Guadalajara, Mexico is showing how amazingly transformative a ciclovia-style road closure can be for its citizens. In seven years, their inaugural Sunday event Via RecreActiva has grown from just seven miles with 35,000 participants to 41 miles with 400,000 users every Sunday. It goes from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and covers six municipalities.

Walking and bicycling in Guadalajara, Mexico can be dangerous in many parts of the city, but there’s a movement afoot among many citizens to change that. GDL en Bici is a group of local advocates who have been organizing regular bike rides for years, and nothing is more impressive than their ride on the first Thursday of the month – the Paseo de Todos – which regularly draws up to 5,000 riders to celebrate and demand safer cycling conditions.

People just have a lot of fun. You’ll see families, students, and older residents throughout the crowd. Drivers who usually fill the city’s congested roads mostly seem to tolerate the inconvenience. The police largely ignore the whole thing. An added twist is that each of the rides has a theme. One month it might be to celebrate Mexico’s Independence. Another it could be comic books. Luckily we got to ride along in October, when it’s all about celebrating the Day of the Dead.

Streetfilms would like to thank Guadalajara 2020, for sponsoring the film and enabling Streetfilms to make the journey to document this wonderful event, and Gil Penalosa, Executive Director of 8-80 Cites, for organizing the details.

You’re invited to join us at the new Bicycle Habitat on Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn. We’ll hear from City Council Member Brad Lander as we look back on 2011 and cast an eye toward the streets of the future.

We’ll have live music, plentiful hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine, and lots of prizes. And of course, as you may recall from past benefits, this is the only day on the calendar when Streetsblog commenters shed their alter egos and reveal their true selves.

This will also be a rare opportunity to meet our hardworking far-flung correspondents. Tanya Snyder will be in town from DC, and Angie Schmitt will be flying in from Cleveland.

Thanks to our terrific sponsors for helping us put together this party: Bicycle Habitat, Brooklyn Brewery, Cycles Gladiator Wine, and Velojoy.com.

Buy tickets now — they start at $50. Hope to see you there!

– Ben and Clarence

In the increasingly heated competition to see who deserves the title of America’s most bike-friendly city, Minneapolis has plenty going for it. Last year Bicycling magazine anointed the city tops in the nation, knocking Portland off its long-held perch.

The Twin Cities are undergoing a steady transformation into a more bike-oriented region thanks to nearly 100 miles of greenways and off-street paths, giving residents safe and quick travel options. By far the best-known of those paths is the 5.7 mile long Midtown Greenway, which connects cyclists to destinations through the heart of Minneapolis, from east to west. As you’ll see, the path isn’t just giving people a great place to bike, walk, and run — it’s attracting development and new businesses as well.

Thanks to the Bikes Belong Foundation for funding this Streetfilm, our third in a series on innovations in Minneapolis.  Check out the Nice Ride MN and Sabo Bridge Streetfilms if you haven’t already!

The first cable-stayed bridge of any kind in the state, it’s breathtaking, even to the people who have been riding it for years. It provides a safe, continuous crossing and offers up a glorious view of the downtown skyline (especially at sunset!). The sleek Hiawatha light rail line runs beneath it, and there are benches to sit on and take everything in.

Used by an average of 2,500 riders a day, peak use can hit 5,000 to 6,000 per day on some gorgeous summer weekends, according to Shaun Murphy of the Minneapolis Department of Public Works.

The bridge was named in honor of Minneapolis’ Martin Olav Sabo, a former U.S. Representative from the 5th District who helped secure much of the $5 million needed to build it. Thanks to the Bikes Belong Foundation for enabling us to feature this majestic piece of bike architecture and to show that investing is cycling and walking is well worth every penny for our communities.

Nearly three years ago Streetfilms took a day trip to Washington, D.C. to see their new bike-share system, Smart Bike DC, in action. We found the trial system a fun ride with great potential, but with only 120 bikes there wasn’t widespread use.

Flash forward to 2011. With more than 1,100 bicycles and 110 stations, D.C.’s Capital Bikeshare is testament to the imperative to “go big or go home” when deploying bike-share programs. Currently the largest bike-share system in the United States, the District’s second stab gives users much more flexibility and options to accomplish short errands and commute to work.

In fact, the next phase of expansion has just been announced, with 18 more stations and 265 more bikes coming this fall.

The handsome red bikes are easy to ride. With one swipe of a keycard you’re off and biking. During the morning and evening commutes (and lunch hours) you’ll see the bikes in very heavy rotation.  But what left Streetfilms most impressed was how many people were riding them in full business attire in the hot and humid summers around the capital. If that isn’t a sign of success, what is?

Streetfilms would like to thank the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) for partnering with us on this project.

Nice Ride MN is a hit. The Twin Cities bike share recently celebrated its one year anniversary in June.  And in July they started an expansion by adding more stations and bicycles to the network.

We talked with Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak about the decisions that went into getting Nice Ride MN off the ground:

You gotta go big or go home. You can’t put a few around. You’re hopping on that bike, it’s like a trapeze, you’re not gonna swing on that trapeze unless you know there’s another one to grab. You’re not gonna hop on that bike and cross town, unless you know there’s a place to go.

Thanks to the Bikes Belong Foundation we’re able to provide this short snapshot of the Nice Ride MN system, how it works, and where it’s headed.

The NYC Bridge Centennial Commission, co-founded by “Gridlock” Sam Schwartz, organized a re-enactment today near the Williamsburg Bridge, calling attention to the hundredth anniversary of the last toll collected on the East River bridges. Mayor William J. Gaynor’s century-old decision to eliminate bridge tolls translates to a cumulative loss of $31 billion in potential revenue for NYC. Tune in to hear what $31 million could do for the city’s transportation system.

Yesterday afternoon, Streetfilms got tips from fans saying the physically protected bike and pedestrian path at Queens Plaza, which runs between Vernon Boulevard and Northern Boulevard, was finally open. By the time we got there, scores of folks were already taking advantage — many with big, hearty smiles when they saw the finished path. We’ve tried to give you the full experience from as many angles as possible during this nearly half-mile journey, the newest protected bike facility in New York City.

Amazingly, what used to be one of the most congested, noisy, chaotic and ugly spots in the city — a big parking lot, basically — now feels like an oasis of green. Dare we even say, it’s pleasant! Now cyclists have a safe, direct route to and from the bridge, and the new design also gets rid of dangerous wrong-way riding by finally accommodating cyclists’ desire to travel east.

Transportation Alternatives’ fourth annual Tour de Queens once again didn’t disappoint. Yesterday, 2,000 riders navigated the 18-mile, family-paced course, experiencing neighborhoods from Forest Hills to Jackson Heights. As usual, the festivities started and ended in fabulous Flushing Meadows Corona Park in the shadow of the iconic Unisphere.

If you support livable streets and sustainable transportation policy, giving to Streetsblog and Streetfilms is like amplifying your voice. Simply put, our content makes an impact:

• Streetsblog was the first news outlet to expose how Albany stole dedicated transit funds to plug holes in the state budget. Hundreds of millions of dollars in transit funding have been siphoned off in the past few years, leading to sweeping service cuts. Now, a year after Streetsblog’s report, the state is on the cusp of passing important legislation that will protect transit riders from future raids.
• Streetsblog is the only place digging into the sordid politics behind the campaign to eliminate the Prospect Park West bike path — a NIMBY juggernaut the likes of which the city has never seen before. Thanks to the support we get from readers, we can produce in-depth stories like last week’s post on former transportation commissioner Iris Weinshall’s two-year effort to undermine the project.
• Streetfilms are viewed in cities and towns across America, inspiring officials to rethink how their streets work and try new policies that encourage more people to bike and walk. The innovations that Clarence, Elizabeth, and Robin capture on video are showing the world what’s possible.

Many thanks to everyone who’s made a contribution so far this spring. As a little extra push for everyone who’s been meaning to give and hasn’t yet, here’s a sample of what we’ve been hearing from our supporters:

“Streetsblog is invaluable, not only for it’s stellar journalism but as a hub for the livable streets movement. And Streetfilms are just awesome – wonderful to watch, informative, life affirming and vitally important.” – S. R.

“I give speeches and trainings all over the country on how to make bicycle-friendly communities. These videos are wonderful.”  – M. B.

“I think that Streetfilms and Streetsblog are doing terrific work for the world. There’s a real element of public service here that allows us to have a positive impact on municipalities’ policies and attitudes towards the transportation system. I’m happy to see that this work is being done in the public non-profit sphere and am happy to support it.” – J. W.

Please give today and support the work of Streetsblog and Streetfilms. We can’t do it without you.

– Ben and Clarence

Prospect Heights resident Steve O’Neill has been biking for most of the 15 years he’s lived in New York City. Steve commutes daily to Columbus Circle, and last year he added a new leg to his trip. Every day he drops his son Beckett off at school in Park Slope, and the new Prospect Park West bike lane helps him do that safely.

As a subway trip it took 30 minutes — including a transfer and going up and down nearly 200 steps. On the bike, they get to school in just 10 minutes. How does Beckett feel about the bike ride to school? “The last time I didn’t ride it was winter and it was really snowy and he was begging to go on the bike instead of the subway,” Steve said.

These are the times when you really need Streetsblog and Streetfilms around. We’re getting the truth out about the impact of the city’s street redesigns, and we’re giving a voice to New Yorkers who appreciate the change on their streets and want to see more. With your help we’ll be delivering this coverage for a long time to come.

We rely on the generous support of our readers to fund our reporting, videomaking, and commentary. A couple of times a year we turn to you to help keep Streetsblog and Streetfilms going, and here we are — it’s May and Bike Month is in full swing — let’s do a pledge drive. We’re counting on you to get us to our goal of raising $25,000 by June 30.

Here’s a quick rundown of the impact we’re making thanks to support from our audience:

• Streetsblog has fact-checked the blitz of distortions emanating from the Prospect Park West lawsuit and shed light on how bike lane opponents pull their political levers. You can be sure that high-level city officials, major media, and members of NBBL (in addition to our faithful daily readership and a large number of interested parties throughout the United States and abroad) are all following this coverage.
• Streetfilms is showing the world how NYC DOT’s new complete street designs are making the city work better for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders.
• We’re the only place in town keeping tabs on important policy stories like the potential to reform NYC’s mandatory parking minimums. Our coverage has made the case for changing rules that induce traffic and drive up housing costs, and we’re starting to see signs of progress.
• Our reporting focused public scrutiny on Albany’s theft of dedicated transit funds and raised the political price of further transit raids. There’s a whole new round of transit funding battles coming up in a few months, and we’ll stay on top of it all.
• We’re creating irrefutable documentary proof that New Yorkers who ride bikes are normal people who just want to get where they’re going safely, and have fun doing it.

If you value this work, please give to Streetfilms and Streetsblog NYC — we can’t do it without you.

Thanks for your support!

– Ben and Clarence

Marcus Woollen has a great story to tell about what bicycling can do for your mind, body and spirit. Fifteen months ago, his doctors declared him obese, he decided he needed to get healthy and find a way to fit exercise into his busy schedule.

So he tried bike commuting from Jackson Heights, Queens to Hell’s Kitchen and loved it. As of May, he’s lost an incredible 50 pounds (already five more than when he filmed with us!) and has inspired many friends to start biking too.

Here are some words of advice Marcus has for all of us:

• “New York City is almost ideal for biking – it’s pretty flat, and traffic isn’t very fast – more like organized chaos.”
• “By commuting, I have so much more energy during the day, and I sleep much better than before.”
• “Most of the year, I commute in my work clothes. In the summer, I’ll wear something cooler, and keep a few sets of clothes in a closet at my office – and have them dry cleaned over the weekend so I can pick them up on Monday morning as I get to work.”
• “Riding in the winter is easy – as long as the streets are plowed, I’ll go. My biggest mistake at first was wearing too much and overheating – biking keeps you much warmer than waiting on a cold subway platform!”
• “Queens is a great place to ride a bike – with the exception of a few major through streets, there are a lot of quiet neighborhood streets to ride on. The neighborhoods out here are wonderful and incredibly diverse.”

Streetfilms would like to thank the Law Offices of Adam D. White for sponsoring this chapter of “My NYC Biking Story.”

Over the last four years, New York City has seen a transportation renaissance on its streets, striking a better balance by providing more space for walking, biking, and transit.

As with any departure from the status quo, it can take a while for everyone to grow accustomed to the changes. So Streetfilms decided to look at three of NYC’s most recent re-designs — Columbus Avenue, First and Second Avenues, and Prospect Park West — and show how pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers benefit from safer, calmer streets. We talked to transportation engineers with decades of experience, elected leaders, community board members, people on the street, and business owners to get their take on the new configurations.

The truth is, no matter how hard some media outlets try to spin it otherwise, these new street safety projects have broad community support. And while the story of these changes often gets simplified in the press, the fact is that the benefits of the redesigns go far beyond cycling. A street with a protected bike lane also has less speeding, shorter pedestrian crossings, less lane-shifting and more predictable movements for drivers, and the opportunity to add more trees and plantings. Injuries to pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, and car passengers drop wherever the new designs go in. And on the East Side, these improvements have been paired with dedicated bus-only lanes with camera enforcement, making service more convenient and attractive for thousands of bus riders.

At 11 minutes, this is one of our longest Streetfilms. We cover a lot of ground here, and we hope it’s illuminating no matter what side of the issue you fall on.

What’s a road diet? Quite simply, traffic-calming expert Dan Burden told Streetfilms, “A road diet is anytime you take any lane out of a road.”

The first time people hear about a road diet, their initial reaction likely goes something like this: “How can removing lanes improve my neighborhood and not cause traffic backups?” It seems counterintuitive, but taking away lanes can actually help traffic flow smoother while improving safety for everyone.

Road diets are good for pedestrians: They reduce speeding and make vehicle movements more predictable while shortening crossing distances, usually through curb extensions or center median islands. They’re good for cyclists: Many road diets shift space from car lanes to create bike lanes. They’re good for drivers: Less speeding improves safety for motorists and passengers, and providing left-turn pockets allows through traffic to proceed without shifting lanes or waiting behind turning vehicles.

And here’s something to keep in mind during this era of lean budgets: Road diets are a highly-effective infrastructure improvement that can be implemented quickly and at low cost.

Streetfilms would like to thank The Fund for the Environment & Urban Life for making this series possible.

On a grey, chilly Sunday, an estimated 750 people, many of them on training wheels and balance bikes, turned out to ride the Prospect Park West bike lane and show their support for the traffic-calming redesign. Since the two-way, separated bike path debuted last summer, it’s become indispensable for many parents who use it to take their children to school and get around the neighborhood. On weekends, the lane is full of families heading to the green market at Grand Army Plaza and kids riding to Prospect Park.

The “We Ride the Lanes” event was the brainchild of Mitch Sonies, who rides the PPW bike lane with his six-year-old daughter and wanted to do something positive to highlight how much people appreciate having a much safer street in their neighborhood. “It was a real celebration of this great, safe bike path,” said Mitch. “When I first started kicking around the idea of a family ride, I never imagined so many people would want to take part. It’s a real testament to the popularity of the lane.”

As you can see, the ride was a hit with families and young children, who filled the entire length of the bike lane for more than 40 minutes as they paraded from Grand Army Plaza to Bartel Pritchard Square. The free cupcakes at the end of the ride didn’t last long.

In the fifth chapter of “Moving Beyond the Automobile,” we demystify the concept of congestion pricing in just five short minutes. Here you’ll learn why putting a price on scarce road space makes economic sense and how it benefits many different modes of surface transportation.

In London, which successfully implemented congestion pricing in 2003, drivers now get to their jobs faster, transit users have improved service, cyclists have better infrastructure, and pedestrians have more public space. More people have access to the central city, and when they get there, the streets are safer and more enjoyable. While the politics of implementing congestion pricing are difficult, cities looking to tame traffic and compete in the 21st century can’t afford to ignore a transportation solution that addresses so many problems at once.

Streetfilms would like to thank The Fund for the Environment & Urban Life for making this series possible.