http://www.streetfilms.org Documenting Livable Streets Worldwide Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:10:00 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en 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 ... http://www.streetfilms.org/biking-rules-psas/ She's back!  The woman you love to hate (and hate not to love) Veronica Moss, a Washington, D.C. lobbyist for - ahem! - the Automobile User Trade Organization (A.U.T.O.) In this "chapter", she's getting her first gander ever at the new pedestrian-friendly Times Square and she invited Streetfilms along to ... http://www.streetfilms.org/veronica-moss-visits-times-square/ At the 2009 Rail-Volution conference in Boston, Streetfilms was able to grab a few moments with the political conservative, transit advocate, William Lind.  Lind aims to provide "liberal transit advocates" the language to build bipartisan support for public transportation (okay, just rail) in terms that conservatives can relate to. Some ... http://www.streetfilms.org/williamlind/ Today brings a double-barreled whammy of great Streetfilms news to report. First in Seattle, bike-riding campaigner Mike McGinn has pulled off a big upset to become the new Mayor-elect.  Though he brings a pro-transit, more livable city message into office, we are particularly proud that on the front page of his ... http://www.streetfilms.org/mayors-just-love-streetfilms/ On the heels of 2008's unprecedented growth of 35% in commuter cycling, this year the New York City Department of Transportation measured an additional gain of 26%, putting the total 2007 to 2009 increase at a whopping 66%! Of course much of that can be attributed to NYC installing 200 miles ... http://www.streetfilms.org/bicycling-is-up-again-in-the-big-apple/ It's not everyday that you get to ride bikes in a big metropolis with a member of Congress, even one who loves to bicycle whenever he can. Rep. Earl Blumenauer dropped by Transportation Alternatives' offices to take a quick excursion around mid-town with Executive Director, Paul Steely White, and Senior Policy ... http://www.streetfilms.org/mr-blumenauer-goes-to-new-york-city-to-ride-bikes/ 350 parts per million. That’s the level of atmospheric carbon dioxide beyond which many scientists warn the earth’s climate may begin to spiral out of control. At higher concentrations, they say, heat-reflecting ice sheets will disappear and permafrost will melt, releasing vast amounts of additional greenhouse gases and driving sea ... http://www.streetfilms.org/san-francisco-350-climate-action/ It's been a long time coming, but Streetfilms finally has a new look that we hope will help visitors find more of their favorite films (check out fun rotating categories like, "Ciclovia Explosion!") and ultimately watch more movies and spread the love amongst your fellow advocates. The first change you'll probably ... http://www.streetfilms.org/streetfilms-is-sporting-a-new-do/ Bike lanes: In some cities people are literally dying to have them and some people go so far as to mark their own. Here in New York City, it feels like every time I get on my bike there is a new bike lane - sometimes on the left, sometimes ... http://www.streetfilms.org/bike-lanes-in-the-big-apple/ Just because there's a livable streets revolution underway in NYC doesn't mean that drivers have gotten the message. Cars blocking crosswalks, drivers failing to yield to pedestrians, unnecessary honking and a slew of other quality-of-walking violations are still a routine occurrence to contend with on nearly every corner of ... http://www.streetfilms.org/drivers-behaving-rudely/ In New York City, about 80 percent of kids walk to school. This is amazingly high compared to the national average of about 13 percent. On October 7, over 40 countries celebrated International Walk to School Day. In New York City, Livable Streets Education and the National Center for Safe Routes ... http://www.streetfilms.org/walk-to-school-day-nyc/ A generation ago, nearly half of all U.S. kids walked or bicycled to school. Today, less than fifteen percent do, with the majority arriving at school in private automobiles. It’s no coincidence, then, that studies show more than a quarter of San Francisco’s children are overweight. But a new program ... http://www.streetfilms.org/san-francisco-walk-to-school/ With all the recent, remarkable livable streets improvements to the streets of New York City, it's no surprise the 10th annual, Walk21 Conference chose us for its host digs. Visitors and attendees were treated to a cornucopia of pedestrian street infrastructure to salivate over and debate; including tours of ... http://www.streetfilms.org/walk21-nyc-world-pedestrian-leaders-take-manhattan/ Chalk up more bikeway innovation to the folks at the NYC Department of Transportation. Now nearly complete, the Sands Street approach to the Manhattan Bridge is now safer and more enjoyable thanks to a first-of-its-kind in NYC: a center-median, two-way, protected bike path. Frankly, the facility is a perfect ... http://www.streetfilms.org/sands-street-gets-a-sassy-center-median-cycletrack/ The first Park(ing) Day was launched by Rebar in 2005, right here in San Francisco.  Watch our latest Streetfilm to see how San Francisco re-purposed parking spots during Friday's Park(ing) Day. Just imagine if bike parking and expanded outdoor café seating took over our automobile-filled public spaces every day! http://www.streetfilms.org/san-francisco-parking-day-2009/ This year we took it down a notch. After covering PARK(ing) Day events for the past three years, we figured it was about time we got to relax a little and enjoy the space and - frankly - not get dehydrated from bicycling about all day. Oh, that ... http://www.streetfilms.org/parking-day-2009-nyc/ Although there is undoubtedly an amazing streets renaissance going on in NYC, there still remain places in dire need of improvement.  Heavily-used areas like the blocks surrounding Penn Station area from 4 to 7 PM on weekdays are overwhelmed with pedestrians making their way home to via a network of ... http://www.streetfilms.org/the-pedestrian-crush-on-34th-7th-avenue/ Despite a blanket of fog, the last San Francisco Sunday Streets of 2009 was, from all accounts, a smashing success, one of the most popular so far, with thousands of people enjoying four activity-filled hours of pristine car-free space through Golden Gate Park and the Great Highway. Kids, families, bicyclists, ... http://www.streetfilms.org/san-franciscos-foggy-sunday-streets-2009/ In the early part of the 1900s, Zozos - large, furry, innocent, purple creatures - once freely roamed New York City's streets, and were seen frequently mingling among its denizens and enjoying the public realm. But with the advent of the automobile their numbers slowly dwindled, until the 1930s ... http://www.streetfilms.org/the-search-for-the-zozo/ On Friday night, August 14th, James Langergaard was killed by a car crossing Queens Boulevard. According to his family, witnesses told police that James ran a red light on his bike and died instantly. James was 38. I have known James since 1997 when he and I were volunteers at ... http://www.streetfilms.org/in-memoriam-james-langergaard-bike-philosopher/