Your partner won't catch you with your lover in a red light camera photo from this distance.

A Connecticut campaign for red light cameras offers a reality-based counterpoint to the growing backlash against automated enforcement.

The CT Livable Streets Campaign worked hard throughout 2009 on legislation allowing municipalities to implement automated red light camera enforcement programs -- a measure they hope will pass in the Connecticut General Assembly's upcoming session.

This will be the fourth or fifth year that red light camera legislation has been introduced in the state, according to New Haven alderwoman and CT Livable Streets member Erin Sturgis-Pascale. She's optimistic about this year as the group has worked with legislators who opposed past measures. The proposed regs were also revamped to include provisions addressing previous objections. As Sturgis-Pascale explains:

One new inclusion that I think is very important is that the revenue that will be generated from the fines will be deposited into a special "Traffic Safety education, enforcement and improvement" fund rather than the general fund of the municipalities. This diffuses the accusations that the fines are only an attempt to fill budget holes by demonstrating that the traffic safety goals are sincere. The money could be used to pay for the RLC equipment and any surplus could fund safety campaigns, traffic calming or other initiatives to improve traffic safety. This is a response to a public safety crisis, not a budget crisis.

This week, the New Haven Board of Aldermen passed by an overwhelming majority a resolution urging the New Haven delegation to the General Assembly to support camera legislation. CT Livable Streets has created a "Red Light Cameras Save Lives" Facebook group where they hope Connecticut legislators and voters will show their support as the February commencement of the General Assembly session approaches.

They've also created a handy online red light camera fact sheet, dispelling myths such as "My partner is going to open my mail and catch me with my lover!" and "Automated enforcement violates the U.S. Constitution!" The red light issue may be among the less contentious uses of traffic cameras, but CT Livable Streets' work should be an invaluable resource to advocates working on traffic cam campaigns around the nation.

Brooklynites wait to transfer to the bus from the Kings Highway subway station. Photo: Sholom Brody

While not everyone took up the offer to complete the survey, a significant number of people who filled it out expressed interest in a bike-to-train commute. Committee member Murray Lantner, who designed the survey materials, reports:

With some persistence I conducted 23 surveys in 90 minutes. 17 of 23 surveyed, including one skateboarder, wanted to see more bike lanes in their neighborhoods. 12 of 23 said they would utilize a safe network of bike lanes and bike parking to get to the Kings Highway Station. 10 of 23 said there was a moderate need for more bike lanes in their neighborhoods. The rest mainly said there was little or no need for more bike lanes.

An encouraging observation... younger people were more open to taking the survey and they reflected a more positive attitude towards cycling.

The greatest concern for those interested in cycling was having a safe place to ride and fear of getting hit by motorists. Several people complained about cyclists running red lights and endangering pedestrians. Many also worried about losing parking spots due to any bike lanes. There was some interest in getting bike lanes on Avenue T and Gerritsen Avenue and some people took the contact information for their community boards and council members.

The local community board only meets "when issues come up," Brody writes, but TA members are calling for a meeting to present their results and prompt a public discussion.

In other news, Susan Donovan has started some compelling StreetsWiki pages to keep tabs on the Fare Hike Four, and the Alliance for Biking and Walking's People Powered Movement Photo Contest is now open for public voting. Vote for your favorites before December 31.

Collings Avenue: A street that could use a bike lane. Photo: Joe Bonaparte.

Collingswood's downtown has returned from near abandonment to become a fashionable local destination in recent years...  As an older town, built to the human scale, Collingswood began as very walkable and bikeable; however, the heavy amount of motor vehicle traffic it receives has diminished this amenity. As a result, the town is exploring adjustments to the physical streetscape in order to improve conditions for people using non-motorized and motorized forms of transportation.

Here's the full Bike Lane Feasibility Study and accompanying Bicycle Parking Recommendations.

Stella sees her work as a first step. "I hope that this will open a dialogue about the many options that are open to the municipality," she told us, "and build some momentum among citizens around advocacy for bike lanes and other bike and pedestrian projects." She says the study has been well received by town commissioner Joan Leonard and local planners. Stella intends to continue her research at Rutgers this spring, examining public support and funding for the bike plan.

In other news, we have a useful new feature for everyone who uses Livable Streets Groups. Admins now have the ability to make wiki pages within their group viewable only by members of the group -- a feature that some users had requested to discuss internal matters. To privatize the page, click the "Make Private" button, which now appears in the top right corner of each wiki page. The change can also be easily reversed.

Don't miss back-to-back opportunities to get involved in changing your city over the next few days.

Then on Monday night, Livable Streets is co-hosting Transportation Alternatives' Community Board Jammy Jam, a party where you can learn about community board membership and complete your application over drinks and dinner. Joining your community board is an incredibly powerful way to help shape our city's planning decisions, and this event will get you through paperwork with fun and ease.

We hope you'll join us for some good times and a better city!

Want to channel your anger over pedestrian and cyclist crashes into productive action? Livable Streets member BicyclesOnly has a plan for you.

The police report revealed that the driver who killed cyclist Rasha Shamoon in 2008 had six prior convictions, and that NYPD interviewed only him and his passengers.

While police declare most crashes to be "accidents" within hours, the details that bear on responsibility for the crash are usually kept from the public for months. By that time, most journalists  and their readers have lost interest. The crash will forever be an "accident." But the detailed information from FOIL requests makes it possible to show that many "accidents" have real and preventable causes, and that police, prosecutors and traffic engineers are failing in their responsibility to address those causes.

He pointed out that Charles Komanoff's seminal work on traffic justice, "Killed by Automobile," would have been impossible without data obtained in this manner. For more information on FOIL requests, follow this link to a video featuring Robert Freeman, executive director of the New York State Committee on Open Government (Windows Media Player required).

The FOIL requests group is a place for people to gather information about crashes, track the progress of requests, and use this information in campaign work, like this letter to DOT Manhattan Borough Commissioner Margaret Forgione. Says BicyclesOnly: "Any Streetsblog reader can help foster balanced, meaningful coverage of traffic deaths by devoting two hours and $5 or so to making a FOIL crash request."

Last week PA Walks and Bikes alerted Pennsylvania residents to an opportunity to give input on the state's new Climate Change Action Plan. The state has produced a report identifying specific actions that would reduce emissions by a target date of 2020.

Recent and projected GHG emissions from the Land Use and Transportation sector, as shown in Pennsylvania's Climate Change Action Plan

In his critique, LSC member John Boyle points to some notable omissions in Chapter 6, which focuses on transportation and land use:

There is no mention of bicycling and walking in the plan. There is a desire but no stated goal for reducing Vehicle Miles Traveled. The plan focuses instead on keep-driving actions such as proper tire inflation and "Eco Driving." Enhanced Support for Existing Land Use Policies sounds like a really weak action. Why not strengthen and enforce better Land Use Policies? Why not have a plan to make build more sidewalks and bike lanes?

The plan is open to public comment through November 9. PA Walks and Bikes explains how Pennsylvanians can give input on the group's blog.

Meanwhile in New York, residents will have a chance to make a difference in their neighborhoods at the second annual Community Board Join-Up Jammy Jam, hosted by Transportation Alternatives and the Livable Streets Initiative on November 23. As TA reminds us, community boards are "only as open-minded and effective as the people who sit on them." Join us to apply for your board and enjoy dinner, drinks, and conversation with current board members. Please RSVP by November 18.

In other news, the Livable Streets Community welcomes a new group working for more livable streets all the way over in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

With your help, LSI and Neighbors Allied for Good Growth (NAG) will suggest 300 locations for new bike racks in Williamsburg and Greenpoint. Finding good locations for bike parking is tougher than you'd think. The trick is to verify that all 300 spots are actually suitable for racks. This handy "How to Get Your NYC Bike Racks" Streetfilm by Robin Urban Smith explains it all.

So here's the plan: This Sunday, you're invited to join us on a "Tag or Treat" ride. We're going to spread the word by scouring the streets for bikes and attaching notes that explain how to suggest bike rack locations using the FixCity: Bike Racks site. Then on November 22, we're going to collect all the locations submitted through the website and put on a contest. Top prize goes to the person who verifies the most locations as suitable for bike racks (details to come).

If you can't make it to either event, you can still suggest a rack location and verify that it is appropriate online. And starting Monday, if you have a smart phone you'll be able to submit rack suggestions via email, on the spot. Simply snap a photo and send it to racks@fixcity.org. Include the address and name of the nearest establishment in the subject line and any further description in the message body (use the format at right). But first, watch the Streetfilm so you can suggest spots that DOT will actually take advantage of.

The bulk order for North Brooklyn is a pilot project of FixCity. If you'd like to get more involved in this bulk order or organize another one in your neighborhood, contact info@fixcity.org.

Denver's 16th St. Pedestrian Mall

"The more I think about it, the more it would be kind of neat to try to replicate something like Boulder or Denver. They have almost a little park in the middle of the street with seating, trees, flowers, sculptures, little playing areas for the children, etc. Denver's has two lanes of traffic on the outside for buses."

The group was happy to have an intern from State Senator Eric Schneiderman's office in attendance. As Brad Aaron wrote earlier this week, IWHLS is seeing positive results for the hard work they've put into Dyckman Street, among other projects. Sample letters of support, petitions, and the Dyckman Greenway proposal itself are available as attachments to this page. They invite suggestions and comments on their broader goals and projects, and have mapped some of them out here. While efforts so far have proven mostly fruitless, the group hopes to get Community Board 12 on board for safer streets in Upper Manhattan.

In other news, New Haven Safe Streets Coalition posts that their state legislature is looking into stricter penalties for texting while driving; TA's Brooklyn Volunteer Committee launches a new campaign with a Fifth Avenue ride; and we welcome new groups Smart Transit for Northern Kentucky, Livable Saskatchewan, and Rails for Rail.

Photo: kate at yr own risk/Flickr

Here's video from last year's event.

Tomorrow's hunt coincides with Open House New York weekend, where you can also catch Livable Streets' Rebecca Jacobs leading a Times Square walking tour for kids age five and up.

So grab your camera and meet us at The Open Planning Project (148 Lafayette St.) at 1 p.m. tomorrow. We'll send you out on a wild chase that may just win you a free bike trip to Tuscany.

Full details and registration here.

Sholom and his beloved bike

Bike owners should register their bike: I was fortunate to have a picture that proved that this was my bike. Without it, I would have no way of recovering it even if the Police had recovered it for me. If you own a bike, call your local precinct and arrange for a meeting with the crime prevention officer so that you can get your bike registered. In that case, if it is recovered, you have proof that it is yours.

Don’t just give up: So many bike thefts go unreported. People feel that they will never get it back and just give up immediately. Instead of giving up, you should report it to the Police and check your local craigslist. Many precincts have many bikes that are recovered, but have no owner. If your bike is recovered, you should have a chance of getting it back. Even if it’s not recovered, at least it will be recorded in the stats. The higher the number of thefts reported, the more attention it will get from the NYPD.

Lock your bike in public places: Locking it in a public place with many people can help ensure it’s there when you get back: A thief may be wearier to steal a bike that is locked up in Times Square (where he/she has the chance of being noticed) than on a private quieter street. When I travel anywhere by bike, I am sure to find the busiest street in the area to lock up my bike. 

Read the whole story on TA Brooklyn's blog. In other news: Inwood & Washington Heights Livable Streets needs letters of support this weekend from area businesses in favor of a Dyckman Street Greenway connector; PA Bikes & Walks brings news of an exciting multi-use trail network that would create 1,400 jobs; and Bicycles Only has added more great tips to the ever-growing StreetsWiki article on Urban Bicycling With Children.

The Alliance for Biking and Walking has launched their People-Powered Movement Photo Contest to build a photo library for biking and walking advocates. Submit up to 20 photos for a chance to win an all-expense paid bike trip to Tuscany and a year's supply of Clif Bars! Other prizes include two brand new commuter bikes and a chance to have your photos featured in the 2010 March/April issue of Momentum Magazine.

Meanwhile in New York, Livable Streets will be hosting Wikis Take Manhattan once again on Saturday, October 10. The event is a scavenger hunt and free content photography contest aimed at illustrating Wikipedia and StreetsWiki articles. Check out the Streetfilm and photos from last year to get a sense of what it's all about. See Wikipedia for full details and registration.

Join us for Wikis Take Manhattan and you might just snap a shot that wins you a trip to Tuscany.

Taken a look at your Livable Streets profile recently? We've added some handy features.

Profiles now include an activity feed of everything you do on Livable Streets. Need a quick link to that last page you edited or discussion message someone sent? Now it's easily on hand.

You can see everything in one list or divide by pages, discussions, blog posts, and blog comments. Activity in private groups will only be visible to other group members, but you also have the option of making your entire feed private.

Don't forget to join us for this weekend's Bike Rack Hunt -- a scavenger hunt for new bike rack spots in Brooklyn Community District 1 (Williamsburg and Greenpoint), and the first public trial of the FixCity Bike Racks mapping app:

Sunday, September 20, 2:30 - 6:30 p.m.
The Change You Want to See gallery
84 Havemeyer St. (at Metropolitan), Brooklyn

Be sure to bring a camera or camera-equipped phone. Thanks to our generous hosts, Not An Alternative.

The hunt will be followed at 6:30 by a Streetfilms screening and festivities at the nearby Nook & Cranny Backyard Box (194 S. 2nd St. between Driggs & Roebling).

Sunday, September 20
2 - 5 p.m.
Wiillamsburg/Greenpoint
Exact location and time TBA

FixCity Bike Racks is an online application communities can use to map desired rack locations. September 20 marks the first time the app will be tested by the public.

More details to come next week. In the meantime you can find more background here, and sign up to receive more information.

The FixCity Bike Rack Hunt is hosted by Conflux and brought to you by Transportation Alternatives' Brooklyn Committee, Neighbors Allied for Good Growth, the Livable Streets Initiative, and The Open Planning Project.

The ease of getting around Portland without a car enriches the city.

In a period of time when health care is so heatedly debated, I can’t help but wonder what first steps we can take towards solving the crisis ourselves. What might be the least costly, most effective means to reduce the cost of health care? Can it really be as simple as taking a 30 minute walk every day? [Quoting a paper by Eric A. Finklestein et. all:] 'For the United States as a whole, obesity-attributable medical expenditures are estimated at $75 billion, with $17 billion financed by Medicare and $21 billion financed by Medicaid. State-level estimates range from $87 million (Wyoming) to $7.7 billion (California).' Pennsylvania holds second place for the highest obesity-attributable medical expenditures -- $4.138 Billion annually.

After returning from the Safe Routes to School National Conference in Portland, Oregon a few days ago, Michele shared another piece of research on the economic benefits of driving less. From a 2007 report released by CEOs for Cities, Joe Cortright presents data from Portland showing that:

The time and money saved by less driving produces more demand for other local goods and services, and so, in fact, stimulates the local economy... It’s time to replace the cliché of green policy as sacrifice and instead recognize that for progressive regions and their residents, being green pays handsome economic dividends.

Cortright released another report just last week about the premium home buyers place on walkability. You can read it here.

A still from Elizabeth Press' Block Party NYC Streetfilm

When neighbors know one another, they know who belongs on the street and are more likely to respond to suspicious activity. [One] examination of the effects of family ties shows that respondents who know more families in their neighborhoods are more likely to engage in neighborhood improvement activities; block parties facilitate the creation of those relationships.

Rounding out: Tom Harned, a New Haven-based transportation planner, shares some helpful insight into Level of Service measurement; Harlem & Hamilton Heights LS encourages you to give your feedback on NYC's new BRT plans; and PA Walks and Bikes shares news of a Safe Routes to Schools grants program. We also welcome a new UK-based Spanish language group Los peatones opian, a forum for Portland, Oregon street repair, and a discussion group to ensure that the new LAPD chief is livable streets-friendly.

Andrew Nash

Nash explains that web applications intended to improve the public input process for transportation projects often come up short:

The simplest example is using websites and e-mail to comment on planning studies. [But] often these systems are not very creative, simply mimicking the traditional paper-based planning process, which shows that there is room for innovation. An interesting idea is CitiWiki Pittsburgh’s project for creating a regional integrated transportation plan... It was meant to provide those who have a vested interest in creating a better transportation system with a tool and a venue for sharing their ideas for productively building such a system.

He goes on to propose a web app he calls Bus Meister, described in detail in a second wiki entry. The core feature of Bus Meister would be a game that:

...allows users to examine the impacts of public transport improvements on their own public transport routes. The game will both teach users about public transport operations and help them assess the value of their ideas... For example, the player could add traffic signal priority by dragging the “public transport priority signalization widget” onto the route map at the intersection.

Andrew invites you to make edits, corrections, and add additional examples or thoughts to the articles -- he'll take them all into account for the final draft. You can contact him directly, though we encourage you to keep the conversation public -- by contributing to the wiki or commenting on this post -- so everyone can benefit from your insights.

Also around the Community this week: Bike Hoboken is working with the city to secure state funding for a pedestrian/bicycle safety plan, PA Walks and Bikes is tracking how bicycle crash investigations are handled, and cyclists are needed this Sunday for a Biking Rules PSA photo shoot.

Cantor Benjamin Kintisch

Elsewhere around New York, Livable Streets members have been busy preparing for this weekend's Summer Streets. The Upper West Side Streets Renaissance will be leading a feeder ride starting at Inwood Hill Park and picking up more folks along the way in neighborhoods like Washington Heights and Harlem, while Brooklynites can catch a ride with their TA committee from Grand Army Plaza to Park Ave. and back.

And for those who missed Zozo's appearance at the Summer Streets press conference, there's a new StreetsWiki entry with more details on the mysterious purple creature. Don't miss the Livable Streets Education kid station for more Zozo fun along the route tomorrow.

Banned in NJ: Many Jersey towns don't allow kids to bike to school. Photo: Voorhees Transportation Center Image Library, Leigh Ann Von Hagen.

This May, a bill surfaced in the U.S. Senate that would triple federal funding for Safe Routes to School programs. Livable Streets Community activists have been on the case this week, mobilizing support for the measure. In many communities, however, local policies also have to change to help kids get to school by walking or biking.

Leigh Ann Von Hagen -- a planner at Rutgers' NJ Safe Routes to School Resource Center -- writes about the uphill battle New Jersey advocates are fighting in school districts where students have actually been banned from biking:

Banning bicycling to school is way too common throughout our state. We are in the planning stages of conducting a statewide survey to find out how often bicycling is banned. We are also developing a model policy for walking and bicycling to school. It is true that teenage driving is significantly more dangerous than students bicycling when you look at crash statistics. Yet, no schools consider banning teenage drivers.

Schools often use liability concerns to get out of taking account of
walking and bicycling to school conditions. A good Safe Routes to School Travel Plan would help with liability issues.

Hagen brought the bike ban to the attention of activists in the Collingswood Streets group, who promptly got going on a campaign to convince the local school board to overturn the ban.

Also this week: Out west, the Los Angeles Bicycle Coalition is calling for suggestions on where to conduct LA's first-ever bike and pedestrian count. And in NYC, we're pleased to welcome Harlem & Hamilton Heights Livable Streets and to see the resurgence of Bike Hoboken and the Brooklyn Bridge Cycle Track Advocates.

Santa Barbara Cycle Chic. Photo: Christa Clarke-Jones

In the wiki entry, San Diego-based member Christa Clarke-Jones offers this explanation of the Cycle Chic movement:

Cycle chic or bicycle chic is the culture of cycling in fashionable clothes. Cycle Chic is associated with the utility cycling practiced in cities such as Amsterdam, Berne and Copenhagen, among others, where citizens practice a high level of bicycle usage. In many European cities, as well as cities in China and Japan, cycling is an everyday transport choice and many cyclists choose to wear their regular clothes, as opposed to outfits generally associated with cycle sport, such as bicycle shorts, gloves and shoes. Cycle chic is a growing trend in cities that are now investing in bicycle friendly infrastructure and facilities.

So, what would you add to this StreetsWiki installment? Got something to say about staying chic in more inclement conditions? What about the benefits of Dutch-style fully enclosed chain guards? Add your two cents to the Cycle Chic entry.

Rounding out the week: TransAltMiddletown, in Middletown, CT, is looking for people who can bring a green transportation perpective to a new citizen's commission on downtown parking; Walk Oakland Bike Oakland reports on the Bay Area's Car-Free Challenge; and Dan Knaus weighs in on crime data credibility at Cream Citizen.

RenewLV supports the study of regional rail for the Lehigh Valley, particularly focusing on the possible extension of the Raritan Valley line from High Bridge to Phillipsburg, N.J., and the impact of such a project for this region. Since a regional rail service in the Valley will presumably involve partnerships with adjacent states -- namely, New Jersey, and even New York -- identifying allies across state boundaries is incredibly important for the regional rail effort. Today's meeting was proof of a thriving sentiment for multi-organizational, multi-state collaboration. HART Commuter Information Services, a transportation management association that promotes ridesharing, and the Institute for Rational Urban Mobility were just some of the organizations that called for a need to work together on determining better transportation solutions for the NY-NJ-PA region.

Elsewhere: Maura McCormick continues her battle for non-automobile accessible grocery stores in Dayton, OH; Echo Park and Silverlake Livable Streets wants help distributing a poster for its next meeting; and things are looking up in Connecticut with the passage of an act improving bike-ped funding statewide and news of an intersection repair mural in New Haven.