Community Organizations

Beginning next week, Central Park's north loop will be closed to cars for two months, DOT announced today.

The lawyer who spent a good chunk of 2011 deceiving the press and the public about the safety effect of the Prospect Park West bike lane is back in the news.

Transportation Alternatives observed nearly nine in ten Brooklyn motorists breaking the speed limit while compiling data for its new report on dangerous driving [PDF], but enforcement from NYPD remains almost non-existent. In fact, TA says it clocked more drivers speeding in 12 hours than NYPD ticketed in all of 2011. That's why speed cameras are necessary for city streets.

Today, the Regional Plan Association held its 23rd Annual Assembly, gathering many of the region's transportation and development players under one roof. Unlike recent years, when the buzz was about congestion pricing or DOT's bicycle and pedestrian programs, this year's program didn't have much to excite livable streets advocates.

Next year, the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge will mark its 50th anniversary. Although the structure was designed to accommodate pedestrian and bicycle paths, they were never included. Now, advocates are hoping a renewed push can close the gap in what they're calling the Harbor Ring, a 50-mile loop around Upper New York Bay. This week, the initiative launched an online petition to Governor Cuomo, asking him to support the plan and move it forward.

Today, Transportation Alternatives is launching CrashStories, a new website where pedestrians and cyclists can report crashes or near-misses with motor vehicle drivers on an interactive map. Developed by Hunter College city planning graduate student Aaron Fraint, the project aims to fill gaps in official data sources and offer a place for crash victims to be heard.

At its annual membership meeting last night, Transportation Alternatives unveiled its transportation policy platform heading into the thick of this year's election cycle. Primary day -- September 10 -- is less than six months away, and TA is calling on candidates in the mayoral and City Council races to include these principles in their campaign platforms:

Last night, a group of activists traveled to the sites of eight traffic fatalities and stenciled paint memorials for those who lost their lives walking or biking in crashes for which NYPD declared "no criminality suspected" within hours of the crash. This morning, Time's Up! led a memorial bike ride to the eight crash sites.