Elizabeth Press
Recent Posts
The Case for Open Transit Data
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Ever find yourself waiting for the next bus, not knowing when it will arrive? Think it would be great if you could check a subway countdown clock from the sidewalk? Or get arrival times on your phone? Giving transit riders better information can make riding the bus or the train more convenient and appealing. And […]
NYC’s First Bike-to-School-Day Celebration
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This morning, Brooklyn’s MS 51 became the first school in the five boroughs to host a bike-to-school day. Students biked in two escorted rides, one starting in Sunset Park and the other in Carroll Gardens, with more riders joining each bike pool at pick-up spots along the way. The students, parents, and educators at MS […]
Cycle Chic in Copenhagen and Beyond
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You can trace the term "cycle chic" back to 2006, when Mikael Colville-Andersen launched his Copenhagen Cycle Chic blog. It means different things to different people, but basically, "cycle chic" is about riding in everyday clothes instead of specialized gear like spandex or cycling shoes. When I was in Copenhagen last December I had the chance to […]
Major Bike Mojo in Minneapolis
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In a surprising choice, the May edition of Bicycling Magazine named Minneapolis America’s best city for biking. The city still trails Portland, Oregon in the percentage of commuters who bike to work (4.3 percent to 5.9 percent, respectively, according to the most recent American Community Survey), but Minneapolis has been gaining momentum. Next month, Minneapolis […]
Streetfilms: Sleek and Secure Bike Parking at D.C.’s Union Station
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Washington, D.C.’s Bikestation is one of the sleeker and more fully-featured bike parking facilities that Streetfilms has ever seen. Located at Union Station, the Bikestation provides secure parking for more than a hundred bicycles, offers repair, rentals, lockers, and a changing room. Members get 24/7 access. Have a look and see how D.C. has made their […]
Streetfilms: Contraflow Bike Lanes — A Capital Idea
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While we were down in Washington, DC for the National Bike Summit, Streetfilms got the chance to check out some of the capital’s innovative new bike infrastructure. Tops on our list: the city’s first protected, contraflow lane for bicyclists. The district DOT has redesigned 15th Street NW between U Street and Massachusetts Avenue to accommodate […]
Streetfilms: Voices From the National Bike Summit
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Last week, hundreds of bike advocates descended on Washington D.C. for the tenth annual National Bike Summit — the largest one yet. Hosted by the League of American Bicyclists, the summit is always a great opportunity for advocates to share ideas and make the case for cycling on Capitol Hill. This year attendees encouraged their […]
Streetfilms: Fixing the Great Mistake of Planning for Cars
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"Fixing the Great Mistake" is a new Streetfilms series that examines what went wrong in the early part of the 20th century, when our cities began catering to the automobile, and how those decisions continue to affect our lives today. In this episode, Transportation Alternatives director Paul Steely White shows how planning for cars drastically […]
Streetfilms: Copenhagen’s Climate-Friendly, Bike-Friendly Streets
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Tens of thousands of people from nearly every nation on earth have descended on Copenhagen this month for the UN climate summit. As the delegates try to piece together a framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, they’re also absorbing lessons from one of the world’s leading cities in sustainable transportation. In Copenhagen, fully 37 percent […]
Streetfilms: The Case for Bicycle Boulevards in NYC
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We’ve seen lots of new, innovative bikeway designs appear on New York City streets over the past few years. But there’s one very promising concept we haven’t seen — bicycle boulevards. Bicycle boulevard design uses a variety of techniques to create low-traffic, low-speed streets where cyclists mix comfortably with cars. They’re very popular in Portland […]
PSAs Rock! Watch the Winners of TA’s “Biking Rules” Video Contest
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As you may know, Transportation Alternatives put on a red carpet premiere Tuesday night for the "Biking Rules" PSA competition at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The contest pitted video entries against each other in two main categories: "Why Biking Rules" and "Street Code." Videos in the "Street Code" category encourage people to use […]
Streetfilms Shorties: West Side Highway Crash Aftermath
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A crash shut down the southbound West Side Highway for about two hours during the morning rush yesterday. The Times reported that a northbound driver catapulted into the southbound lanes, colliding with a southbound vehicle near 125th Street shortly before 7:00 a.m. Three people were injured and taken to St. Luke’s Hospital. I was riding […]