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Mandatory: spend 10 minutes to save lives; possibly your own.

In the here-and-now presently-apocalyptic world of Cyclists vs. Shysters, two new fronts have opened.  Read on.

In order to ensure you continue to get life-saving bike lanes, you need to spend 10 minutes today to tell your council member what you think.  (Suggestion: you want bike lanes because they decrease injuries and save lives for ALL street users — motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, skaters, dog walkers, dogs, cats, you name it — and you want them fast, before the next 100 people needlessly die on New York City roads.)

Here are some facts so you better understand just how serious this business is:
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811156.PDF
Browse around here: http://www.nhtsa.gov/NCSA
Here’s an article at RecumbentJournal.com on the subject
http://www.recumbentjournal.com/views/columns/item/299-cycling-safety-situational-cities-certainly-scariest.html
See my previous blog entry: Get involved in local politics to improve street safety.

And here are the two stories and what you should do:

New York Cycle Club Alert: Where You Can Help

Issue: Queens Councilman Eric Ulrich has announced a proposal for citywide bike licensing.

Action needed: Email the Councilman (e-mail address: eulrich [at] council [dot] nyc [dot] gov) and tell him why this scapegoating of all cyclists for the bad habits of a few is wrong.  Mention you are a member of New York Cycle Club to show that, all together, we have clout.

Central Park Alert: The past week has seen a ticketing blitz by police directed at Park cyclists running red lights. This has occurred regardless of hour or density of traffic, pedestrian or otherwise, leaving a number of our members with $270 fines.

* * *

Councilmembers James Oddo and Vincent Ignizio (Staten Island, Republican) are demanding new bike lanes be subject to a lengthy and unnecessary review process.

From:
Paul Steely White

Executive Director,
Transportation Alternatives (“T.A.”)

Dear T.A. StreetBeat Reader,

As reported by the New York Post, Staten Island Republican Councilmembers James Oddo and Vincent Ignizio are demanding that all new bike lanes be subject to a lengthy — and highly unnecessary — review process. Councilmembers Oddo and Ignizio’s proposal would put a snarl of red tape and potentially years of waiting time between New Yorkers and life-saving improvements to their streets.

Take Action: http://transalt.org/takeaction/actioncenter/5073

Send Councilmembers Oddo and Ignizio a fax and stand up against a long, drawn-out review bogging down life-saving bike lanes. Tell Councilmember Oddo and Ignizio that New Yorkers need bike lanes. We will not stand for their attack on safe streets.

T.A.’s legal committee is fast at work on an official answer to this nonsense. Meanwhile, before other Councilmembers begin blaming every other traffic jam on bicyclists, we need you to tell Councilmember James Oddo that obstructing the installation of bike lanes will only make our streets more dangerous for cyclists, pedestrians and motorists alike.

On Manhattan’s 9th Avenue, a parking-protected bike lane and its accompanying pedestrian islands reduced injuries for everyone by 56 percent. That’s drivers, passengers, pedestrians and cyclists, all safer because of a bike lane. Because bike lanes make streets safer for pedestrians and drivers too, their timely installation is integral to making our streets safer for everyone.

T.A. needs your help to defeat this attack on bicycling before it gets started. Stand up for your right to bicycle in a safe lane! Send an e-fax to Councilmember Oddo now!

Paul Steely White
Executive Director,
Transportation Alternatives





Councilmembers Here!

Not sure who your councilmember is?  Find out here: http://council.nyc.gov/html/members/members.shtml

To e-mail your councilmember, find their name and e-mail address below.  You could also pick up the phone and call their office.  I’m not certain how to address them, but try “Your Honor” — can’t be too far off — and let me know how that goes.

MATHIEU EUGENE                      mathieu.eugene@council.nyc.gov
GALE BREWER                             gbrewer@council.nyc.gov
FERNANDO CABRERA                fcabrera@council.nyc.gov
MARGARET CHIN                          chin@council.nyc.gov
LEROY COMRIE                             comrie@council.nyc.ny.us
ELIZABETH CROWLEY               ecrowley@council.nyc.gov
ERIC MARTIN DILAN                   Edilan@council.nyc.gov
JULISSA FERRERAS                      jferreras@council.nyc.gov
LEWIS A. FIDLER                          LFidler@council.nyc.gov
HELEN D. FOSTER                        foster@council.nyc.gov
Daniel R. Garodnick                        garodnick@council.nyc.ny.us
James F. Gennaro                             jgennaro@council.nyc.gov
VINCENT J. GENTILE                   vgentile@council.nyc.gov
SARA M. GONZALEZ                   Sgonzalez@council.nyc.gov
DANIEL J. HALLORAN                dhalloran@council.nyc.gov
VINCENT IGNIZIO                        Ignizio@council.nyc.ny.us
ROBERT JACKSON                       rjackson@council.nyc.gov
LETICIA JAMES                            ljames@council.nyc.gov
PETER KOO                                    pkoo@council.nyc.gov
G. Oliver Koppell                 okoppell@council.nyc.gov
Karen Koslowitz                   Koslowitz@council.nyc.gov
BRAT LANDER                     lander@council.nyc.gov
JESSICA S. LAPPIN              lappin@council.nyc.gov
Stephen Levin                     slevin@council.nyc.gov
Melissa Mark-Viverito           mviverito@council.nyc.gov
Darlene Mealy                     darlene.mealy@council.nyc.gov
Rosie Mendez                      rmendez@council.nyc.gov
JAMES S. ODDO                  joddo@council.nyc.gov
ANNABEL PALMA                 apalma@council.nyc.gov
Domenic M. Recchia, Jr        drecchia@council.nyc.gov
JOEL RIVERA                       Joel.Rivera@council.nyc.gov
Ydanis Rodriguez                 yrodriguez@council.nyc.gov
JAMES SANDERS, Jr             jsanders@council.nyc.gov
LARRY B. SEABROOK            cmseabrook12@yahoo.com
ERIC ULRICH                       eulrich@council.nyc.gov
JAMES VACCA                      jvacca@council.nyc.gov
JIMMY VAN BRAMER             jvanbramer@council.nyc.gov
ALBERT VANN                      avann@council.nyc.gov
Mark Weprin                        MWeprin@Council.NYC.gov
RUBEN WILLS                      Ruben.Wills@council.nyc.gov

Stand up for safe cycling, today.

Best,
Robert
————
Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply (TM)
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2011 Robert Matson

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