Bike/ped access on the
Queens-Manhattan Connections
Bayonne Bridge:
Permanent full-time
bike and pedestrian access on North
Outer Roadway as of Sept. 12, 2000
(shuttle bus was discontinued).
east side path.
Goethals Bridge: No bike/ped access. Path
under construction.
Outerbridge Crossing: No bike/ped path.
Brooklyn-Queens Connections
Brooklyn-Staten Island Connections
Marine Parkway/Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge:
Verrazano Bridge: No bike/ped path.
Bike/ped path on west side under construction, bicycle shuttle bus 7am-7pm
carries bikes across. Construction sched-
Queens-Queens Connections
Queensboro Bridge:
Volunteer Awards 2000
Veterans Memorial Bridge (Cross Bay Blvd.):
Ped path on east side of bridge.
Get Your Car-Free
T-Shirt!
EMILY CHAN
T
TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES’ annual holiday party on December 6 was great
fun! Special thanks to Carl Rosenstein and The Puffin Room for providing the
venue, all the volunteers who helped out that night, everyone who came to the
party, and to GUH for their wonderful music.
Congratulations to the recipients of the T.A. volunteer awards 2000.
Bicycle Event Supporter– Charlie McCorkell
NYC Century Supporters – Andrew Jackson, Amy Gibbs
T.A. Spirit – Kerri Martin
Spirit of Cycling – Taliah Lempert
Bicycle Culture – Kevin Bolger
Volunteer Advocate – Clarence Eckerson
Volunteer Night “Perfect Attendance” – Richard Brause
WINTER 2001
HE NEW CAR-Free
Central Park tshirts have arrived!
The shirts are a dazzling three-color CarFree Central Park front and
back design on high quality
Patagonia organic cotton. They are
$15, and available in M, L, or XL.
Order them online from the gift page
on the T.A. website at www.transalt.org.
T.A.’s Car-Free Central Park Committee was busy this winter meeting
with elected and agency officials, and
the Central Park police precinct. Last
summer, the committee got 10,000 signatures on the petition for a car-free
park, and hopes to get 30,000 more this
spring and summer.
T.A. continues to urge elected and
agency officials to make the north loop –
above 72nd Street – car-free for a threemonth trial program. This would provide a
car-free upper loop for park users and
reduce car use, while setting a car-free
precedent by showing that a good portion
of the park can be closed to cars without
adverse effects on surrounding traffic.
If you can help out this spring and
summer, contact Neel at T.A., (212) 6298080, or by email at ped@transalt.org.
TRANSPORTATION
ALTERNATIVES
31
S P E C I A L
R E P O R T
Queens Boulevard: A Neighborhood Street,
Not a Highway
T IS TIME FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSportation and its political masters to make
a fundamental choice about Queens
Boulevard: Continue putting traffic flow
first and sacrificing pedestrians, or make the
boulevard safe to cross by integrating it into
the neighborhoods it divides.
The communities along Queens Boulevard
have waited long enough. Three decades ago,
they started pleading for pedestrian safety
improvements. Since then, more than 300 pedestrians have
been killed and 5,000 seriously injured on the highwaylike street called “the human bowling alley.”
Traffic safety experts know dozens of ways to make
Queens Boulevard much safer and easier to walk across.
But as long as transportation officials and the Police
Department stubbornly clink to their traffic-first mentality,
these lifesaving measures will remain unused.
The Transportation Department’s latest pedestrian safety efforts are meant to fix some of these problems. But predictably, the improvements are few and far between and
aimed more at what the agency views as suicidal pedestrians than at the motorists roaring down the road.
For example, a handful of new crosswalks are proposed
along the 7-mile length of the boulevard. Yet pedestrians
are chastised for not crossing at crosswalks that can be as
far as 900 feet apart.
Indeed, the main feature of the department’s safety initiative is placing a fence along the median strip to discourage jaywalking.
What should be done? There are several steps, short-,
medium- and long-term.
STALIN D’SOUZA
I
Install 10 more red-light cameras.
Install temporary curb extensions with steel bollards at every
intersection.
● Place raised crosswalks (on top of speed humps) at the
entrance to every crossover where traffic moves from highspeed inner lanes to the slower service road.
● Install speed humps along the service roads.
● Lengthen the median farther into intersections
to slow turning cars.
● Begin a study for the fundamental redesign of the boulevard
similar to the $9 million federally funded study of the Grand
Concourse in the Bronx.
●
●
THE NEXT 10 YEARS
Rebuild Queens Boulevard from the ground up, making it into
the Queens Parkway.
● Integrate the boulevard into the surrounding street grid, substantially narrowing it and installing traffic signals and crosswalks at every intersection.
● Eliminate the service roads and greatly widen the median into
a parkway with gardens, playgrounds and ball courts.
● Create separate bicycle lanes on the street in both directions.
With trees planted along both sides of the street to emphasize its
parkway aspects, Queens Boulevard would be returned to the citizens of Queens, to whom it rightfully belongs.
●
THE NEXT SIX MONTHS
Time traffic signals so cars must drive at or under the legal
limit of 30 mph.
● Increase pedestrian crossing times to meet federal safety guidelines.
● Install 10 red-light cameras to stop light running.
● Paint narrower lanes to signal drivers to reduce their speeds.
● Establish a zero-tolerance week in March, complete with a
massive crackdown on speeding.
●
THE NEXT TWO YEARS
●
Increase the number of pedestrian crosswalks by threefold or
fourfold so they are no more than 200 feet apart for the length
of the boulevard.
Transportation Alternatives
115 W 30th St Ste 1207
New York NY 10001-4010
This opinion piece originally ran in the New York
Daily News on December 29, 2000. A relentless crusade by
the Daily News led to a City Council hearing on Queens
Boulevard. Since then, the DOT announced that the speed
on the entire length of boulevard will be 30 mph (some
sections were 35mph). DOT will also build neckdowns at
some of the slipways where cars merge from the highspeed inner roadway onto the low speed outer lanes.
Additionally DOT will install 3 miles of pedestrian fencing and only 3 new crosswalks on the 7-mile street. As we
went to press lane January, the police announced a massive
zero tolerance week.
Non-Profit Org
US Postage Paid
New York, Ny
Permit No. 1098
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ALTERNATIVES
WINTER 2001