TA’s 50th Anniversary, Bike Crosstown, Sammy’s Law

In 1972, Action Against Automobiles was born when a few hundred New Yorkers gathered in Central Park with their bicycles. The group rode downtown from Central Park to Washington Square, with a stop outside the Auto Show to protest highway funding and demand that cars be barred from lower Manhattan.

A year later, those New Yorkers would repeat their protest, this time under a new, more official name: Transportation Alternatives. Since 1973, we’ve remained committed to our mission to democratize public space and reclaim New York City’s streets from the automobile. This year, we’re celebrating 50 years of activism with an eye toward the next half-century and what we can accomplish when we continue to work toward building a less car-dependent New York City.

To commemorate this milestone, we’ve created a special 50th Anniversary hub, where we’ll share stories of our major wins from the past five decades, news on upcoming events to celebrate our anniversary, and more (be on the lookout for TA 50th Anniversary merch in our shop soon!)

We can’t wait to share this year-long celebration with you.

CELEBRATE OUR 50TH ANNIVERSARY WITH US

THREE THINGS TO KNOW

1?? More support for Bike Crosstown. On April 4, Manhattan Community Board 7 voted overwhelmingly in favor of protected bike lanes that connect both the Hudson and East rivers with Central Park. As our Bike Crosstown campaign has progressed, we’ve brought along even residents who were initially against the idea, as one Upper West Sider wrote for Streetsblog.

2?? Spring is in bloom; do you know where in NYC has the most (and least) tree cover? As the weather gets warmer, trees are blossoming — but some areas of the city have more tree cover than others. Visit Spatial Equity NYC to see how different neighborhoods compare, and how that difference can affect other areas like surface temperature, air pollution, and asthma rates.

3?? In the news. Here's what we're reading this week:

1. A blog from Parking Reform Network details how parking requirements shape our streets and reinforce car dependency.
2. Vice covers a recent study on police cars parking on sidewalks near precincts.
3. City and State NY follows the (slow) evolution of pedestrianizing Broadway.

TWO THINGS TO DO

1?? Transform Broadway into people-first space. Want to work toward making Broadway a space for people, not cars? Get involved with our Broadway Linear Park campaign and sign our petition to create a car-free space that connects Union Square and Columbus Circle.

2?? Celebrate Earth Day with a bike ride. Our activist committees are hosting a number of group rides next Saturday, April 22. Join our Brooklyn committee, alongside Good Co. Bike Club, at the Ride for Change in support of our Better Bedford Avenue campaign. If you’re in Manhattan, you can ride with us at the Compost Bike Tour, which will visit four community compost sites along the route. In addition, our Bronx/Uptown committee will be supporting South Bronx Unite’s Environmental Justice Bike Tour.

ONE ACTION TO TAKE NOW

Sign our petition for Sammy’s Law. Last year, 16 children under age 18 lost their lives due to traffic violence, the most of any year during the Vision Zero program. Already this year, NYC has recorded 58 traffic fatalities, three of whom were children. With the state budget deadline extended, we must take this opportunity to demand safe speed limits be included, so that no more families have to experience such tragic loss. Sign our Sammy’s Law petition and send a message to your elected officials that we need safe speed limits now.

Thanks for reading!

Ted and the TA team

April 13, 2023