Transportation Alternatives Inc

TO RECLAIM NEW YORK CITY'S STREETS FROM THE AUTOMOBILE, AND TO ADVOCATE FOR BICYCLING, WALKING AND PUBLIC TRANSIT AS THE BEST TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES

ADVOCACY:THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF TA'S ADVOCACY PROGRAM IS TO ENGAGE AND EMPOWER NEW YORKERS TO INCREASE BIKING, WALKING AND PUBLIC TRANSIT OPTIONS AND ACHIEVE VISION ZERO THE REVOLUTIONARY GOAL OF ZERO DEATHS OR SERIOUS INJURIES CAUSED BY TRAFFIC. IN 2020, TA'S ORGANIZERS AND ACTIVISTSENGAGED IN 35 INDIVIDUAL CAMPAIGNS TO IMPROVE NEW YORK CITY'S STREETSCAPE, FOR WHICH WE COLLECTED A TOTAL OF 26,201 PETITION SIGNATURES AND SECURED 310 NEW COALITION PARTNERS. WE TURNED OUT ACTIVISTS TO 3,603 SEPARATE PUBLIC-FACING EVENTS, INCLUDING COMMUNITY BOARD MEETINGS, RALLIES, VIRTUAL ACTIVIST TRAINING, AND TEXT BANKING EVENTS, AND HELD 121 MEETINGS AND ENGAGEMENTS WITH ELECTED OFFICIALS. AS A RESULT OF THESE ACTIVITIES, WE ACHIEVED 38 CAMPAIGN MILESTONES THIS YEAR, INCLUDING POSITIVE COMMUNITY BOARD VOTES, THE ENDORSEMENT OFELECTED OFFICIALS, AND THE FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF MANY PROJECTS. MAJORFLAGSHIP VICTORIES IN 2021 INCLUDED THE ENDORSEMENT OF 25X25 BY MAYOR ADAMS, PERMANDENT OPEN STREETS, ADDED PROTECTED BIKE LANES AND PARKING, EXPANSION OF BUSWAYS TO BROOKLYN AND QUEENS AND SAFE STREETS REDESIGNS CITY-WIDE.

OUTREACH TOURS & EVENTS:TA'S ANNUAL EVENTS AMPLIFY OUR MISSION-DRIVEN ADVOCACY CAMPAIGNS FOR SAFE STREETS AND CREATIVELY PROMOTE ACCESSIBLE, EQUITABLE, AND SUSTAINABLE ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION IN NEW YORK CITY. FROM SMALL-SCALE ADVOCACY AND SOCIAL BIKE RIDES TO LARGER BIKE TOURS, TA BIKE EVENTS PROVIDE SAFE AND WELCOMING OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESIDENTS OF ALL AGES AND ABILITIES TO BUILD SKILLS IN ON-STREET URBAN BICYCLING AND TO PARTICIPATE IN A FUN, HEALTHY ACTIVITY THAT IS PROVEN TO IMPROVE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH. OUR EVENTS ALSO CELEBRATE THE CITY'S GROWING BICYCLING COMMUNITY AND HIGHLIGHT THE DIVERSITY OF THE FIVE BOROUGHS. IN 2021, WE WERE ABLE TO HOST A SERIES OF SMALLER ADVOCACY AND SOCIAL RIDES THAT ENCOURAGED SAFELY DISTANCED, OUTDOORS CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND COMMUNITY BUILDING. A FEW EXAMPLES INCLUDE SUPPORTING VARIOUS OPEN STREETS ORGANIZING COMMITTEES WHO HAVE HOSTED DOZENS OF COMMUNITY EVENTS ON RECLAIMED STREETS, THREE EDUCATIONAL COMMUNITY GARDEN BIKE RIDES, A COMMUNITY RIDE CONNECTING FAMILIES TO PROSPECT PARK FROM ALL THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES, A RIDE CONNECTING STUDENTS TO THEIR LOCAL SCHOOLS, MULTIPLE RIDES HIGHLIGHTING THE CITY'S BEST GREENWAYS AND BRIDGES FOR BIKE RIDES, AND A BIKE ROVER DAY FOR ELECTION POLL SITE MONITORING AND HOSTED THE RETURN OF OUR ANNUAL TOUR DE STATEN ISLAND BIKE TOUR, WITH A TOTAL OF 950 ATTENDEES.IN ADDITION TO OUR BIKE RIDES, TA HOSTED OUR SEVENTH ANNUAL VISION ZERO CITIES CONFERENCE AS A VIRTUAL EVENT IN OCTOBER 2021. THE CONFERENCE HAD A TOTAL OF 12SESSIONS HELD OVER THREE DAYS AND CONVENED OVER 500 ATTENDEES FROM 7COUNTRIES FOR PEER-TO-PEER KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE AND TECHNICAL WORKSHOPS.IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE CONFERENCE, TA PUBLISHED A DIGITAL EDITION OFTHE VISION ZERO CITIES: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TRAFFIC SAFETYINNOVATION FEATURING THOUGHT LEADERSHIP ARTICLES FROM POLICY EXPERTS,ADVOCATES, AND ELECTED OFFICIALS.

RESEARCH & REPORTING:TA EMPLOYS ORIGINAL RESEARCH AND REPORTING TO PUSH ADVOCACY CAMPAIGNSAND POLICY AREAS FORWARD, AND THIS WAS A PARTICULAR AREA OF FOCUSDURING THE PAST YEAR. UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF OUR DIRECTOR OF RESEARCHAND OUR SENIOR EDITOR, WE RESEARCHED AND RELEASED SEVERAL SIGNATUREPOLICY REPORTS. THESE INCLUDED "THE POWER OF BICYCLE PARKING," WHICH IDENTIFIED AND QUANTIFIED THIS KEY PIECE OF TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE; "NYC 25X25," OUR FLAGSHIPPOLICY PLATFORM CHALLENGING THE FUTURE LEADERS OF NEW YORK CITY TORADICALLY REIMAGINE THE CITY'S STREETS FOR PEOPLE, NOT CARS; "TOO FAST, TOO FURIOUS," WHICH EXAMINED NEW YORK CITY'S SPEEDING EPIDEMIC AND THE CASE FOR LOCAL CONTROL OF SPEED LIMITS; "OPEN STREETS FOREVER," WHICH EXPLORED THE CURRENT OPEN STREETS PROGRAM AND CALLED FOR 24/7 PERMANENT OPEN STREETS; "SEVEN STEPS TO SAVE OUR HEALTH, OUR SAFETY, OUR ENVIRONMENT, AND OUR ECONOMY BY MAKING BETTER USE OF NEW YORK CITY'S STREETS", WHICH LAID OUT A COMPREHENSIVE POLICY AGENDA FOR THE ADAMS ADMINISTRATION AND "SHOVEL-READY NYC 25X25 STREETS", WHICH TOOK ONE STREET IN EACH BOROUGH AND REIMAGINED THEM AS STREETS FOR PEOPLE. IN ADDITION TO THESE REPORTS, TA HAS RELEASED ORIGINALARTICLES ON MEDIUM, COMBINING PERSONAL STORYTELLING WITH STATISTICALEVIDENCE TO EXPLORE POLICIES FROM RESTORATIVE JUSTICE IN TRAFFICVIOLENCE CASES TO TACTICAL URBANISM AS A RESPONSE TO FISCAL CRISIS.

MEMBERSHIP:TA BELIEVES IN THE POWER OF THE GRASSROOTS TO MAKE MEANINGFUL CHANGE TO NEW YORK CITY'S STREETS, AND WE ARE CONSTANTLY BUILDING OUR COALITION OF ENGAGED MEMBERS, ACTIVISTS, AND PARTNERS -- NOW IN TOTAL 30,000 STRONG. SMALL DONATIONS HAVE ALWAYS FUELED OUR ADVOCACY, AND IN 2021, TA HAD OVER 3,500 DUES-PAYING MEMBERS FROM ACROSS ALL FIVE BOROUGHS SUPPORTING OUR CRITICAL WORK. MEMBERS RECEIVE REGULAR EMAIL AND SOCIAL MEDIA UPDATES FROM TA, ARE ENGAGED IN OUR GRASSROOTS AND PLACE-BASED ADVOCACY CAMPAIGNS AND ARE INVITED TO SPECIAL EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. A MAJOR ENGAGEMENT AND RECRUITMENT PERIOD FOR OUR MEMBERS IS BIKE MONTH, WHICH USUALLY TAKES PLACE IN MAY (IN 2021, BIKE MONTH WAS MOVED TO SEPTEMBER). DURING BIKE MONTH, TA ORGANIZES FRIENDLY CITYWIDE BICYCLING COMPETITIONS AND HOSTS POP-UP COMMUTER STATIONS ALONG MAJORCYCLING AND PEDESTRIAN ROUTES. WE DISTRIBUTE USEFUL GIVEAWAYS LIKEWATER BOTTLES, BIKE LIGHTS, BIKE MAPS, SNACKS, BEVERAGES, AND OTHERITEMS TO ENGAGE AND EQUIP NEW AND EXPERIENCED CYCLISTS, AND WE EDUCATEA BROAD SPECTRUM OF NEW YORKERS ABOUT THE RULES OF THE ROAD, THE RIGHTSAND RESPONSIBILITIES OF BIKE RIDERS, AND BASIC BIKE MAINTENANCE SKILLS.WE FURTHERMORE HIGHLIGHT HOW CYCLING IS A LOW-IMPACT ACTIVITY THAT ISGOOD FOR BOTH PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH, AND WE EMPHASIZE THEENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF THIS MODE OF TRANSPORTATION, INCLUDING HOW ITREDUCES NOISE, CONGESTION, AND POLLUTION IN OUR CITY.