Musto, who has never had a driver's license, says the bicycle is an advantage in his profession. And although he has had many bikes stolen over that time period  (he recommends newbies buy a used, cheap bike to get about) he has nothing but positivity and praise for the velocipede:

"I go everywhere on my bicycle.  I go to work.  I'll go to my screenings, my Broadway shows, my nightclubs - and I'll ride it for recreation too, to Central Park....there's no downside that I can think of."

Incidentally, this is my second interview with Musto. The first came in 1999, when I was a volunteer at Transportation Alternatives. Musto was TA magazine's  Cyclist of the Month, a feature I got to write!  I guess that means sometime in 2021 we'll be shooting something in 3D or whatever....

The route is beautiful, swift, and has great multi-modal connections. Service is frequent, with headways as short as 7 minutes during rush hour, and never longer than 15 minutes. And like many of the newest American light rail systems, the stations feature copious art.

Seattle has a lot of car commuters, but in a sign that many are looking for more efficient and environmentally friendly ways of getting to work, the new light rail line will be followed by several more additions to the city's transit network. As Seattle's Sound Transit CEO Joni Earl told us:

[Voters] in November 2008, by 57 percent -- which was a thrill in a recession economy -- voted to expand our light rail system, our commuter rail system, and our buses... to add another 36 miles of light rail in the region. And to add 65 percent more capacity to our commuter rail system.

We'd like to thank everyone who talked to us for this shoot, especially Bruce Gray from Sound Transit, and Andrew Schmid for arranging it all. And of course a big shout out to the intrepid scribes over at Seattle Transit Blog, who cover the local transportation scene with zeal and gusto.

As our mission continues, seeking out what is working best for livable cities, we are finding ourselves needing to raise some of our operating dollars so that we can continue to bring you intrepid & inspiring stories - both here and around the globe - of a balanced transportation network.  There are many ways you can help.

Easiest way: see that purple button with the red heart over yonder on the right hand side, a little further down the page?  Well, you can make whatever monetary donation your feel you'd like. Just follow the instructions. You can also just go here.

But we also have opportunities to sponsor certain films we already have in production.  If you can donate as little as $300, we will recognize your donation in the credits of one of our productions.  Sure, that amount doesn't come close to covering all of the production expenses of a short, but it helps alot, especially if we can get the majority of our films sponsored.

In addition, there are a few places we'd really like to visit this year and could use help raising a couple of thousand dollars for travel and lodging to visit the following cities:  London, Copenhagen, and Toronto.  We feel those places have cool stories that will help enlighten transportation experts (and skeptics) across the world.  If you are interested in knowing more about our plans and possibilities for funding, you can email Clarence directly at clarence [at] streetfilms [dot] org.

And by the way, thank you very much to those of you who did come to our big fundraiser in January (see above photo, many more here by Nick Whitaker.)  We had a great turnout with special guest Veronica Moss (watch her appearance) and it did raise some funds for us.  Plus further promising: we are entering into some cool partnerships because of it.  Thank you.

Sincerely,

Clarence Eckerson Jr. (Director, Streetfilms)

In this episode, Transportation Alternatives director Paul Steely White shows how planning for cars drastically altered Park Avenue. Watch and see what Park Avenue used to look like, how we ceded it to the automobile, and what we need to do to reclaim the street as a space where people take precedence over traffic.

Only a few weeks into the new administration, I got the chance to commute with Mayor McGinn from his home in Greenwood to City Hall. It wasn't hard to convince him, seeing as he's a longtime Streetfilms fan, going back to his days as the founder of an organization called Great City.

As you'll see, McGinn has a lot of great things to say. Particularly exciting is a new website called Ideas for Seattle, which asks residents what they would like to see the mayor focus on. Take a look: A good dozen of the current Top 20 could be classified as livable streets issues. (Note: I think other cities should replicate this.) So we wish Mayor McGinn the best and can't wait to check back in a few years to see what kind of changes have taken place.

In Seattle, they are trying something I have never seen before that goes beyond the usual warning signage: the DOT is using "sharrows" and markings to visually guide cyclists in the art of making some of these crossings. Anecdotally, it seems to work well. I found it reassuring that my path was predetermined as I approached instead of having to guesstimate.  Stay within the lines - and all will be good.

But as John Mauro from the Cascade Bicycle Club points out, this is only an interim solution.  This is the missing link in the famous Burke-Gilman greenway, and families out cycling for the day shouldn't have to contend with dangerous sets of tracks in the first place.  Still, it is nice to see DOT's all across the country are getting creative and using cost effective solutions (just a few marks with paint) to keep us a little safer.

It's been eight months since this part of Broadway went car-free, and maybe it's hard to recall just how bad Times Square used to be for everyone walking around. To really appreciate what we have today, you've got to take a trip back in time to see the crowded, dangerous mess that used to fester at the crossroads of the world. Naturally, the moment calls for a Streetfilms retrospective.

Special thanks to Jonathan Weiner, without whom this past year would have been impossible. Thanks also to Katie Brodie and Nico Martin Presents for the great crew of smiling servers, impressive spread and delicious mash potatoes bar (which was quite the hit), B-Haul for the (Tasty) tunes, super volunteer Denyse Trepanier, the LGBT Center, Swirl Wine Bar, SFBC and its volunteers for weathering the rain to provide valet bike parking, Supervisor David Chiu, Supervisor Eric Mar, Judson True, Leah Shahum, Andy Thornley, Gabriel Metcalf, Chris Carlsson, Dave Snyder, John Hamilton (for the great Streetfilm you see above), Mike and Sarah Sonn, Brooke Dubose, Greg Riessen, Gary Fisher, and many, many more...

Here's to a wonderful 2010 and many more reasons to celebrate the San Francisco Bay Area and its improving public realm.

As you may have heard by now, we were graced by the presence of Veronica Moss, who barged in to interrupt our sales pitch to the attendees and express her own views about traffic and transportation.  Thankfully, Ben Fried and Sarah Goodyear of Streetsblog were there to ask her a few pointed questions, even though it probably didn't do much good.  So for those that couldn't make it, enjoy the always enteraining Veronica as she spouts her fountain of misinformation.

On Tuesday, January 19th we'll be hosting: “Streetfilms Spectacular 2010: A Celebration and Opportunity to Help Support the Future of Streetfilms” in the Penthouse at the Open Planning Project.

Come by and meet the team.  See what Streetfilms is working on. Give us feedback on what you’ve liked in the past and what you’d like to see us tackle in the future. And most importantly, learn about exciting new opportunities to fund part of our work!

And, as an extra once-in-a-lifetime treat, our very special guest will be A.U.T.O. lobbyist Veronica Moss (seen so scoundreliciously here driving her SUV and here bemoaning the new Times Square.)  When she got wind we were throwing a party, Ms. Moss told us “someone needs to be there to counter that propaganda stuff you guys produce."

So she’ll be holding a press conference.  We have no idea what to expect, but bring your questions.  And she promised if you are nice to her, she’s going to pose for photos afterwards.

Doors open at 6 pm and and the official program begins around 630 pm which will consist of speeches, films, and surprises.  We’ll have a bounty of snacks and drinks.  Buy a t-shirt.  We hope to see you there.  Click here to RSVP

Tuesday, January 19, 6-9pm
148 Lafayette Street
Take the L N, Q, R, W, 6, J or M trains to Canal Street.
M6 stops nearby at Broadway and Howard.

Bike Valet Parking provided by Transportation Alternatives.

On one of them, Streetfilms and Streetsblog publisher Mark Gorton went for a whirl around lower Manhattan to see how the alert kept traffic flowing. In this light-hearted video, he shares his top ten things to be thankful for on gridlock alert days.

Beware: The next gridlock alert is Wednesday, December 23.

The choices were extremely diverse (only a few films got multiple mentions) which frankly surprised us. It would seem the popularity of some films, didn't necessarily make them the most popular in the minds of our voters.  Thanks to all the picks.  Hopefully we can make lots more in 2010, have a Happy New Year!

Janette Sadik-Khan (NYC DOT Commissioner): "It’s so hard, like choosing what to pick at my favorite chocolate store!  I'd select: The Search for the Zozo, Walk21, and Sands Street."

Brian Lehrer & Derek Tutschulte (The Brian Lehrer Show):  "The High Bridge gave us all a unique behind the scenes view of a New York treasure that few people ever get to see."

Jeff Mapes (author, Pedaling Revolution): "I like Rush Hour on the Hawthorne Bridge the best.  You so nicely captured the feel of something I know a lot about, having biked over that bridge in rush hour literally hundreds of times."

Laura Flanders (GRITtv): "For best series, the Brazil trilogy (ASCOBIKE, Curitiba's BRT, Jaime Lerner) was wonderful, [but] best one off: Scraper Bikes: Bike 4 Life Ride. Kids creating positive subculture, biking, and hip hop?  This was just great."

Mikael Colville-Andersen (Copenhagen Cycle Chic):  Carmageddon Averted in Herald Square.  "This film is great because of the enormity of the transformation and the visionary thoughts behind doing it."

Donald Shoup (professor, author "The High Cost of Free Parking"): "I vote for Bicycle Boulevards for NYC.  They seem like the most cost effective way for cities to make cycling easier, safer, and more enjoyable."

Diana Lind (Editor-in-chief, Next American City): "The video of a snowy Highline...it is real reminder of the New York that once was - and potential for any urban space to be reimaganied."

Gil Peñalosa (Executive Director, Walk & Bike for Life): "If an image is worth a thousand words, the Streetfilms site is worth billions. NYC DOT Explains Bike Lanes in the Big Apple shows that one size does not fit all [when it comes to bike facilities]."

Christine Berthet (über activist, Hell's Kitchen): "Veronica Moss in Times Square. She's just too much!"

Michael Graham Richard (editor Cars & Transportation, Treeghugger): "Copenhagen's Climate-Friendly, Bike-Friendly Streets.  The bike capital of the world can teach us a lot about how we can make our cities much better for people and the environment. Let's pay attention."

Kerri Martin (founder, Second Life Bikes): "I love that Streetfilms takes us to places like  The High Bridge: a gem of a walkway in our corner of the world that most of us have never been on but can dream for its opening and help work towards that possibility."

Elly Blue (Managing Editor, BikePortland): "My favorite shows Mark Gorton wading out into embattled crosswalks yelling 'How rude! Can you believe these people?' Way to point out that the 300lb moonwalking bear in the room has no clothes."

Eric Britton (and the World Streets team): "Ahem. Let me open the envelope here....the Gold goes to: Meet Veronica Moss, A.U.T.O. Lobbyist.  For sheer thoughtfulness and political daring, the Silver goes to: Jaime Lerner on Making Curitiba's First Pedestrian Street.  And on the grounds that no one but no one can resist him: Enrique Peñalosa Brings Inspiration to Boston gets the Bronze.

Carla Saulter (columnist, Bus Chick, Transit Authority): "Scraper Bikes. I have a secret weakness for macked out cars--candy paint, big wheels, hydraulics, the whole nine - and I love seeing this same energy directed at a form of travel I can actually respect.

Ben Fried (Editor, NYC Streetsblog): "Hudson River Crossings: Improving Bus Capacity. Captivating animation and stellar narration bring an under-appreciated congestion busting solution to life."

Jackie Douglas (Director, Livable Streets Alliance (Boston): "The Search for the Zozo. Creative, funny, and an exceptional cast of people working to create more livable streets around the world."

Shin-pei Tsay (Deputy Director, Transportation Alternatives) "There's no better way to see how far we've come in such a short time than to witness people, let alone the founder of the Congressional Bike Caucus, Earl Blumenauer, happily and safely bike around NYC."

Clarence Eckerson Jr. (Director, Streetfilms): "The Transformation of Madison Square.  I really didn't want to pick one of my own, but I so loved being there on a balmy February. I tried hard to translate that energy."

Robin Urban Smith (Associate, Streetfilms): "Seattle's Bus Chick. I love the personal and charming story of this bus enthusiast. I'm also a sucker for the bus graphics!

If you want to leave your own personal pick for favorite Streetfilm of 2009 please do so in the comments field.  And if you have suggestions for places we should visit or subjects to tackle next year, feel free to start a list.

Clarence Eckerson Jr, Director of Streetfilms and star of Clarence the Traffic Calming Sasquatch, and Lily Bernheimer, Livable Streets Community Producer, and star of How to Get Your NYC Bike Racks, are on a panel of judges that will help decide the grand-prize winner of a 10 day all expense paid bike tour of Tuscany.  So help Clarence and Lily decide by voting for your favorite photos here!

We'll also be offering up some opportunities to help sponsor some of Streetfilms work in 2010.  We want to be very ambitious, and so if you want to see our influence continue please consider helping us reach potential funders.

An invite will be posted here within a few weeks.  We will likely reach capacity early so you'll want to RSVP early!

Other upcoming events: Streetfilms will be at Metro Gallery in Baltimore on January 5th for an event c0-hosted by Envision Baltimore and Friends of the Charles St. Trolley.  If you are anywhere in the region we encourage you to come by.  In addition, we are trying to set up another event in central New Jersey the next night on January 6th.  So stay tuned!

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 and Berkeley, two cities with high bicycle mode-share. Here in New York, though, they don’t seem to be part of the playbook yet. In this Streetfilm we ask: Why not?

We spoke to Mia Birk, who helped introduce bicycle boulevards to Portland. She’s also the co-author of a new guidebook to bike boulevard design. Here we explore some of the concepts in the guidebook and show how they might be applied to New York. Outside Manhattan, especially, important cycling routes could benefit from the bicycle boulevard treatment. ]]> http://www.streetfilms.org/bicycle-boulevards4nyc/feed/ 18 http://www.streetfilms.org/the-view-from-atop-the-high-bridge/ http://www.streetfilms.org/the-view-from-atop-the-high-bridge/#comments Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:28:13 +0000 Clarence Eckerson, Jr. http://www.streetfilms.org/?p=21901 Back in October as part of the Walk21 conference, I was very lucky to be able to accompany a small group of international pedestrian experts on an exclusive walking tour of the High Bridge, which has been closed to the public for nearly 40 years. Since Streetfilms is all about sharing, we interviewed a few folks-in-the-know and have posted the breathtaking experience of what it was like being up there.

Not soon after starting as a volunteer for Transportation Alternatives back in the 1990s I can recall reading of a push to open the High Bridge during a postcard campaign directed at then Parks Commissioner Henry Stern in 1998. In the years since, there have been many community groups, non-profits, and public agencies which have gotten involved in raising public awareness and advocating for its re-opening. City Parks Foundation, The High Bridge Coalition, and C.L.I.M.B. just to name a few.

Although over the years there have been many announced target opening dates and talk of getting the capital funds needed, of recent there is much momentum. Very early in 2010, community input and design will finally begin. Then we can hope it will not be long until we can all walk and bike across this magnificent structure.

There is so much bike love out there and it is awesome to see it expressed in funny and beautifully produced biking shorts.

Since many more people wanted to attend than could cram into the theater, Streetfilms decided to put our new community video section to good use. You'll find the five PSA video winners along with a few other Biking Rules PSAs we found on YouTube. "A Love Mucycle," is bit long compared to the others but, definitely worth a watch.

And now, the winners:

In the HD/HDV Biking Rules "Street Code" category, the grand prize was divided between two films:
*"Wrong Way" Directed by Sean Donnelly & Abbey Luck
*"Lights Turn Heads" Directed by Aldo Arias & Pam Tietze

"Gear Up: Safety 'n' You," directed by Philip Chernyak & Nora Wolf, took the prize for best"Why Biking Rules" video in HD/HDV

Best DIY "Why Biking Rules" PSA went to Paco Abraham & Daniel Latorre for "Revolution."

Best DIY "Street Code" PSA was snagged by Yoni Brook for "Eyes."

Naturally since she advocates for cars for a living with her every breath, her viewpoints are bound to rankle some of those in the livable streets camp.  Here are a few splendiforous musings as she reminisced about the "old" Times Square - where visitors "had to fight" for every last inch of space:

• "Pedestrians are cystic acne on the teenage forehead of this city."
• "I used to feel this wonderful sense of being totally overwhelmed and being displaced when I walked through Times Square.  And that's how it should feel."

Of course, that's nothing new for Ms. Moss, who first appeared on Streetfillms a few months ago in an "exclusive" interview to let us know how she feels about cyclists and pedestrians.